Becky Dees

Keep good records of communication, especially with the disruptive students.  Talk with them privately.  Encourage students and remind them to stay on task.  Time management is a hard issue in distance learning.  We always think we have plenty of time, and then it's due and we haven't started...

Knowing the difference between synchronous and asynchronous was important, but more importantly knowing WHY aynchronous was recommended was insightful to me.  Using the students preferred name in the response is important.  It makes the students feel valued and that they teacher cares.

I like the idea of having the students' first assignment to be writing a short biography, especially the fact that bullet points could be provided so they KNOW they are telling the teacher the information he/she is wanting to know and not just random stuff.  I also liked the idea of having a forum for general topics that might not be related to the topic/unit taught that week.

As a first time online instructor, I will need to learn every component of the Classroom Management System that the students will use and that I as a teacher will use.  I need to anticipate problems that the students may have and be ready to answer them when they arise.  I learned that I have a lot to learn!