Group items tagged

I think these are key words! So often technology in education to add "bling" to our lesson or presentation. It doesn't necessarily improve learning or teaching. This is a reminder to keep our eye on the ball, so to speak.

Appropriate behavior is very important and teaching appropriate expectations.....through your class

This was a test

How different can it be from F2F? I'm wondering...

I believe this is essential in all areas of teaching - to design the structure of the class. This is essential in all courses as there should be a sequence/structure that flows utilizing the tools needed to "teach" the content. It is our roadmap to what our outcome is.

If in college, my online courses were as effective as this one, I would have been more engaged. This class motivates me to want to do more and learn more. I feel motivation is key int having an engaged class.

I think it's essential to consider student feedback so we can keep improving our online courses...sometimes, feedback is gathered but not looked at or not used to make changes, so this will be important to provide the optimal online learning environment

I am excited about the possibilities of both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools...there may be times when synchronous learning would be most beneficial (having students view the same instruction or community learning at the same time), but how convenient would it be if everyone did not have to be in the same location?? They could view or join in the conversation from anywhere they have a computer! And I love the asynchronous tool possibilities, as in today's age, we can reach so many more learners when they can do the learning at their own convenience and whatever time works best for them! Love the possibilities both of these types of communication tools offer!!!

I attended an Ethics presentation Friday and there is so much that educators need to know about dealing with students. Where can we find more about these 'techniques?'

Using techniques to engage adult learners will be critical for a successful online class. I think that this will require use of a variety of tools, including those that involved audio and video components. Even "content rich" online courses would have difficulty engaging the learner if they only involved reading, web lessons, powerpoints, etc. (without some sort of screencasting, video or audio).

I agree...videos and audio components make online learning way more meaningful and enjoyable!

This standard reminds us that aside from providing an engaging, motivating course via techology, educators need to sure that their offerings align with district/student needs. We want to design courses that will impact student learning and achievement.

This is where I think Moodle or other similar tools will have an advantage. I like that I will be able to group all relevant resources together for students. I have a lot of resources right now but they are all scattered..

I definitely agree with you about these online tools making resources more available. Like you, I have many resources in many locations. I am gradually moving the resources to my Moodle course pages and plan to expand this to include Diigo. Grouping the resources will provide students with a consistent location while working and provide me with a better method for keeping web pages current.

Formative assessments?

Good question - Would this be a good spot for using some of the online quiz tools that we saw on the Cool Tools website? Is it easier or harder to complete formative assessments in an online setting?

I am going to try to use next year with my CoPi blended classroom.

I hope to create some practice problems or a quiz using Softchalk.  I have never created anything myself for them to do online.

This is a great place for the cool tools for school, but there are so many out there I don't know where to begin. Also, it seems like everytime I find a tool that engages students a new and better tool comes out and I have relearn everything about that tool.

Students today live in a different world than the one most of us in this class experienced when we were young. Sitting for 45 minutes with nothing more than an overhead projector or chalkboard to look at and nothing more than a teachers voice to hear is just completely out of touch with the way students experience things outside of the classroom. As educators we need to keep that in mind or we really will have kids bored to death.

Students are multitaskers and grow bored when not challenged. Active and interactive learning is one way to keep them engaged. I also feel that as teachers we need to change our " tools" and raise the bar for learning.

In most classes, I think we have about 10 minutes to direct students toward the learning that we hope will happen that day. Then we have to let them get started on their learning and coach them as needed for the rest of the class. If there is confusion or a common thread shows up during the class time, the coach/facilitator/teacher might stop the student work to explain, or to have a student explain the issue, but otherwise, the focus is definitely not on the teacher. It's not about us. ;-)

This one is so simple, yet doing this effectively is probably on of the most important things an instructor can do to avoid problems down the road.

I agree, Bob. I think sometimes we believe students are suppose to be mind readers when it comes to what they will learn or be able to do.

My school went to putting the learning target on the board everyday. I think it was good, but should be incorporated with a "ticket out the door" activity.

I really love the idea that we can tailor courses to meet the needs of individual students. I would like to explore ways to have various paths leading to mastery. Once a student has mastered a concept, he or she can move on to the next concept. A student who needs more practice could be redirected to more learning activities on the same concept. One size does not fit all.

