Gloria There are a great deal of different fators that make the online experience. The institution, the facilitator and the student. I learned that using the same creativity we used in the class room setting can still be used in the online setting. The important thing is knowing when to use it and making sure you know how to use it.
Back up plans are essential to online courses in case technology fails.
You need a back up plan for what is going to happen when the technology fails. The internet is not always available in every area.
Students who choose the online active learning must realize there is more to it than answering a disscusion question, doing the assignment and taking a test by a certain date. Many people who take online classes are in the mindset of this is how online classes are taught. The are not ready for active learning.
Schools need to help in the technology area. They also need to be available in other areas where the student could need them. Just not available during traditional hours.
Reply to JULIUS GRANATA's post:Unfortunatly schools want the students to use the online technologies but can not always provide the equipment......answering from experience
I believe this to be my best information. I will use the shorter lecture time to help them be more engaged. I think the information about 15 min. video and more communication really stands out for me.
If my students are about to use multiple devices at all times they will not feel so frustrated at doing the work.
Having the right technolgy tools is essential for the sucess of the course, keeping the students engaged with different activities to help with their learning using the tools.
I agree with all the information this course providing. This is my second semester of teaching online. Technology is one of the big issues that I learned always to have plan B.
This segment of the course provided me with several important suggestions and I plan to implement them immediately. They include providing students with an explanation of the expectations and demands of online courses, explanations of technology requirements, explanations of communication methods and requirements, and explanations of how to think critically. Although they may seem self-explanatory, they really aren't and need to be explained. That is now my plan and I will start working on it right away.
Active learning can take place online and it will take longer time to plan. Also, if you have students doing truly online active learning you must make sure you know that ALL students have the capabilities to do the instruction based on what you use for your classes.
The classes I teach are visual working with software on the computer. The students are pretty much engaged. The complete a task after I demo it or make a tutorial. So many of the points in this particular lesson do not relate to my digital art courses.
The instructor should explain clearley to the students how communication with them will be forthcoming, be it through announcements or e-mails, so that the students don't feel overwhelmed or "badgered" by the instructors constant attempts at communication with them. This should be done at the outset of the class, during the introduction.
From my perspective as a part time CTE instructor at variouscommunity colleges for many years and now a full time instructor for the last 5 years, the following statement is imperative: "Online students must take responsibility for their own learning when taking a course which uses active learning techniques. Active learning courses are not for students who want an easy, passive learning online environment." Although I agree with this statement it should be noted that this applies to traditional methods as well as online or hybrid methods of teaching. We in the CTE teaching field typically use labs which require projects to be completed. Most instructors do not like to "hand hold" or "spoon feed" student information but rather allow students to experiment a bit with stratagies to complete the assignment or project. This often times requires more time however the overall effect is that the student benefits since the student feels a sense of accomplishment when the project is completed and to print specifications.
From 2010 – 2014 I made my living teaching online, and loved it in all sorts of ways but hated the failing technology that all the planning in the world could not overcome. Students made cartoons of me cursing the technology. By 2016 I gave up on it in frustration.
After a four-year hiatus, it is now so much better!
What I got from this portion of the course is that this new medium may not meet old expectations, not only of teachers, but students. For teachers, lots of planning, but also giving students a vision that this will be to their advantage.
Active Learning can be done within an online course, it may take longer to plan. Online access for students should be available any hour.
Seth Soronnadi
Learned that "It would also be a positive practice to incorporate the process for these new instructional practices into the instructor action plans or salary increase, tenure and/or promotion activities. "
I learned that online students need access to student programs outside the regular 9am-5pm hours.
I learned that You must have a backup plan.
I believe that instructors and institutions need to be aware of generational, economic and technological barriers. Institutions need to acknowledge their instructors and ensure they have adequate technology to properly provide students with a active fun and engaging learning experience.
When/if technology fails have a backup plan. Using active learning the students can and will learn at their own pace. This may be difficult if a student is far behind the class.
You must have a backup plan.
