Audience:  people new to MERLOT;  those learning how to introduce MERLOT to others more effectively;  those who visited MERLOT a few years ago (or months ago) and who would benefit from a focused intro to some specific resources/tools/etc. both old and new……… 

Brief Description: Over three weeks, participants will learn to search, browse and find materials  in  MERLOT and learn to save these in Personal Collections. During week two, participants will learn all about MERLOT’s peer review process and about its evaluation standards of Quality of Content, Potential Effectiveness for Teaching and Learning and Ease of Use. In the final week, participants will explore aspects of MERLOT that may have developed since an earlier visit or that may not be as evident at first glance. 

 
In 1997, MERLOT began in the California State University System as a digital referatory providing free and open access to a wide variety of learning materials including tutorials, simulations, animations, case studies, collections, podcasts and more. Today MERLOT consists of 20471 materials, 19 Editorial Boards, and 62835 members with 12417 personal collections and 1257 learning assignments. MERLOT distinguishes itself from other repositories with its Peer Review Process, based on the peer review of scholarship and conducted by recognized content experts in the field.

Sessions: Over three weeks, participants will learn to search, browse and find materials in MERLOT and learn to save these in Personal Collections. During week two, participants will learn all about MERLOT’s Peer Review Process and about its evaluation standards of Quality of Content, Potential Effectiveness for Teaching and Learning and Ease of Use. In the final week, participants will explore the Faculty Development Collection, the Pedagogy Portal, Teaching Tips in the Disciplines, the TLT Group/MERLOT/UND efforts related to Brief Hybrid Workshops, and JOLT, with particular emphasis on the special issue on Course Management Systems. 

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Session One: Introduction to MERLOT Basics and the Seminar 

Archive of Session 1 Recorded Presentation (Will open an Adobe Presenter(TM) window and begin to play the session)
 

In 1997, MERLOT began in the California State University System as a digital referatory providing free and open access to a wide variety of learning materials including tutorials, simulations, animations, case studies, collections, podcasts and more. Today MERLOT consists of 20471 materials, 18 Editorial Boards, and 62835 members with 12417 personal collections and 1257 learning assignments. MERLOT distinguishes itself from other repositories with its Peer Review Process, based on the peer review of scholarship and conducted by recognized content experts in the field. 

8:45-9:05  Mic. and technical check 

9:05-9:10 Moderator describes whole three weeks and introduces Laura. 

9:10 Laura greets audience and asks them to check in in text chat. Participants say where they are from, their role (fac., staff admin) and what they hope to gain from session. 

9:20-9:25  Poll: Participant Familiarity check: 

a. I am finding out about MERLOT for the first time today. 

b. I was introduced to MERLOT a year or more ago and have not been back since. 

c. . I was introduced to MERLOT a year or more ago and have used it off and on. 

d. I am a  member of MERLOT and use it in my classes. 

e. Other (Explain in chat) 

9:25-9:35  E-clip or short video presentation on MERLOT Basics. 

Laura Franklin's 2-Minute Video Intro to MERLOT 101- on YouTube

Laura Franklin's 2-Minute Video Intro to MERLOT 101 - ScreenCast Version
or use this "tinyurl":  http://tinyurl.com/MERLOT101-eclip1

2nd Video - Introducing MERLOT features 

9:35- 9:45 Focused listing exercise: Participants are invited to type questions and comments that arise from material presented in e-clip. Laura answers these orally and introduces Moustapha Diack who also fields questions. Voice of chat also adds answers in text form. 

9:45-9:50- Q&A, Next steps and Wrap-up 

10:00 Adjourn. 

Repeat at 4 and 9 pm. 

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Session Two: MERLOT Peer Review Process 

 Archive of Session 2 Recorded Presentation (Will open an Adobe Presenter(TM) window and begin to play the session)

This session will introduce participants to the MERLOT Peer Review Process.  Attendance will learn about the three criteria that MERLOT uses in Peer Review:  Quality of Content, Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching and Learning Material, and Ease of Use.  They will also learn how the learning material moves through the MERLOT Peer Review Process. 

8:45 – 9:00 Mic and technical check 

9:00 – 9:05 Moderator asks how many people were not on last time.  Introduces Cathy 

9:05 – 9:10 Cathy welcomes everyone and provides history of MERLOT Peer Review Process 

9:10 – 9:15 Poll: Participants’ peer review experience. 

Have you ever peer reviewed for: 

a.       Journal article 

b.      Discipline Proceedings 

c.       Other 

9:15 – 9:20 Discussion of how MERLOT is different from others. 

9:20 – 9:30 Description of three criteria 

9:30 – 9:35 Video clip found at:  http://taste.merlot.org/Videos/MIC_07_PeerReviewers.html 

9:35 – 9:40 How to find Peer Reviews in your discipline & description of GRAPE Camp 

9:40 – 9:45 Assignment for this week – Read a Peer Review in your discipline and comment on it or ask questions in MERLOT Voices MERLOT 101 discussion area. 

9:45-9:50 Q & A 

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Session Three:  Multiple Options for Faculty Development

Archive of Session 3 Recorded Presentation (Will open an Adobe Presenter(TM) window and begin to play the session)

We will sample the resources in MERLOT related to faculty development.  We will examine the materials in the Pedagogy Portal, the Faculty Development Collection, and the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT).  We will also look at some of the Tips for Teaching with Technology provided by various discipline communities.

