Herbert Brown III

Location: appalachian state university - boone, nc - usa

About me

Herb Brown is a professor and program director in the business and information technology education program at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. He directs the Graduate program in New Media/Global Education and Online Teaching and Learning at Appstate. He has taught information technology, instructional technology, and business education courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels for 20 years and served 10 years in the role of Director of Technology for several universities. He has held teaching and administrative positions at James Madison University, The University of Virginia's College at Wise, the University of South Carolina and Appalachian State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Vocational Education with a cognate in Computer Information Systems from Virginia Tech. His articles have appeared in Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, and the NABTE Journal.

Interests

online teaching and learning, career and technical education, business & information technology education

Skills

online teaching and learning, teaching methodology, information technology education, web development/design

Website

http://edtech.appstate.edu

Activity

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Assisting the Online Student

Mary, It certainly sounds like a good idea to me. I agree that it is important to continue to encourage the students to participate and engage them in the learning. Open-ended questions, direct e-mails to the students, personal phone calls or requests to skype or otherwise personally connect with the students help them understand that you care about them and their success. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Terry, If you go to the "About" link on their site it is still listed as free. If you go to the Apps link you can download the App free. Like many companies they are "hiding" the free portion and emphasizing the free "trial" of their Pro version. You can't blame them they are just trying to make money. I also use Skype, but the screen share part gets a little crazy sometimes on some computers. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Providing Feedback

Matthew, I agree. Timely feedback is very important, as is being diplomatic and sensitive in your responses. Email does not allow for emotion, so careful wording in your communications is paramount. If you have the option for a Live session/chat or phone call, that can be more helpful in sensitive situations as well. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Terry, We were using Wimba until it was bought out by Blackboard. We had to move to collaborate because Wimba was not well support after the buyout. We used Elluminate a number of years ago until the same thing happened. We also have an installation of Panapto that our IT folks decided we needed. I have also used Connect Professional - which I liked but I didn't like the server-only hosting of the recordings. I prefer a system that allows me to download recordings in a standard format such as MP4 (H.264). I have also used GoToMeeting. I have found… >>>

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Terry, I am not Jared, but I would agree with you. Even if you don't ask students what they expect from you, there are clearly expectations for the instructor such as responsiveness in communication and grading. Clear expectations and fair grading...and others. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Terry, Wonderful. I am sure your students feel very "connected" with you! I use some webinars/synchronous sessions as well and find the students feel very connected. I have also found that they respond very well to recorded video/audio sessions as well. Maybe not as much, but they do feel more connected with the material through video and audio presentation of the material. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors

Lisa, Can you elaborate a little more on this? If you ask the student for a resolution and they give you one you don't like or don't agree with, what do you do then? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors

Lisa, Can you elaborate a little more on this? If you ask the student for a resolution and they give you one you don't like or don't agree with, what do you do then? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Lisa, I agree, when you ask open-ended questions the students have to think more and apply their knowledge to a problem or topic. Sometimes it is difficult to get students to continue in the discussion outside of an initial posting. It is also sometimes difficult for them to respond with the level of "detail" you might expect. How might you keep those students going in the discussion or get them to contribute more to the discussion? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Lisa, Can you elaborate a little more on this? I can typically respond to students within a maximum of 24 hours and I have not had this concern from students. Even if they are in a traditional class you would likely only see them maybe every other day face to face so 24 hours is actually better than traditional if you can respond in that amount of time. Herbert Brown III

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