Final Day Assignment: Cooper, Campbell, and Stewart


-Controversial Question-
Should teachers be paid based on student course completion?

Instructions: Please add your group's responses to the list below. Make sure you add something new that hasn't already been said. Cooper will give a brief wrap up at the end of this discussion.
1.For (Bryce, Dan, John, Mohyna, Nadine, , Ritchi)
  • quality teachers only
  • increases enrollment
  • freedom for teachers to recruit (including international students)
  • increases competition among teachers
  • incentives to attract higher achieving students

2.Against (Guy,Chris, Marg, Jeff, Trevor)
  • based on standardized testing--teaching to the test
  • dumbed-down courses
  • teachers cheating/ excessive pressure on teachers to complete courses
  • student motivation
  • lack of depth of material
  • no social education of students
  • short term gains vs. long-term achievement
  • lack of literature on payment scales

3. Combined model of traditional and course completion model? ((Luke, Derek, Deb, Aaron)
  • Combines teacher incentive, but has a guaranteed salary for the teacher.
  • Allows for blips in student demographics.
  • Allows for accountability and seniority.


Research used in preparing this discussion:
Teacher performance incentives and student outcomes
Teacher performance pay: A review
Barriers to learning in distance education
Teacher incentives


Ustream:


History & Origin:


Originated in the US military, used to connect sattelite soldiers with headquarters far away.

Can be utilized in classrooms --virtual, DL, etc..

It is a social network or interactive web-streaming platform that allows broadcasting of information through various web-streaming platforms (ie. myspace, facebook, etc..

Ustreaming can allow live broadcasts and can also archive material for future use and review.

Simple requirements of internet connection and a webcam.

Ustreaming captured audiences during the US Presidential election of 2008.


Significance:


It allows dialogue between users and provides a means to build connections across town, country or the globe, allows for greater opportunity for free access to education and entertainment.


Capabilities:


Live chats, improptu dialogue, can gauge and measure user feedback, really encourages online interactions and promotes the sharing of ideas and content.

Downsides: requires steady internet connection, needs significant bandwidth.

Benefits for students:

Post questions, share URL's, share conversations, community experts can be used to enrich resources for students through Ustream.



Ustream Article
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7042.pdf