tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470703287819164549.post7617191275327980472..comments2023-04-15T08:27:39.241-07:00Comments on Jim Turner, E- learner: Is that really me? Turning on student pictures in blackboardjim turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17203720548201974312noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1470703287819164549.post-64468960977983793092013-04-24T02:15:54.392-07:002013-04-24T02:15:54.392-07:00Jim,
Thanks for this thoughtful post. We are look...Jim,<br />Thanks for this thoughtful post. We are looking at this issue too at Durham. I have to say I am in favour of turning them on. There are issues about potential identity fraud - as there are few checks on the data people put in their profile - but I think this can be managed by treating our learners as adults, pointing out the fact that this is NOT facebook and encouraging self policing of the system.<br /><br />I think that it helps bring the person into online discussions and provides another way of analysing the debate. Seeing one photo again and again in a discussion quickly alerts you to the fact that the conversation is one-sided, without having to consciously scan the email address of each response. As an aside, I wonder how prominent the avatars are to people using screen readers?<br /> <br />I think it will also help students identify and connect with the staff who teach the course. I like the fact that their contributions to discussions and other collaborative content will be 'badged'. It will be interesting to see if these receive more weighting because of the extra visual clues!<br /><br />Malcolm. Malcolm Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14059281634579717800noreply@blogger.com