As I learn more about online learning and using Moodle, I am excited about the possibilities for differentiation. I see this as one of the greatest strengths of the format.

I love the idea of giving students ownership in their learning!

We need to keep in mind not all students have internet access at home. Online learning cannot be another way of separating the haves from the have nots.

This is the one that worries me the most. Between having enough computers and having them work when we need them.

Rigor and Relevance is the Characteristic of Effective Instruction that comes to mind as I read this. Good instruction is good instruction, regardless of the teaching modality. In a student-centered environment, as this suggests, students are encouraged to collaborate with others as they take their new knowledge and apply it.

This is critical. Without face-to-face interaction there has to be a method put in place for frequent contact by the teacher. Students always have questions and an inability to address those questions will lead to frustration.

Why should this matter. Unless it is a blended class the confines of the school schedule should be immaterial.

This is always important to me as a teacher. Students must know how they are graded before the assignment/project is started. This would be the same with online learning.

This is the standard that I'm most interested in. How do we make sure students are not doing the same old things only now with a computer? We need to keep the bar up there for higher-order thinking skills and critical reasoning. I'm hoing to gather ideas from class to help me do this.

This is very important when I teach the elementary students in the library because it is very easy for them to become lost in the lesson

This always worries me; is the content of my class the same as the state's content? My district has gone to content mapping which makes it very easy to know that we are following state standards

this the standard that scares me the most - being able to troubleshoot technology issues will be tough for me

My goal is to make expectations for behavior and the consequences if not followed - very clear at the outset of the course.

This is just good sense. We do this in the traditional classrooms, so it definitely needs to be WELL defined in an online classroom.

Since I'm currently working on blending my classroom, I definitely don't do this as explicitly online as I have been doing in our face to face environment. It's definitely something I need to build into the online component.

My District is pushing teachers to be very explicit about this! Has anyone heard of the 5D model? The first dimension is all about naming and explaining the learning that will be taking place. We also need to mention it as we teach and at the end of the class. I know I can do better with this.

Not only do we need to identify and communicate the outcomes and expectations at the beginning of the course, they need to be restated throughout the course.

Probably my #1 when it comes to importance. People think they are the same. They couldn't be more different.

I am still trying to find the balance between what I move online and what I am doing face-to-face and how to inform all of the stakeholders involved. I think that understanding the differences are essential to meet all of the needs of my students.

One of the reasons driving online learning is that it is more personalized to meet the needs of the students.

However, it will be up to the individual to let the instructor know of difficulties that are being experienced. Communication is a key component of a successful online learning experience - including both the instructor and the student for success.

Modeling best practices for all students, whether they are face-to-face or traditional, really needs to be a priority. Online students will likely have more digital citizenship opportunities than many other students. Teaching them and modeling compliance with the policies is crucial.

Patterns in lesson sequencing is very important so students are comfortable with the familiar format.

This is very important because I could see assessment types getting repetitive with online learning. I imagine it would take some creativity to continually rethink assessment for the online paradigm.

Multiple assessments is important so participants have a variety of ways to show their understanding. However, I think you can have TOO many different formats which can add stress to students.

This is critical! Since your students may never see you face-to-face, they must feel that you are there to help them and are accessible in a reasonable amount of time.

Yes, it can also be the most demanding one. With students doing things at various times of the day, you would have to communicate your "office hours" otherwise you might find yourself always having to be available.

In my experience, online tools make it so much easier to provide feedback to students. This feels even more important in the online environment where regular, in person check ins may not exist.

I agree. I feel like feedback is much more a focus with online tools. It IS the interaction. In face-to-face, we have a lot of interaction with students that isn't specific or personalized feedback but in an online setting, that changes.

The word "timely" sticks out to me here. If students are working somewhat at their own pace, it is important for feedback to be given fairly quickly so that any misconceptions can be addressed right away.

Timely feedback is very important as students want to know how they are doing and cannot 'approach' you physically to ask. Constructive feedback also helps students adjust their work accordingly.

This is something that I plan to do now that I am implementing Moodle in my courses. It would be interesting to conduct an online learning survey for students before and after having them learn using Moodle rather than Google Classroom.

If I am not knowledgeable to use the system, I will not be able to effectively lead students in their learning. Also it would be important to use more than one avenue to be the most effective.

