Debra Farmer

OMDE 610 9040

Date: March 8, 2015
Essay Assignment 2
Cognitivist e-learning activity for K-12
Description of Lesson
(Online Reading Community) 12th Grade Language Arts Activity

This e-learning activity promotes reading, reviewing books, and sharing books with other
students in the classroom using social networking sites: (Education.com, 2006).
www.Shelfari.com: www.Bookcrossing.com: and www.Bookmooch.com
Target Audience
This e-learning activity is targeted to High School Language Arts Seniors offered as an
online in-school based classroom format. Objectives: This e-learning activity will assess the
following cognitive learning attributes (Harasim, 2012).

Provides verbal information to gain attention and promote good reading habits (Harasim,

2012).
Stimulates intellectual skills and will inform learner of objectives (Harasim, 2012).
Presents cognitive strategies of a stimulus in order for input and output of feedback

(Harasim, 2012).
Enhancing social attitudes to assess and elicit performance (Harasim, 2012).
Provides motor skills development by eliciting navigation of computer technology skills
(Harasim, 2012).
Lesson Outline and Activities

Assignment Online Reading Community Activity Project

Mid-Term
Social Networking promotes reading and is the perfect opportunity to make reading fun
and social (Education.com, 2006). This will be a language arts class project to share in the fun of
reading. This is a mid-term assessment grade and the assignment is due during mid-term test
day. Students will have 6 weeks to complete the assignment, the instructor will monitor students
online networking status for proper netiquette and sharing of books. This is a cognitivist
learning activity. If you require assistance please ask the instructor, this is an individual
assignment. Tuesdays and Thursdays during language arts classes is the suggested time for
working on this project.
What You Will Need: (Resources) (Education.com, 2006)

Computer and internet

Library books or a collection of online books youd like to share (10) or more
Use of the Schools Computer Room
Library or Language Arts Class Computers
Reading Room Computers may be used also during Language Arts Class
Classroom project to be done during Language Arts Class Only
Online Reading Community Social Network of Class Members Only
A complete list of your Language Arts Classroom members ID#s will be available
and sent to you by pulling up a Word Document attachment these are the only
friends you will share with for this project.

What You Will Do: You will go to: www.Shelfari.com website: (Education.com,
2006).
1. With www.Shelfari.com you will create a shelf displaying what your reading
(Education.com, 2006), what you want to read, and what youve recently finished,
2

and show it off for all to see (you can even design your personal shelf to be wood,
glass, or stone), (Education, com, 2006). The social networking features of the
site will allow you to create a profile, befriend your classroom users using the ID
that will be listed on the Word Document next to their names, and review and
recommend books to your reading classroom community (Education.com, 2006).
2. Now you will got to: www.Bookcrossing.com website: Using your favorite (10)
or more books you will use this site (Education.com, 2006) to track books after
leaving them for classmates in cafes, train stations, and parks (Education.com,
2006). Go ahead and register your books on the site (Education.com, 2006) by
assigning it an I.D. number, affix a book crossing label in the book with the
number and an explanation of the concept, and release the book (Education.com,
2006)! As your book is being caught, you will receive updates and comments
from the readers whove found the book, and youll be able to track the book as it
travels around the world (Education.com, 2006). If you want to catch a book,
simply consult the recently released list for a newly liberated book near you,
and be sure to add an entry to the books log once youve found it
(Education.com, 2006).
3. Last but not least, you will now go to: www.Bookmooch.com website: For this
activity you will snatch (Education.com, 2006) one under-appreciated book
from a class mates shelf, and give it the love and attention it deserves
(Education.com, 2006). Bookmooch.com allows readers to send and receive
books at no cost aside from shipping (Education.com, 2006). This site operates
on a point system: you get one-tenth of a point for posting a book of your own to
be mooched, and one point when you send a book to someone who requested it

(Education.com, 2006), and when you want a book, it will cost you one point to
get it. For this activity we will only send and receive one book each. Each
classmate will send a book and each will receive only one under-appreciated book
to a classmate that will read it and appreciate it. One classmates old book is
another classmates treasure (Education.com, 2006)!!!
How is the lesson facilitated by the technology?
The activity is facilitated by the technology by supporting student engagement and
guiding the student to become an active learner, navigating social networking websites
throughout the online components of the activity lesson is logical, consistent, efficient, and
intuitive to the language arts context for 12th graders (Chinn, 2009). Students are able to access
the technologies of the lesson while taking advantage of current social networking educationbased technologies, tools, and media. This activity/lesson takes advantage of technologies and
tools that will protect student confidentiality while building social networking skills (Chinn,
2009).
How is the Theory integral to the practice of the activity?
This cognitive activity is integral to the activity/lesson and is applied toward reaching an
effective goal that will influence a students performance in school as well as outside of school
(Harasim, 2012). Cognitive strategies enable learners to effectively read, write, problem solve
and use reasoning skills (Harasim, 2012). In this activity/lesson social networking skills and the
use of computer technology skills are utilized. Skills and strategies are similar but may be
carried out in different ways that would require learners to develop a strategy while using a skill.
The lesson requires the learners to use the computer to pull up three different social networking

