Jennifer ,
I believe you are correct. There are positive perks in different settings.
Shelly Crider
Yes, I agree with you. Students love the extras. Although I have not taught online yet, I am excited about the possibilities. It seems to me every instructional environment has its particular positive educational perks.
joy,
It is nice to have your own touch on the class; however, the one thing you can do to make any class your own, it to add to the discussion or give personal experience stories in an email. Students love the "extras"!
Shelly Crider
I do think to develop the program it takes a lot of technological expertise or wizards. I recently taught an online coures the coures was set up that did not allow the faculty to make any changes to the content ie TD or assignments I did not like taht I also teach in a blended format and we are able to make changes to the shell.
Jason ,
Nice example. The need for clean up is very important.
Shelly Crider
After developing a course design specification with specific learning activities, animations, videos, etc, it is helpful to be able to convey that to the entire design team and be able to clean up small errors on your own, so knowing your way around your LMS is a vital component of online instruction. Implementing this instruction would be a valuable component of online instructor orientation.
TAMARA,
We are asking our students to learn, so we as instructors should do the same!
Shelly Crider
There are different levels of wizardry, yes? An understanding of the platform is important. A person would have a hard time painting if they didn’t know what tools and colors they had available. At the same time, a desire to do a quality job can inspire great course design and further education on aspects of technological tools. If an instructor is not afraid to ask questions or take the time to learn, there is little they cannot achieve.
I disagree. I am not a technical wizard and certainly can't talk the "lingo" of html, java script, or even the various media players...etc., But I know enough to navigate pretty well. However, having said that: I do find that sometimes I don't know what's possible.That does pose a problem sometimes for me. For example, right now I'm trying to spice up a face to face course and I want something unique and just don't know how to do it. I want to use clips and audio voice overs and just don't know how to do it. So I have surrounded myself with some techy friends to collaborate with who will teach me new things.
Donna,
I love YouTube for tutoring. You can actually put something on YouTube that is not offered to everyone unless they have a link to get to it.
Shelly Crider
I agree! I think a good developer has to be willing to explore and experiment, and to learn from those who have gone before. But, you don't need to know HTML, and how to build the course from scratch. You need to learn the building tools of whatever platform you are using.
When I think I need to know something new, there is always a great You Tube clip to tutor me though the process. Like all things, the longer you teach online the more technical skills you develop. In the beginning, not much is required and current platforms do lots of the hard work for content developers. Design and technology is important, but being a subject matter expert is still the first element of teaching. I think that is underscored in the Unit 4 materials when they so rightly point out that materials for an existing traditional class have to be analyzed and the content modified to work well in an online class.
We content developers are restricted by whatever our platform will accommodate. Many school sites have heavy doors – things that could be accessed by linking online are restricted from within the platform. Others, have no capabilities for good use of graphics, so PowerPoint is probably an essential if you want to use them. I’ve found that it is a process. Wizardry can occur at any level.
Hi
No, you do not need to be technically savvy, the online tools are fairly easy to use and implement.
Mike
Mario ,
Indeed!! I hope that all the developers are up on the newest technology! There are many students out there that will want just that!
Shelly Crider
I feel that online developers should have sufficient knowledge of technology. Not just old technology but new technology. Because technology is always changing i is important that course developers stay up to date with the latest software and technology in order to provide the highest level of development for today's learners.
Amy,
Excellent post. You do not have to be a wizard, but you do need to be able to respond to your student's questions.
Shelly Crider
Well yes and no. Ofcourse you need to know your way around a computer and be familar with the applications. If you have more then just the basics, you can develope the program. I do agree that support is the key to being successful in the development of an online program. I am not an IT person but I feel confident with this training and others that I will be successful in developing the course.
Sarah,
Average Joe needs to step up to the plate when it comes to creating a class!
Shelly Crider
I agree, to a point. They should be aware of that resources they have available to them. That may not qualify them as "wizards," but they should know more than the average Joe off the street.
This is a difficult question. I have developed close to 100 online courses, and I happen to have a lot of technical savvy, but the tools available to create online courses has advanced significantly and they are really not all that hard to use. What is much harder is just being a good course designer and course material creator.
Kurt
