What benefits do you see in educators knowing how to design and implement online learning?
Every educator should know how to design and implement quality online courses. I believe that schools are recognizing the positive impact that online courses have. One important point to remember is that online learning does not have to take the place of classroom learning. A quality designed course can support the classroom learning by offering additional resources that students can access as needed.
“Just as regular teachers do, online teachers facilitate learning through the use of a variety of instructional strategies based on traditional or current models and theories of education” (Davis & Rose, 2009). Online courses can allow instructors to try different things and to evaluate the impact of those changes on each student. I believe that I am better able to watch each student individually in my online classes. This means that I can adjust my classes as they progress in order to create a quality online offering.
How will you professionally use your course that you designed?
I designed a course that is focused on the concept identified by my students as one that is difficult to master. I would like to use my course to help students with this concept. Normally I would cover this material about 4 weeks into the class. I plan to change this practice and use the online course that I designed to introduce the material in small pieces. I believe that this will result in less apprehension on the student’s part. Students come to class believing that they cannot subnet, my course topic, and therefore are set to fail. My plan is to sneak the material into some of the other lessons so that by the time we actually get to the subnetting chapter in the book the students are already comfortable with the basic concepts that we will build on as we progress through the material.
Will you integrate online learning in your role as a teacher/staff developer?
I have taught online classes in the past and believe that quality courses can have a positive impact on student learning. I am working to increase the amount of online content in my program over the next year. I believe that online content can help answer the various needs of the students. Teaching in computer technology means that the course content can change rapidly. Using online courses allows the instructor to keep the content updated as changes in the industry occur. Up-to-date learning better prepares the students for the future.
I also do some faculty development training on our campus. I have only recently begun to add online content to the trainings that I have done. I have received great feedback on these trainings. The most consistent comment I get is that faculty enjoy the fact that they can “attend” the training sessions when their schedule permits.
What questions do you still have about online learning?
What type of student would most benefits from online learning? Not all students are successful with online courses. I know that students must be self-motivated but what other attributes should they possess. As a student I love online courses because they allow me to work at my own pace. As an instructor I am often disappointed by the performance of some of my students. A student that performs well in the classroom will not necessarily post the same types of grades in an online environment. How can I help to motivate students in an online environment? I know that instructors are constantly looking for ways to motivate their students but it is especially difficult in online courses. Of course there are as many ways to motivate as there are students in the class so I know that this is not an easy question and there are no simple answers.
What will you do with this new learning?
The thing that I always try to do with new learning is to begin applying it as soon as possible. Though I have taught online courses in the past I am always trying to improve my courses. I believe that I must learn to communicate better with my students in order to improve their learning. “Today’s teachers have to learn to communicate in the language and style of their students” (Prensky, 2001). I am trying to add the tools that I need to my instructional tool box so that I can learn to speak their language. The knowledge that I gained from this course will help me accomplish this. I also believe that my students can help me learn. This is the advantage to the course I created for this class. It can serve as my test environment allowing me the opportunity to improve my understanding of the language my students speak.
Davis, Niki & Rose, Ray (2009). NACOL: Professional Development for Virtual Schooling and Online Learning. Retrieved May 13, 2010 from http://www.inacol.org/research/docs/NACOL_PDforVSandOlnLrng.pdf
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved on May 15, 2010 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
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