Blackboard+Virtual+Classroom



= Blackboard Virtual Classroom   = = Icons in Film History: D.W. Griffith   =


 * Description**

For this assignment, we were tasked with creating a complete distance learning course using the Blackboard Academic Suite. The assignment required several different types of content including collaborative projects, online assessments, discussion forums, web 2.0 tools and more. The assignments were divided up into 4 units each comprising one week in a distance learning class. We were to base the virtual classroom on a subject we already teach, but the specific content was flexible and open to our on interpretation and modifications. Since I have developed and taught the course "The Early History of Film" I thought it appropriate to choose an aspect of that course as the subject for my virtual classroom. I chose to focus on one of the fathers of modern cinema, D.W. Griffith for my four week distance learning course. D.W. Griffith is one of the core components of my face-to-face film history class, and there is easily enough material on him to comprise a four week course.


 * Process**

The process for crafting this class to occur exclusively online was a daunting one. I chose to focus on four distinct areas related to D.W. Griffith and build activities in each of the four areas that would all work together to create a comprehensive course. Each week comprises of materials such as articles and videos that support the assignments and discussion forums related to each week's topics. For week one I focused on getting the students familiar with the Blackboard Academic Suite and introducing them to the life and career of D.W. Griffith. A six part documentary was introduced to the students that provides a great deal of useful background information. In week two, D.W. Griffith's most famous and most infamous film //Birth of a Nation// was introduced along with articles and discussion on it's impact on racism in America. The collaborative project for the class was also started in week two, and a multimedia time line on the life and career of D.W. Griffith using the Web 2.0 tool Tribbit. In week three Griffith's work was examined from a more artistic standpoint, specifically the cinematic use of mise-en-scène. Week four concluded with the students watching one of Griffith's feature-length films, writing an essay, submitting their Tribbit project and posting to the discussion board. There is also a pre-assessment and post-assessment survey included at the beginning and end of the course respectively. I used scaffolding activities heavily in each week's assignments so that each task had a logical progression and all necessary information and support materials were supplied so the students would not feel overwhelmed.


 * Reflection**

Though I have developed face-to-face courses in the past, this was my first attempt at designing a distance learning course. I had no idea the amount of work and attention to detail that would be required. There are many things that I can take for granted in a brick and mortar class environment that would never had occurred to me if they were not pointed out by my instructors for this assignment. For example, I would not have thought of including articles related to netiquette on my own, but I certainly see the value in providing behavior guidelines and boundaries for the students in the distance learning class. I also found that my first inclination was to design only asynchronous activities, even though weekly Wimba meetings online are a part of my own masters program. The process of designing this course has truly educated me in the value of balancing a variety of different activities when creating a virtual learning environment. I hope to use this design in the future as a base to create a full semester distance learning course for "The Early History of Film."


 * Syllabus**




 * Wimba Virtual Tour**

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