Case+Study

NR is a basic poster. His posts in the discussions are complete and will tend to hit all points but he tends to only post once in each thread and does not jump in to respond to or help others. In the CyberCafe he showed that he had a nice sense of humor and interacted well with the teacher. His websites shows his creativity and love of jazz.
 * Examine the nature of the student's participation;**

NR seems to lead a very busy life. I can only look two weeks back in the discussions so I can not tell if he has changed his posting habits but from the activities he is involved in I would say he has a lot on his plate this spring. I pulled his comments from the Classmates page to share with you. The activities he has listed are at there busiest time in the spring, this may greatly affect his posting habits. //I participate in many activities around my area such as basketball, NHS, Key Club, (mostly musical) theater, play trombone in concert and jazz band, tenor II in chamber singers, and dabble in film, music, ballet and poetry in my spare time.//
 * Note changes in the student's participation;**

//"I'm feeling great about this class this week. I am passing all of my assignments in on time this week, which I realize shouldn't actually excite me, but it does. Your new class participation grade I think will help keep me true to my intent of spreading out the work throughout the week, and I appreciate the extra push there on your part. :)"// NR The teacher responding to this statement with words of encouragement and also asked him about his choice of colleges and dance interests. NR has a nice, comfortable way of communication with the teacher. He seems comfortable when asking directions and with teasing about the teacher's choice of tea over coffee in the informal discussions.
 * Note student dialog with other students and with the instructor. How do the learner and teacher interact? How does the learner interact with other learners?**

NR is able answer the discussion threads with a good degree of analytical ability. When he posts he posts well but he does not post more then the minimal. He seems to 'just get in there, answer the question and get out.' I do not see a lot of interaction beyond the original point.
 * What types of thinking skills/information processing does the learner exhibit during their online discussions?**

NR is online in the class only as much as is needed to complete the task. Again, I do not know if his posting habits were stronger in the beginning of the class or not. I can only see the last couple weeks. I tell from February entry in his Journal that he needed a push from **the instructor to keep up with the class.
 * How much time in relation to their peers did this student spend online?**

NR is very comfortable with technology as you can tell from this quote I took from his Journal. "//I could never pinpoint why I happen to be tech-savvy, but I think it rests in my ability and drive to teach myself certain things. I'm going to stick mostly to computers. I grew up in a house with all Macs in it, and because they are more user friendly, I would find interesting programs and try to verse myself with how they worked. I would read all the way through the help manual and try to figure out how to make my own projects on things that interested me. I am interested in music, so I thought myself GarageBand, and later Soundtrack. When I started to become interested in film, I taught myself iMovie, and then later Final Cut Express. As a side note, this combination of tech-savvy and creative is something I really enjoy, so much that I am going to school for film because it's a nice balance of two parts of my personality that don't often get a chance to be together. I was tech-savvy enough to teach myself iWeb, which is a little-used web authoring application in the style of Apple's other native products."// Based on NR's writing and the interests he lists I would say he is probably at the top of the class. He is in National Honor Society, basketball, Key Club, (mostly musical) theater, concert and jazz band, and chamber singers. These activities tend to draw the higher achiever.
 * How familiar and competent is the student with technology?**
 * How successful academically is the student?**


 * Write reflective statements for each artifact, elaborating on why it was selected and its meaning and value in the portfolio.**

National Honor Society [| http://www.nhs.us/] NR's membership in this group exhibits that not only is he a high academic achiever but he is also a well rounded citizen in the eyes of the faculty of his school. National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) are more than just an honor roll. The Honor Society chapter establishes rules for membership that are based upon a student's outstanding performance in the areas of: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character (plus citizenship for NJHS). These criteria for selection form the foundation upon which the organization and its activities are built. (NHS)

Key Club < []> NR's choice to belong to Key Club exhibits his willingness to be a part of a group that is civic minded and works to build community bonds with youth. Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It's a student-led organization that teaches leadership through serving others. Members of the Kiwanis International family, Key Club members build themselves as they build their schools and communities. (Key Club International)

Chamber Singers, Theater, Concert and Jazz Band NR's interest in and choice to be a part of Chamber Singers, Theater, Ballet, and Concert/Jazz Band show us that he is a creative individual who is able to express himself through various art forms. I am including an example of chamber singing. NOTE: It is not an example of this student's work and is only included to help you hear the beauty of this art. Audio sample: Awake, O North Wind, by Daniel Pinkham Here is an example of NR's technical work for the website.