sites once the sites have been accessed the learner must use typing skills to enter information
required to setting up the sites. Reading and comprehension skills must be utilized in order to
demonstrate mastery of the navigation and completion of tasks of each website. Online
collaboration of students are emphasized as a process to share information over an online social
website by networking information that pertains to reading and promoting literacy skills.
Cognitive theorists emphasize strategies that promote self-regulated learners (Harasim,
2012). In this lesson the strategy is based on individuals working independent of one another
but interdependent on one another for the collaborative process of sharing library books that they
have read or reviewed. Researchers have found that cognitive strategies are being emphasized
more at higher-performing schools than at lower-performing schools (Chinn, 2009). Effective
learners elaborate by using analysis, summarization and connecting and sharing new information
to information they already know (Chinn, 2009).

Rubric to assess the outcome of the activity/lesson

Reading and Sharing: Reading Community Online Learning Activity
Teacher Name_________________
Student Name_________________
Category

4 = A Excellent

3=B Good

2=C Fair

1=D Poor

Online
CollaborationRespect and
Netiquette
recommended
book list must be
used

Excellent reading
skills, does not
interrupt, does not
distract others

Good
reading
skills, does not
interrupt, moves
around class, but
does not distract
others

Student interrupts
once or twice,
stays in assigned
seat, does not
distract others

Student interrupts
and moves around
class distracting
others

10 or more books
chosen for
Reviewing
Sharing
On Grade level
Shelfari
Desk Design
completed
Clear
writing
and
Following
instructions,
comprehension
of sites, updates
Comments
sections, no
Typing errors

Student chooses
10 or more books
to share, review,
chooses 12th grade
level
books,
excellent
desk
design completed

Student chooses
9-6 books for
sharing
and
reviewing,
12th
grade level books,
good desk design
completed

Student chooses
5-3 books to
share, chooses 12th
grade level books,
fair desk design
completed

Student chooses
2-1 books
to
share, chooses 12th
grade level books,
poor desk design
completed, or no
completion of task

Writes and
Answers
following website
instructions,
completes updates
and
comments
sections,
no
typing or spelling
errors

Follows
Site instructions,
completes updates
and
comments
sections, only a
few typing and
spelling errors

Not sure how to

follow
Site
instructions,
no
comments
or
updates sections, a
large amount of
spelling errors
Student
Student
works Student
works
works
independently,
independently
independently,
completes
two completes one site
completes
all sites by due date
by due date
three sites by due
date

Student does not

complete the site
tasks,
No
comments, typing
and spelling errors
over 50%

Works
individually
Follows online
Instructions
Completes
activity by the
Due date

Student
has
trouble
understanding
how to navigate
sites, does not
complete any task

Sources: (Mertler, 2001). Rubrics made using: (http://www.Rubistar.4teachers.org (2007)

(Quality Matters K-12 Program Standards, 2nd Edition, (2014)
References
Buckman, J. (2006) Bookmooch.com. Retrieved from http://www.bookmooch.com

Chinn, C., & Chinn, L. (2009). Cognitive strategies. In Education.com by The Gale Group,
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/cognitive-strategies/
Education.com. (2006). Join a reading community online! 12th Grade e-learning activity,
Retrieved from http://www.education.com/
Harasim, Linda, (2012). Learning Theory and Online Technologies. New York: Taylor & Francis
Group (pp. 30-58).
Hornbaker, R. (2010). Bookcrossing.com. Retrieved from http://www.bookcrossing.com
Hug, J. (2006). Shelfari.com. Retrieved from http://www.shelfari.com
Mertler, Craig A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment,
Research & Evaluation, 7(25). Retrieved from http://www.pareonline.net/getvn.asp?
v=7&n=25
Quality Matters K-12 Secondary Rubric (2014). Standards from the QM K-12 Secondary
Rubric, 2nd Edition, Retrieved from http://www.qualitymatters.org
Rubistar (2007). Advanced learning technologies in education consortia ALTEC. Retrieved
from http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screenTerms of Use.