PSYC 3110: Educational Psychology
Bulletin Board Postings

Last updated: March 2009

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You are required to make two different types of postings to a group discussion "bulletin board" that has been established for this class at the WebCT site.

Instructions for getting started with WebCT

  1. Select "WebCT" in the far left frame on the initial page for PSYC 3110.
  2. Your "User ID" is the VSU user ID. Every student is assigned a VSU email account with an ID. If you do not know yours, you can find it via the VSU webpage [http://www.valdosta.edu]. Select "Finding Your Student Email Account" and follow the instructions.
  3. Your password is your birthdate in mmddyy format. You may change your password the first time you log in; if you do so--it's not required--be sure to write your new password and place it somewhere you can find it.
  4. Select the "Bulletin Board" option, then select the appropriate topic (title), and then "Compose" to make your message. All messages you send to the bulletin board will be available to all students in the class. Posting and reading bulletin board messages is designed to help you become a user of the electronic highway that will become increasingly critical to teachers' effectiveness. It is also designed to give you an opportunity to get important information relative to education and schooling as it is practiced in this area.

Your bulletin board entries will be an important part of the class. They will enable you to engage in expressive writing which is the form of writing closest to thinking. The process of writing will help you think about the class material by stimulating your imagination and by generating ideas. The entries you make will be of special interest to you because you will write them. Your writing will not be graded for content, so you can give full range and freedom to your ideas and writing style. Expressive writing of this type serves to focus what you already know, as well as to provide new points of view. It will also allow you to share your ideas with your classmates in a manner not possible in a normal classroom situation. You will find that when you put yourself more actively into your e-mail entries and into the topics covered in class, the course will be more enjoyable.

Weekly Bulletin Board Postings

You will make two different kinds of entries:

  1. two (2) entries made relating to a study question on a topic discussed in class or to a current reading assignment;
  2. one (1) entry that responds to someone else's thinking.

Each study question will have a number (e.g., INT1. Why study educational psychology? What is its relevance to the study of teaching and learning?) Type the number and two or three words in the subject line. That will make it easier to determine which questions have already been answered. The major goal of the postings are twofold: to help you reflect on that weeks readings and to allow me and other students to consider your reflections. If two people have already posted on a particular study question, please select another so that all study questions are addressed.

Several examples of appropriate postings are available. In general, longer entries (100-200 words) are better than short entries (less than 100 words), in order to more fully develop your thoughts, insights, ideas, etc. The more you write, the more actively you will be engaged by the subject. I will evaluate your entries in a holistic way. If an entry is not appropriate for class credit, I will send you a private e-mail message asking you to send another.

Postings on Videos

In WebCT discussions, select "Video Report 1", etc. through "Video Report 5". Select "Create Message"; for the subject line, type your name. The due dates for the postings are shown on the WebCT calendar. Make a reflective posting on the assigned video, interpreting or evaluating the video in terms of the concepts and principles we have discussed in class. Each posting should be between 100 and 200 words in length. Your postings are important, in that others will be able to vicariously learn from your experience.

I have selected several examples of appropriate bulletin board postings that you may want to review. You will receive 1 point for each posting that meets the required standard. Messages that are hostile, discourteous, or otherwise unprofessional will not be accepted as meeting the course requirement. I will post a reply if you need to redo a posting or add more information.

You may complete your bulletin board assignment in on any computer with access to the Internet.

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