What benefits do you see in educators knowing how to design and implement online learning?
From the standpoint of a leader the main benefit I see in educators knowing how to design and implement online learning is increase in student performance. As leaders we are focused on campus improvement. One of the areas we need to focus on is how we can use technology to bring our teaching into the 21st century. If educators want to have relevance in this century, it is crucial that we find ways to engage students in school (Prensky, 2005). I believe incorporating online learning inside the walls of our schools we will have more opportunities to meet the many diverse needs and learning styles of our “digital natives”. If online learning is designed correctly, especially using the backward design approach, it will provide clear goals, directions, and learning plans. Tasks will be more authentic, learner-centered, and students will be more engaged. According to a 2004 study in the British Journal of Educational Technology by Dr. Namin Shin and Jason K.Y. Chan, the main factors in a successful online learning experience are: student achievement, satisfaction and persistence.
Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership. 63(4), 8-13. Retrieved from http://www.siprep.org/prodev/documents/Prensky.pdf
Shim, N. & Chan, J. (2004). Direct and indirect effects of online learning on distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology. 35(3), 275-288. Retrieved from [PDF] Direct and indirect effects of online learning on distance education
How will you professionally use your course that you designed?
The course that I designed is actually a redesign of a unit I have been teaching for several years. I redesigned it just this year into a web quest. For the purpose of this course I took it once again and redesigned it using Wiggins; and McTighe’s backward design. I learned from my study in Understanding by Design that I had not established clear goals in certain areas of the project. Using the template made it much easier to clearly establish the learning outcomes. I was able to throw out some of the project that really did not add function to their learning. I plan on continuing to refine this project and use it with my students next year using Schoology. I agree with the authors of Understanding by Design that backward design can yield “greater coherence among desired results, key performances, and teaching and learning experiences, resulting in better student performance – the purpose of design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006).
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Will you integrate online learning in your role as a teacher/staff developer?
I have enjoyed facilitating my Desktop Publishing class the past three years utilizing my website as an online communication tool for my students. Seventy-five percent of what I do with my students is given to them via my teacher website. Having been introduced and being able to experience Schoology has shown me how I can take my “online teaching and learning” to a whole new level. For instance, I have students each year missing two and three weeks of school traveling abroad for religious holiday. Although they could “keep up” with what we were doing in class they were still very much isolated. I see integrating this online course in my classroom as a great benefit for this instance alone. My students will be able to keep in touch with me and still be able to collaborate with their peers. They will be able to turn in assignments, watch videos, and ask questions. I will definitely continue to explore and master this new tool to be able to seamlessly integrate it in my classroom.
What questions do you still have about online learning?
It has been determined that there are many advantages to online learning, however there are some disadvantages that could hinder the success of learning for some students. In face-to-face interaction students rely on verbal and visual cues for understanding. Some students are not independent learners and need frequent feedback to feel confident in what they are doing. Online learning requires students to have the ability to pay attention to detail. It takes a very mature, self-motivated and disciplined student to succeed in online learning. Also, what about the students that lacks organizational skills and discipline to managed their time in order to keep up with the pace of the course? What about the students that do not have the technical experience to be able to comfortably confront any technical issues? And last, what about those students who do not have the access to technology at home? Research shows that dropout rates for online courses and programs may be 10 to 20 percent higher than for in-classroom courses and programs because students lack time, management oversight, motivation, support, or because their individual learning style is not congruent with online delivery strategy (Digital Bridges, 2005). How do we address the needs of these 10 to 20 percent or even possible even a higher percentage for our younger students?
Digital Bridges. (2005). K-12 online instructions for teaching and learning: what does research tell us about online education. Northwest Regional Educational Library. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/digitalbridges/online/essentials/research.php
What benefits do you see in educators knowing how to design and implement online learning?
At this present time I will use online learning in my classroom as a supplement to my existing program. I plan on using the course I have already developed in Schoology after some more revising. I also plan to use it at the very start of the academic year. Each year my students walk into my Desktop Publishing class with excitement and anticipation about working with state of the art computers. They are quickly disappointed when they realize they can not immediately jump right on the computers and start “playing”. The curriculum starts off with the history of desktop publishing the studying hardware and software. I would like to redesign this part of my curriculum using the backwards design and use the online learning management system. I am excited at the prospect of turning the beginning of our year into a learning experience that my students have never encountered before.
