Instructor: Jennifer Dalby
Textbooks: The Online Teaching Survival Guide, J. Boettcher & R. Conrad
2010
Understanding by Design, G. Wiggins & J. McTighe 1998
Having taken only two courses online, each being very different in style and content, I've decided to sart outlining some of the most important considerations we have addressed so far in, Teaching Online with Jennifer Dalby. This is also a good way for me to start using my blog for reflections and growth. Below are examples:
- The most salient fact I've realized thus far - the importance of establishing a consistent presence online when teaching a course so that students know you’re around, available, and engaged. Our instructor is doing a great of job modeling this practice, by actively posting course related links, and stimulating conversations through the use of the useful social networking tool, Diigo.
- Student-centered learning where faculty shifts time from large group teaching presence to more personalized and small group teaching presence; supporting more learners-as-leaders experiences; reviewing, mentoring projects, and providing feedback on assignments.
From the Boettcher and Conrad book, the following list summarizes some of their essential features for online course design:
o Be present at the course site
o Create a supportive online course community
o Use a variety of large group, small group, and individual work experiences
o Prepare Discussion posts that invite responses, questions, discussions, and reflections
o Search out and use content resources that are available in digital format if possible
o The value of soliciting feedback, ideas, and favored online resources drawing on the wisdom of the crowd: ie, the collective experience of students. This shifts the classroom structure from you as the knowledge sources to a social network / learning community.
Here are a few social media applications (and the list will grow!)
YouTube, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, Flickr, Blogger, and WordPress
I'm glad you're recognizing the importance of being present. It's certainly one of the most challenging pieces of teaching online, and not everyone does it. In fact, some organizations see eLearning as more of an independent or self-study option. The tools you're exploring will help you find ways to make learning more personal. We each have to find our own way to balance it. You'll probably find every online course you take to be completely different!
ReplyDeleteI concur with Jen's observation on the importance of presence. Still, as a student in these courses for certificaton, I still have some problems with feeling the presence of instructors. Jen is so darn busy I hate bothering her outside of Elluminate hours. Furthermore, I am so used to learning by myself, even when I was in classrooms, that it is hard to reach out to an instructor. Many times, I feel really stupid.
ReplyDelete