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An on-line workshop is a hands-on professional development experience that is delivered by a computer to individuals who essentially do (take) the workshop using point-and-click actions with their mouse, as long as they have access to the relevant manipulative. It is a powerful experience because it has virtually all of the ingredients of an on-site workshop with few of the disadvantages. And, what makes an on-line workshop so powerful is the way in which individuals actually "read" or do the workshop.
In general, workshops are a well known means of providing professional development experiences in mathematics for educators. They have these key features:
-- some type of hands-on activity takes place, usually with a
manipulative or technology
-- participants usually work in pairs or small groups
-- handouts on key ideas covered are distributed to participants
-- a knowledgeable workshop leader or presenter is onsite and
leads the experience
As professional development experiences, onsite workshops, however, have several disadvantages:
-- someone has to spend considerable time making arrangements
to offer a workshop
-- special facilities are usually required such as a suitable
large room with tables
-- presenters often need special equipment to be able to present
to groups
-- costs are generally quite high, particularly if the presenter
has to travel to attend
-- participants must travel to the workshop site
-- the date, time and place is usually fixed and not flexible
We believe that most of the disadvantages of the on-site workshop can be eliminated, while the advantages are retained, when a workshop is presented on-line, either via the INTERNET or on a compact disk. And, we have developed this particular workshop, Fitz D Pieces -- An Exploration in Algebra and Geometry, as a proof of concept.
One does an on-line workshop by essentially reading an electronic book.
Books in general are collections of pages of information (text, figures, etc.) that are written and presented in bound volumes to be read in some predetermined sequence.
In contrast, an electronic book is a collection of pages (files) accessed by computer with no discernible sequence in which the pages are to be read. Effectively, one reads an electronic book by moving from page to page using point and click actions with a mouse. And, importantly, the order in which one reads an electronic book is up to the reader.
We organize the information (text, graphics, etc.) presented in our electronic book in files that are connected (linked) to one another. To read the book, so to speak, one merely selects various links using point and click actions. And, to help readers decide which links to select, we offer a set of questions, which we refer to as "motivators."
A "motivator" is an interesting question which a reader wants answered. Readers find the answer by selecting an appropriate link, which takes them directly to the page with the information answering the question.
Importantly, electronic books are written in such a way that there is no particular sequence in which one has to read the book. No matter where one begins one will eventually cover all of the material. But, this is accomplished in an order and sequence that is determined by the reader, not by the writer.
Our work with electronic books and on-line workshops, especially the idea of using questions as motivators, has been influenced by the work of Dr. Roger Schank, Director of the Institute for the Learning Sciences at Northwestern. And, we encourage anyone interested to "read" his electronic book, Engines for Education.
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