Concepts for Unit 3 and How to Post in Discussion Topic 3

If you were successful with Unit 1 or Unit 2’s Collaborations, then you may not need to look at this. If you need help, just ask.

Why Concepts and Why Collaboration?. 1

Concepts for Unit 3. 1

How Blackboard Works with Discussions That Are Moderated. 1

The Requirement for Careful Use of Subject Lines to Save Everyone Time and the 3 Types of Posts That Earn Points. 2

The Requirement for Your Using Only Three Sources for Definitions. 2

The Requirement to Copy a Definition in a Useful Way. 3

The Requirement for Signaling What You Wrote and What Merriam-Webster or Dr. Bibus Wrote. 3

Requirements You Can Tell Best by Looking at the Rubric—Including That You Can Earn Points By Reading Posts. 3

Why Can’t You See Your Post Until After I Read It. 3

How to See My Comments on a Returned Post. 3

 

Why Concepts and Why Collaboration?

Understanding concepts is frequently essential to understand accurately what you are reading, but students have different backgrounds. With on-campus classes, it is comparatively easy to cover key terms or concepts with a group. With distance learning classes, it has been difficult. I have permission from my Department to try this method to help students with concepts and to do in a way that means:

·         That every student does not have to look up every concept but instead could collaborate or share the labor by posting definitions that all can use

·         That students can ask or answer questions about those concepts

Concepts for Unit 3

Click on Required Concepts and you will see a list for Unit 3 as a whole. It also includes lists from earlier Units but you may not post on them if they are identified by being in dark gray.

Requirements You Can Tell Best by Looking at the Rubric—Including That You Can Earn Points by Reading Posts

Click here for the rubric. Notice:

·         The description for the rubric says, if your only posting is in the last 2 days of the Unit, you lose points.

·         The rows of the rubric say how many definitions you must post to earn each level of points.

·         This rubric means that students can earn a B- by reading posts. For example, if read posts of definitions and reply as explained in the rubric, you can earn a B-. Choose 3 to 5 of the definitions that were most helpful and reply to them.

Requirements for Using Blackboard for Collaborations and Timing of Grading

Click here for how moderated discussions work, for how to use Blackboard with moderated discussions and save time, and timing of grading and postings with a moderated discussion.

The Requirement for Careful Use of Subject Lines to Save Everyone Time and the 3 Types of Posts That Earn Points

A fellow student should not have to click on every discussion posting to find what he or she needs. Make it clear in the Subject line.

Treat a Discussion posting like work where you get paid: no one pays you (if the boss) or no one likes you (if fellow workers) if you waste time. The examples are from concepts about the primary, but they apply to all Unit Work and they all count as what the rubric calls “focused participations.”

·         If you are posting a definition of one of the concepts above, you would place in the Subject line the word Concept and then the exact term from the lists.
If you were going to post a definition for the word slave in the list in the row above, you would type
Subject line for this example: Concept: Slave

·         If you found a word in the primary the Requerimiento of 1510 that was not on the Concepts list but that you had to look up in order to understand the primary, you place in the Subject line the words Term in Primary and then the exact word. If you had to look up the word terra firma in the primary, you would type
Subject line for this example: Term in Primary: terra firma

·         If you are posting a question, you would place in the Subject line the word Question followed by the simplest way you can ask your question.
If you were confused about the difference between slaves and serfs, you would type
Example of the Subject line: Question: What’s the difference between a slave and serf?

The Requirement for Your Using Only Three Sources for Definitions

1.       You may use Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary available at http://www.merriam-webster.com/
If you used that source for your definition, you would type at the end
From Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/

2.       You may use definitions I provide in Required Concepts for the Unit.
If you copied a definition from my file, you would type at the end
Copied from the definitions provided by Dr. Bibus.

3.       Once we are in content after the Constitution is written, you may use the definitions I provide at the end of the searchable Constitution.
If you copied a definition from my file of the Constitution, you would type at the end
Copied from the definitions provided in the Constitution file.

The Requirement to Copy a Definition in a Useful Way

Be useful. Do these things:

·         Read the definition to see what is about history and our current content and only copy those lines.

·         Copy only lines from the definitions. (Don’t copy any of the website coding. Don’t make a huge glob of software coding.)

There is not a specific measure of quantity, but look at what you have copied. Ask yourself "If that is all I knew, would it be enough?" If it would not be enough, do things such as

·         If Merriam Webster gave 3 explanations and they all fit the current content, then give all 3.

·         If Merriam Webster includes in its explanation a link to a definition of another word then add to your post the definition of that other word.
Example: a definition of exploration uses the word explore with a link

·         If Merriam Webster gives a simple definition and right below it a full definition, give both.

The Requirement for Signaling What You Wrote and What Merriam-Webster or Dr. Bibus Wrote

You place:

·         an opening quotation mark (“) at the beginning and end of the words you are quoting.

·         A closing quotation mark (”) at the end of the words you are quoting

If you insert words into another’s words, you must use square brackets ( [ ] ). If you remove words from another’s words, you must use ellipses (…). A better method is avoid all of these rules by using the Brain Trick in this link from the Good Habits for Evidence tutorial.

 

 

Copyright C. J. Bibus, Ed.D. 2003-2016

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu

Last Updated:

2016

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/