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Course (available via BlackBoard from Laura Franklin)

"Building A Collection of Online Learning Materials with MERLOT: A hands-on online workshop on how to develop a collection of MERLOT learning materials for classroom use."

Course Description:

This course, conducted online in Blackboard, will help you enhance your face to face, hybrid or online teaching with ready to use online learning materials. We will use MERLOT, a free and open resource for online teaching and learning, to find materials to enrich VCCS courses and to engage students. Course participants will:

·        become members of MERLOT in order to be able to contribute materials, post learning assignments and develop their own Personal Collections of learning materials for their VCCS courses.

·        become proficient in the use of the Search, Advanced Search, Browse and Federated Search features of MERLOT in order to find the materials they need.

·        build Personal collections specific to their discipline which will be archived directly in MERLOT.

·        discuss the useful learning materials that they find with other course participants in regular Discussion Board assignments.

·        discuss best practices for using  these learning materials in class

Course Materials:

MERLOT

http://www.merlot.org

You will become a member, search and browse the collections and make at least one Personal Collection in MERLOT.

MERLOT Voices

http://www.voices.merlot.org

You will join this community and access course assignment area by clicking MERLOT 101 on the right side of the home page. Your assignments will be contained inside the discussion boards. There is a chat area in MERLOT Voices that we may also use.

Important Information for the Participant

The course is three weeks long with deliverables each week. Participants can expect to find Announcements in the MERLOT Voices site throughout each week of the course. The Discussion Board in Voices is the main place to find Assignments each week. Some assignments are posted directly in Voices, others are done right in MERLOT.

Participants are strongly encouraged to check Voices regularly throughout the week for additional messages and customizations to the course. The instructor will also use e-mail to keep you informed of all additions to the course.  We will be an interactive learning community, so participants should expect to report their "finds" and share questions. The instructor will tailor course content to individual and collective needs.

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MERLOT 101  Sampler: Search by Title

Place these titles in the search field on the MERLOT home page to visit exemplary materials in the discipline of your choice:

A. English

(Search these titles in the main MERLOT)

1. Traci’s lists of ten

2. OELP Online English Language Center

3. Paradigm online writing assistant

4. Breaking News English

5. English-Zone.com

Check this personal collection on literature links:

http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewPortfolio.htm?id=100854

B. Math

(Search these titles in the main MERLOT)

1. Mathematical Visualization Kit

2. Cut-the-Knot!

3. Manipula Math

4. Miss Lindquist

C. Natural Sciences

(Search these titles in the main MERLOT)

1. DNA from the Beginning

2. Web Elements

3. Plants in Motion

4.Water on the Web

D. Nursing

(Search these titles in the main Merlot)

1. Auscultation Assistant

2. Osteoporosis and Bone Physiology

3. What’s Asthma All About?

4. Painless

5. Transcultural Nursing Basic Concepts

E. Online Communication

Note: The sites below came from a  MERLOT Federated search at this address:

http://fedsearch.merlot.org/teachingandtechnology/search.jsp

Go to the URL above and use online discussion as a search term. You will get about 75 hits.  Here are some exemplary sites from that search:

1. Online Collaborative Learning

2. Avoiding Online Discussion Pitfalls

3. Learning Roles Online

4. Journey North Menu of Inquiry

5. Role of the online discussion facilitator

You may want to save some of these in a MERLOT Personal Collection on online communication. They will be useful as you design future discussions for your students.

F. Sociology

(Search these titles in the main MERLOT)

1. The Indivisible

2. Work Ethic Site

3. The Depth and Breadth of Multicultural

4. Sociology Virtual Explorations

5. Sampling Strategies

Search this personal collection for sociology:

http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewPortfolio.htm?id=99005

G. Spanish

(Search these titles in the main Merlot)

1. LangMedia Spanish

2. Ashcombe Spanish

3. Mas arriba

4. Conjuguemos

5. Spanish Grammar Exercises

Search this personal collection for Spanish:http://www.merlot.org/merlot/portfolios.htm?username=hodgeda@erols.com

H. Teacher Education

(Search these titles in the main Merlot)

1.  Universal Design for Learning

2.  UDL-Online Training Module

3.  Authentic Assessment Toolbox

4.  WebQuest Page

5.  Pedagogy in Practice

Questions?  Contact: Laura Franklin, Editor, MERLOT World Languages  lfranklin@nvcc.edu

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TO LOGIN INTO THE ADOBE CONNECT WEBCAST CLASSROOM

Please use your Login Name and Password and NOT the Guest LOGIN. If you are logging in for a group please let us know that in advance. We can provide individual login names for your group members if you need them.

USERNAME: Your email address

PASSWORD: Your email address

(Use the email address that you registered for the session with, do not use the guest login option to enter the room)

CLICK HERE TO LOGIN!

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Technical Requirements

PC or MAC, Browser with a Flash Player, speakers or a headset. (Use this link to test your system: https://admin.acrobat.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm). If you are having any problems completing the system or test or have questions about the interface, do not hesitate to call me for help.

BEFORE YOU ENTER THE ROOM WE RECOMMEND TESTING YOUR SYSTEM
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Archive and Recording

These sessions will be recorded and you can access the archive on the TLT Group Website after the presentation. This archive provides an online searchable recording of the chat room, audio, and visual components of the session. By participating you agree to be recorded.

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Registration free to TLT Group subscribers and individual members and MERLOT members and Ascilite individual members; fee to others. 
                                                                                                                          

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