I agree some just need to know how to implement what the establishment need in the way of training and they do not have to get too technical to get the lesson in place.
Developers of online courses need to be extremely tech saavy because they are the people who are putting the course together in the online environment. They need to have a variety of technical skills such as video production and editing, Photoshop and graphic design skills and also web design and coding skills.
The developers of online courses should have some type of technological background. Even if it is they have experience with taking online courses it gives them an advantage to how the online system works. The developers should also receive some type of training to help them in creating and maintaining an online course.
Russell,
I hope that all online instructors are given some instruction somewhere along the way!
Shelly Crider
I don't think you have to be a wizard but being familiar with the platform always helps but most school provide and usually require some type of training helps the instructor become skilled at the aspect of the job.
Developers of these online courses have to be technologically savvy to maneuver the internet and connect the dots. A lot of students these days are very technologically advanced. To catch their attention and retain it, you have to be as knowledgeable or more to present a successful online program.
It helps but it's not necessary. Most LMS's are pretty user friendly at a basic level. To fully utilize their capabilities though you do need to spend some time learning how to use the program itself.
I don't believe they'd need to be technological wizards per se, but an understanding of the process is important at a very minimum. There are IT people that a course developer can work with to achieve the end result.
Jerri,
Our class and help the students when they need the help as well!
Shelly Crider
I agree that we don't really have to be experts as we start out. As we progress we will learn more and more but initially we must remember where our students are. We have to structure the courses to enable even those with minimal tech skills to be able to negotiate our class.
I agree, that is, to the “wizard†part. I should be familiar with the technology involved in course development and which the learner will use to complete course requirements and objectives. I teach business so being a business wiz is more important than being a technology expert. I am willing to access those behind the curtains for help and enhancements in my development, execution and evaluation of online courses.
Rashunda,
Steve Jobs is an excellent example!! Great post!
Shelly Crider
I think that developers of online courses do have to have a strong technological background but not neccesarily have to be wizards, like Steve Jobs. They do have to have a keen knowledge of software and keep abreast to technological advances. When I think of a wizard I think of someone who has the ability to create applications or software. Someone who has "magical" abilities to implement their vision of what technology should be able to do in today's society. Developers are people who know how to operate these software or applications and manipulate them to fit a desired outcome.
Christopher,
Yes, bless the application developers!!! They can make our jobs easier!
Shelly Crider
wyshondia,
This pushes we as instructors to learn more of the technology!
Shelly Crider
I agree that we need to be less techno oriented than we used to be. Each day we seem to improve the 'user friendly' development environment. With the advent of HTML5 we see the continuing growth of direct translation of concepts to action without the need to learn programming and complex task processes. I've been using 4 progressive iterations of Captivate to develop training programs. Each version has mad it simpler to create and add visually stimulating materials to my lessons. This gives me more time to concentrate on the content awareness issues and make more effective programs as opposed to spending time trying to figure out how to make things work on a given slide. I see my creative eye opening up to new and better solutions to present topics and points now that I spend less time trying to figure out how to animate, draw, or make items interact. I'm hoping that certain types of Flash and Animation processes continue to improve and become easier in future iterations of the tools I use. I much prefer to concentrate my energy on the ISD and creative aspects of course development. Bless the application developers.
I agree that we do not have be technological wizards. As long as you know the basics of accessing the course and moving through the course then you should be able to reach the student. You are a facilitator helping the student learn and therefore your knowledge of the material and how to access the material is important. But you do not have to be a wiz to do this
Hi Ms. Crider,
I agree with the statement that developers do not have to be technological wizards. I believe they of course must have adequate training in the online platform that they are using. In my experience, proper training helps to ensure you are ready to develop an online course. I do believe that ongoing education is important especially with how rapidly technology is changing. With that being said, an extensive technology background would be good but I do not think it is always necessary.
Thank you,
Adrianna Davis
I agree but we need to have skills to feel comfortable with an on-line environment, also to moderate them and design the on line course. On my college, we have a specialized team that help the professor, who are the theme experts, and they are the technological wizards.
Charlene,
It is nice for the instructor to know about the technology in his/her own class as well.
Shelly Crider
