Edtech 521
Online Teaching in the K-12 Environment
Taught by: Sarah Ault
Website by Lisa Smith
Quotes from Readings and Class/Tasks and Activities |
Thoughts/Learning/Questions |
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The best source of information that I found was NACOL's source on Blended Learning. Quote: "Blended learning combining the best elements of online and face-to-face education, is likely to emerge as the predominant teaching model of the future." |
Do online teachers have to meet the requirements of NCLB? Do online teachers have to follow IEP's? How many students do online teachers generally have and how does the teacher differentiate instruction? |
Sometimes the most revealing part of a message isn't found in the words themselves but in the subtle messages wrapped around those words. Failure to pick up on these "secret messages" may leave you blind to what is really being communicated. . . . — Dianne Booher Our week's activity was fun, and interviewing my parent was informative. She thought the most of my questions were great. She did suggest that I get rid of the questions that asks the parent to rate the students computer skills from 1 to 5. She thinks that most parents would give a middle ground answer of 3, which would give me no insight into the child's true skills. |
The initial telephone interview is very important. It sets the tone for the beginning of the year. I feel making a good impression with your parents is very important with the first interview. Making sure that parents feel comfortable talking to you and understanding that the line of communication is always open. Students also need to feel at ease with the teacher and the process. The telephone interview will set the tone of the teacher/student relationship. What happens if neither parent or child communicate well on the interview, or cooperate in the process. I deal with parents all the time in my current position and have had times when the parent is on the defensive the minute you open your mouth, body language helps ease the tension. When one can't see body language, I would assume it would be more difficult to ease any communication tension. |
The activites this week were fun/easy! I have been involved in many online communities for a very long time. I have tried to get my own teachers to at least try Edutopia. Block scheduling using Excel is how I set up my Media/Tech schedule. I have been teaching Excel for years and love using Excel. My schedule at work is extremly complicated. I have to keep track of a A-F rotating schedule and 6 classes /day. I have to have a schedule! My block schedule for virtual teaching was much less complicated. I did find however that as usual, it seems like it is hard to find planning time. But planning for 25 students wouldn't be as bad as 320 students! I have used 4Teachers.org for many years. I especially like project poster now called Web Poster Wizard. |
Listservs, blogs, wikis, discussion boards, websites, are all very important to me. I use these sources to keep a head of the game. I think that all teachers should subscribe to at least one online community. It is very helpful to learn from other teachers and have a support group. Questions: Can online K-12 teachers live in one state and teach in another? Is there a basic system requirment for student computers so that the system they are using is up to date? Is there an AUP designed for online k-12 schools? Online Community Defined |
| Our group's chat session went really well. We communicated very well as a group and met common concensus on all topics. We aggreed from the beginning on many elements, so getting to concensus was rather easy and enjoyable. We used Gabbly as our chat platform. Gabbly is free and attaches itself to any website you wish. I put Gabbly on my teacher website and password protected it to keep students out. The group liked the ease of Gabbly, no accounts are needed when using Gabbly. The project went very smoothly. | I believe that chatting has its benefits in online learning. It is a great way to communicate. I have used chatting in my classes for a short while. Our district has since blocked all chatting. As a group we had no problems communicating or using our chatting platform. The benefits were many: we got to finally virtually meet each other and communicate in true-time, which is much easier than posting to a discussion group or emailing. Again an enjoyable project! |
We were required to complete a project on Netiquette and a presentation using Breeze. Well Breeze is not very compatible with Macs so I chose Voice Thread. I had an account with V.T. so this was a perfect chance to begin using the program. We established in class that setting netiquette rules is very important to begin the new year with. I always begin the year with Internet safety where as we discuss netiquette.
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I created my scavenger hunt on my website and will actually be using it this year when we begin our geography/research unit. I used Voice Thread for my presentation and absolutely LOVE IT! This program has endless possibilities. VT was rated as a Top 5 new products for education. I see huge benefits using VT in online learning scenarios. I like it better then Adobe Connect (breeze) It is FREE or for a few extra perks one can pay for the VT pro, which is what I did. It was only $60.00, much cheaper then Breeze. It will not video conference, but that is what SKYPE is for....again FREE! This class is so fun!!! I think I will now take the k-12 management course too. Love the online teaching concept, only wish Wyoming had more opportunities. |
I have been working on Voice Thread. Voice Thread has great potential in online learning. I love working with the program, figuring out problems and solving problems, figuring out how best to use the product. We have been designing an online lesson. I have chosen to a lesson for 2nd grade students. It is the beginning lesson of a unit on alphabetizing. |
I am having a hard time keeping up with my job requirements and homework. I am also frustrated with the incompatability of a Adobe Connect to my Mac. There is really no equivelent out there that doesn't cost a fortune. |