For the time being, I'm going to shift the focus of my blog towards my current graduate course. For the next few weeks, I will be posting regularly about topics pertaining to teaching online-specifically how to teach writing online. I hope by posting regularly, I will get back into the swing of things with this blog, and post delicious recipes and awesome teaching strategies as I had originally planned.
So far my impressions of this course have been wide and varied with a little confusion thrown in. I am a regular high school teacher who teaches in the normal face-to-face classroom environment. Warnock dubs this the f2f environment. I consider myself fairly competent with the f2f environment. However, I have little experience with taking online courses (this is only my second) and I certainly have ZERO experience teaching an actual course online.
So far I have somewhat clear expectations of when and how to blog, and how many responses are expected of me each week, etc. I suppose this is a key factor when developing an online course: clear and succinct instruction on assignment details and expectations. While some of the assignments are unfamiliar to me, I have no doubt they will unfold over time, and I will understand their purpose and relationship to teaching an online course. Also, the schedule is very clear to me. I teach ninth graders, and I appreciate the value of a clear schedule free from too much detail. As a teacher, I value effective teaching strategies, classroom rapport, and strong relationships with students. As a student, I value almost the same things. I like to attend a class where a teacher, or professor, utilizes all different teaching strategies and has a clear mastery of content their. I also value strong rapport and relationships between student and teacher. This may fall short in the online environment, and that's okay. Or maybe it will not! The concept of creating a relationship with students in an online classroom is something I'm definitely interested in attacking during this course.
As for the links, the NCTE article was refreshing to read in the sense that it pushes for technological advancement and education. Many of my graduate courses are, well...archaic at times. As a modern teacher, I am pushed by my field to always advance myself and adapt to an ever changing classroom environment. I take professional development courses whose titles vary from Common Core...Let's Do This!, to How to Integrate Technology into the Classroom, and How to Address the 21st Century Learner. Students are obviously very different learners now than they were 10, 20, 30 years ago. Some elementary students now receive their own personal iPad through their school district when they reach 3rd grade! What will this student look like in a college classroom 12 years from now? Also, how would this hypothetical student react to a college class where he or she sits for three house, twice a week, and hears a man talk-that's it, just talk. This idea of a hybrid teacher and classroom leads me into my final thought towards this course. It would please me immensely to learn more about using the idea of a "flipped classroom" and other similar tools to cut down on wasted classroom time at my own job. It would be amazing to put up a video explaining a project in depth, and then instruct my students to pull out their iPads at home, view my tutorial, and then come back with questions. This would save SO MUCH TIME and free up space for me to do another activity or squeeze in one more real-life example.
The Winthrop Policy for Technology further supports the aforementioned idea of a college class. In my classroom, students use cell phones, lap tops, Chromebooks, and iPads to further their understanding of a concept. Does this occur at Winthrop? Maybe, if a professor or lecturer is willing to let students take notes electronically. Again, this is a topic that should be explored and discussed at the level of higher ed.
I honestly cannot see myself teaching a purely online course to college students. It's just not in my set of personal goals to teach at the college level. I CAN see myself using what I learn in this course to become a better teacher, mentor, and possibly administrator. I am aware that there are many virtual schools available to students who are home bound or live abroad, and that is definitely a track I am willing and excited to explore further.
So far my impressions of this course have been wide and varied with a little confusion thrown in. I am a regular high school teacher who teaches in the normal face-to-face classroom environment. Warnock dubs this the f2f environment. I consider myself fairly competent with the f2f environment. However, I have little experience with taking online courses (this is only my second) and I certainly have ZERO experience teaching an actual course online.
So far I have somewhat clear expectations of when and how to blog, and how many responses are expected of me each week, etc. I suppose this is a key factor when developing an online course: clear and succinct instruction on assignment details and expectations. While some of the assignments are unfamiliar to me, I have no doubt they will unfold over time, and I will understand their purpose and relationship to teaching an online course. Also, the schedule is very clear to me. I teach ninth graders, and I appreciate the value of a clear schedule free from too much detail. As a teacher, I value effective teaching strategies, classroom rapport, and strong relationships with students. As a student, I value almost the same things. I like to attend a class where a teacher, or professor, utilizes all different teaching strategies and has a clear mastery of content their. I also value strong rapport and relationships between student and teacher. This may fall short in the online environment, and that's okay. Or maybe it will not! The concept of creating a relationship with students in an online classroom is something I'm definitely interested in attacking during this course.
As for the links, the NCTE article was refreshing to read in the sense that it pushes for technological advancement and education. Many of my graduate courses are, well...archaic at times. As a modern teacher, I am pushed by my field to always advance myself and adapt to an ever changing classroom environment. I take professional development courses whose titles vary from Common Core...Let's Do This!, to How to Integrate Technology into the Classroom, and How to Address the 21st Century Learner. Students are obviously very different learners now than they were 10, 20, 30 years ago. Some elementary students now receive their own personal iPad through their school district when they reach 3rd grade! What will this student look like in a college classroom 12 years from now? Also, how would this hypothetical student react to a college class where he or she sits for three house, twice a week, and hears a man talk-that's it, just talk. This idea of a hybrid teacher and classroom leads me into my final thought towards this course. It would please me immensely to learn more about using the idea of a "flipped classroom" and other similar tools to cut down on wasted classroom time at my own job. It would be amazing to put up a video explaining a project in depth, and then instruct my students to pull out their iPads at home, view my tutorial, and then come back with questions. This would save SO MUCH TIME and free up space for me to do another activity or squeeze in one more real-life example.
The Winthrop Policy for Technology further supports the aforementioned idea of a college class. In my classroom, students use cell phones, lap tops, Chromebooks, and iPads to further their understanding of a concept. Does this occur at Winthrop? Maybe, if a professor or lecturer is willing to let students take notes electronically. Again, this is a topic that should be explored and discussed at the level of higher ed.
I honestly cannot see myself teaching a purely online course to college students. It's just not in my set of personal goals to teach at the college level. I CAN see myself using what I learn in this course to become a better teacher, mentor, and possibly administrator. I am aware that there are many virtual schools available to students who are home bound or live abroad, and that is definitely a track I am willing and excited to explore further.
Well, sadly, we only changed a couple of sentences in the handheld technology policy this year, and most teachers can still do what they prefer in the classroom - which means it will vary greatly from class to class.
ReplyDeleteBut I think you will enjoy the flipped lesson plan assignment since I am asking you to create your own assignment that you can implement into the classroom - on a topic of your choice, with either your voice narrating or written instructions or both!
I've taught solely online a couple of times, and it was really a very rewarding experience. The students were more focused, likely because they were able to access the course when they were at their best instead of having to show up the prescribed time. I think it was also good for many of them because they had more flexibility in when things were due. Every Monday I gave them their assignments for the week, and their end products were due on Sunday. Most of them turned them in before Sunday. I really liked it. I would teach 100% online if I could.
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