I'm constantly looking for feedback, although I feel my students are afraid to be honest with me, even when I assure them it is anonymous and nothing punitive will happen. I've tried Google forms and set them up so they do not collect email addresses, stepping out into the hall and having students leave sticky notes on the board...

I believe this will be essential so that I can help my students navigate between everything they need in the course. I often find myself double and triple-checking things in my Moodle course to make sure students can access them and everything runs according to plan. It definitely requires patience as well when assisting students with the technology.

I think this key and sometimes the hardest part. For many students, this new territory for them. There is so much to learn about taking an online class, that it can be overwhelming.

Everything stood in this standard stood out to me as critical. It aligns logically with my schools move toward standards referenced grading.

This seems so critical in the online environment! Written text can be misinterpreted so easily, especially when the reader doesn't actually know the writer in person. Extra time and care will need to go into communication. Additionally, recorded videos could be a helpful tool to add a human element to online coursework.

Technology is fast paced and keeping current is essential to the profession. Professional development in the district needs to address the current technology needs of teachers.

As a PBIS coach in my district this resonates with me. "Pre-correct" or remind students of the expected behavior EVERY time- in other words, prior to each course, even if they have taken 3 courses prior.

This is so crucial in making sure that we impact ALL learners equally.

This one is interesting because I feel like when done online it can be tricky due to the fact that it's harder to get that instant feedback from students.

This one really pushes us to think "is this meaningful? Does it reach my goals? Does it feel like it is worth the valuable time of the learner?"

A very powerful one. When we don't feel futuristic to learners we begin to feel irrelevant. We have to work hard to stay two steps ahead.

I think this is very important. I have been guilty of grabbing something from the internet then realizing this wasn't the best for my students. What kind of PD is available for this? What OER is available that is aligned with Iowa Standards?

This is an interesting indicator because teacher often resort to shutting technology down for students who use it inappropriately. More learning would be needed to help teacher use these as teaching moments.

I think an instructor of a course that was completely online could find him/herself overwhelmed with the amount of communication taking place. It takes time to navigate around, read everyone's posts on each topic, and comment, all while working to be both professional and approachable. In a face-to-face class, you can visually monitor how long it's going to take the instructor to respond to you. (How many other hands are in the air? How many people are lined up?) The instructor can also view facial expressions and body language to determine if his/her students are "getting it" and buying in. It seems like this element, in an online course, would have to be done entirely by computer interactions. I'd be completely overwhelmed if I had to teach a course completely online!

It is challenging at times. I've had a few of you call me, if you have a Moodle problem. I also agree that you need to be very clear when you communicate online because you don't see those facial expressions and body language. You also have to be careful about joking with people online, because again you don't see facial expressions, body language and hear tone of voice.

This is where I think online learning can really be utilized to the benefit of every student. Online learning can be personalized for each student's need.

I think that Moodle is great for providing that immediate feedback. It lets students know if they are on the right track!

I think collaboration and group work is great for students in preparing them for life after high school if done correctly. Too often I see groupwork done where one or two students do the majority of the work while other students do little or nothing. Online classes can can either help or hurt group projects depending on how they are set up and the work required by each individual student.

I think more teachers would add an online component to their classes if they felt more comfortable. I was hoping my school district would choose one online platform (Moodle for example) and then train all of our staff to create pages. Some teachers have created their own websites but it would be much easier for the students if all teachers had the same online set up for their classes.

I completely agree with having all teachers use the same website. It seems easiest, most cost-efficient, and just smart, best practice for a district to do that. Good call!

I too agree--and my district is trying to move forward on the decision making path. BUT deciding which of the CMS to go with is challenging/daunting.

I believe this is an important element of online learning. There are so many tools that can be used to get the same point across, and if it engages the students they will be more likely to want to learn it.

Brings up a good point. Most districts have the right to keep students off the internet if they have abused it in the past. What happens when it is required for a class?

That is a good question Bethany! What does happen??

I think policies need to be developed by schools and school districts to address such issues.

This seems to be a particularly relevant standard for this field in particular, perhaps more so than in any other area. Not only do "new" technologies enter the educational setting, but familiar ones are updated/upgraded. There is also such a broad range of technology available, as well as slightly different "products" to do similar tasks.

I agree Erin this is so important and so challenging as an educator to stay on top of the new learning that is needed to teach native tech students in todays world.