Facilitating Online Learning - Week 6

My district is just now exploring online learning. We are in the beginning stages of a blended style. We are going to start with existing students and classes at grades 6-12. The initial step will be to extend the classroom outside the physical building. This will give students 24/7 access to the necessary data for their class. All course information will be conducted through this portal. As things progress, after school discussions, chats, assignments, and more will be done using the portal and Elluminate. After teachers and staff get acquainted with the system we will start having students, mainly juniors and seniors who are on track to graduate and students who are ill or suspended, participate in live classroom sessions. Our goal is not to create a separate virtual school but to give more access to our current students.

My students are learning 21st century skills daily. I believe it is my job, as Director of Technology, to give students the opportunity to experience things they will encounter outside of school. Using things like LMS, iPads, iPods, laptops, and many web based services like blogs, wikis, podcasting, and more, will give them a good head start on what they will probably encounter in college and the workforce.

I understand the legislation but I am concerned that additional regulations and court action by the union will hamper the progress of virtual schools. I work in a school that participates in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (I know, a political hot potato, which many public school teachers disagree with, but that is not the discussion). I have seen what legislation has done to good schools in this program and am afraid that the same thing could happen to virtual schools. Choice and virtual schools can be as successful, maybe more successful, than public schools, if given the opportunity. I fear that the opportunity may not arise.

On a final not, I really enjoyed this class. It was very interactive and meaningful. I am hoping to be able to use these skills in my job as I provide professional development to faculty and staff.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 5

Whew! This week is finished. All that is left is to put the final touches on the group project. Seems like there has been a lot of work in this class compared to others. Not that this is a bad thing, just an observation. This class has been probably the most beneficial of all in the program. I am looking forward to putting some of this to use.

I finally got my 15 minute presentation out of the way. And, of course, I was worried about nothing. It went fine, the discussion was good, and I had plenty of material. I could have gone another 30 minutes on what I had prepared. Glad it is finished.

This week has focused on collaborative learning and groups. My experience with this has been mainly positive. For the most part, all of the collaborative work has been evenly split among the group and we have produced real quality material. There was one class where I took the lead and asked for participation from the group and got no response. I was responsible then for finishing all three group assignments myself. That was frustrating but I was not willing to take a zero for the assignments.

I am not so sure about the socialization aspect. I think social networking is fun but I struggle with this in an educational setting. I see how it can work but I can also see how one could lose control of the situation. I think that schools using a LMS are in a better position than those using places like Facebook and other public social sites. The LMS can be better controlled and does not allow for outside interference.

Now, off for a couple of days for Thanksgiving then back to work on week 6 assignments.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 4

With my teaching experiences so far, almost all of my lessons have been teacher centered. Now, that being said, I have not taught in over 10 years. Technology was different back in 1998. I would certainly do things differently now. At the time, the only student centered lesson revolved around students creating their own music on a computer and keyboard. Even that process has changed.

While working on this module I am finding the authentic assessments to be the hardest part. I do understand the concept but am having some difficulty applying it to my lesson.

I am also finalizing my discussion points for next week. I am still nervous about not having enough material to cover the time. I am hoping my prompts are good enough to generate some really good discussion.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 3

This week I chose Access and Equity as my discussion topic. Why? Well, I have experience in a number of different types of schools. I grew up and taught in rural schools, my wife works in an affluent, suburban school, and I now work in an urban school. All three settings provide challenges when it comes to online learning. My school is looking at implementing hybrid classes within the next 12 months. I am always looking for ideas and discussions around access and equity, especially for my urban students.

I have not yet taught an online learning course but I am currently planning some courses. My first course is a tutorial on the gradebook we use at school. I am going to offer this to our teachers who want more understanding of the gradebook functions. I am hoping to go live with this training at the end of the first semester, provided our online environment is setup and ready to go. My greatest challenge will be to make sure everyone is involved and comfortable with the online environment. My goal is to get our teachers to participate in the online format so that they will use it for their classes. It will be a long process but it should benefit everyone.

Planning for this synchronous discussion has been difficult for me. I am not comfortable speaking to groups of people (small or large) so this is taking me out of my comfort level. I do believe that this is something that I can do successfully if I can overcome my nerves. We will see how it goes.

Facilitating Online Learning - Week 2

Many of the tools that are used in our class will be things that I would incorporate into my teaching. My learners will be adults between the ages of 25 and 55. Methods like prompt discussion and initiate participation will be important so my students will have a good example to use with their classes. My job, along with help from others, will be to prepare our teachers for teaching a hybrid class and to facilitate in an online environment. Keeping younger students engaged will be important so the class is not lost. I think effective communication and feedback will also be important to keep the students interested.

I think some of the things I would incorporate are things that I taught to teachers this summer. Creating video responses using Eyejot or using Voicethread to create a presentation may be used. I also think that just responding to questions on the Elluminate whiteboard and participation in class will be effective tools.

I did like your initial contact. It was not only inviting and set a good tone, but it was also clear on where to go, how to access the data, and what to do and by when. There was only the minor problem with the logins but that was quickly fixed and communicated. This is certainly the most organized and the best format that I have experienced in the program so far. This will give me some great tools to pass on to my teachers.