Problems of Practice, Annotated Bibliography, and Discussions, Oh My!

I've been working away on my problems of practice and my annotated bibliography descriptions for EDET 780.  The idea of sticking with a project over a period of weeks is something that I haven't had the luxury of doing for quite some time.  It is helping me ground myself in the role of learner and better see things from the student perspective.

These questions have been running around in my mind as I work on these assignments...

When we assign work to students, is it meaningful?

When we assign homework, is it truly helping students practice or is it more work for their parents to struggle through with their children?

Do the students have everything they need to complete the work we give them?  Do we ask the students if that is true?

Do we check in regularly to make sure students?

When we teach students at a distance, do we utilize collaborative technologies, such as shared documents to stay in touch and guide students through the learning process?