I believed I had a strong understanding on what it takes to teach an online class prior to this experience. I am a high school teacher and most of my class is web based. I am almost completely paperless. However, starting this first module has made me realize that there is way more to online teaching then merely making your class available online.
The readings this week were very informative and practical. I assumed that online teaching was more passive on the instructors part. I now realize to do online teaching effectively that cannot be the case. In the article, "Applying the Seven Principles", I realized that the online instructor really needs to encourage active learning and promote collaboration. My "aha" moment in the readings this week is that the online teacher really not only has to instruct but really lead by example to create social butterflies.
Creating this environment of sharing does not come easy. I know that providing constant feedback and truly embracing the role as a facilitator is paramount. Even after the first module I can start to see my pedagogy changing somewhat on how I will approach my high school classroom this fall. I don't believe I have been getting the best"bang for my buck" in my approach to my web based classroom. I realized by doing the activities this week that creating a dialogue between students can easily be fostered online. In some cases I feel even more then in traditional classrooms. I look forward to learning more about evolving from just a teacher to more of a tour guide in the exchanging of ideas.
Eric, I'm glad you found the reading informative. I have found that teaching an online course actually takes more of my time than teaching a f2f course. When I was gone on vacation during the first week of OL 101, I couldn't be as involved as I should have and now I feel like simply not keeping up for a couple days results in my missing valuable points and not answering student questions in a timely manner. I was a bad example for this first week. I promise that the next weeks will be a lot better.
ReplyDeleteEric, It's great to see your desire to keep improving as a teacher! I love the concept of being a role model for students and try to utilize it often. It will be interesting to discover how to do that in an online course. Do you find that a particular type of feedback or language has been most helpful in guiding students?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input Lorinda. I would say the best success I have ahd engaging students is really showing them how to construct meaningful open ended questions that promote critical thinking. When all else fails I also tell them it is for a grade :)
ReplyDeleteEric- What class do you teach at the HS? I teach elementary and they are pushing technology. However, I teach in a lower income district and the students don't have the resources at home to continue to participate. It is frustrating as teachers that we have to focus so much on one instrument to teach.
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