*To log on, click:  WebCT. 

We hope this will not only be a learning experience for ALL of us but will also be an alternative way to engage in professional dialogue around our shared and diverse teaching and learning experiences. Hopefully these guidelines will help clarify the procedures. So grab your computers and jump right in!

Types of Conversations:

1. DDL Community Connections- Across cohort conversations designed to share experiences across to school and cohort contexts.

2. Cohort Community Connections (Alachua & PK)- Within cohort conversations designed to encourage professional discussion within a context.

3. Small Group Community Connections (Cindy, Michelle, Reisa, Sandy)- Within field advisor group conversations.

4. Literature Circles- Small group discussions around text. These small group discussions will be summarized by a group leader and posted to a "Summary Discussion Board."

Guidelines:

"Attendance" and presence is required on WEBCT. We have shortened the "in the university classroom" component of your preparation so that you can spend time each week participating in the on-line discussions. You are expected to attend the DDL virtual classroom and post substantial contributions to the discussion boards each week.  Your participation will be monitored by the field and course advisors.

You will be required to read classmates entries, post your own thoughts, and respond to the thoughts of others. It is extremely important to participate in class "discussion". Your understanding and application of concepts are best reinforced by "lessons learned" of others. Thus, beyond giving you some food for thought to start the "conversation", we will facilitate and observe the process as well as interject our own comments and professional questions.However, the degree to which interesting conversations emerge on-line will be left to you.

 "Netiquette"

• Check discussion boards frequently and respond appropriately.
• Be professional with online interaction.
• It is fine to use humor, but be EXTREMELY careful.  Sarcasm should be avoided.  The absence of body language cues can cause humor to be misinterpreted as anger or criticism.  In order to avoid resentment from rearing it's ugly head, use "emoticons" (i.e. J, ;^) or disclaimers to let others know you're being funny, silly.
• Capitalize words only to highlight a point or for titles &endash; Capitalize otherwise is generally viewed as SHOUTING!
• When posting long messages, use a line break to separate thoughts and warn the reader before hand that your post is lengthy.
• Keep us "posted" on your experience and have fun exploring each others professional experiences, successes, ideas, struggles, dreams, understandings, etc....

To start posting click here:  WebCT