William Knopf- Blog entry week 3
Getting started in a course that is run in the online environment will be different in many ways then the traditional first days that I have come a custom to. However in other ways the experience will be the same, but with different and new techniques. One important item to consider and know is the technology that is currently being used by the students. This is extremely important due to it sets limits to what you can do. One thing that I think is great about the way Walden does their courses is that you know the technology prerequisites upfront. This way it allows the students to know the minimum amount of technology that they will need to be successful in the courses. Also this has a benefit to the instructor, because they know the students at least have the minimum technology for the course. Additional software, hardware, and accessories can be added later if needed, for example when I had to purchase the CS5 suite for the second course.
Communication is always the key to any healthy and productive relationship. This is true in the traditional classroom as well as the online environment. I major difference that has to be known is that the non-verbal communication will be lost in the online environment due to no face-to-face time. So communication has to be concise and to the point. One concern that I have is that sometimes written items such as emails, can be read with different attitudes. I am always careful to not make the tone of my communication negative or harsh. Vice versa if I read an email and feel upset or angry, I don’t response immediately. I walk away from the communication and come back to it later. This way I can be surer that it was the true tone of the communication and not my “reading” into it.
Variety of instruction is another thing to consider when setting up an online course. Like the authors Boettcher & Conrad (2010) stated that making different group sizes for projects is a good way to vary instruction and peer to peer learning. Another method that I use in my classroom that can be effective is modeling. For certain tasks and projects having an example or even a short tutorial video on how to do it can help the students. Another important thing to consider for setting up a course is to have good discussion questions and limited instructor responses (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). The learner focused style of instruction allows the peers to help teach each other. In discussions this can be halted or interrupted by too much instructor presence in the discussion boards.
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Week 3
William Knopf- Blog entry week 3
Getting started in a course that is run in the online environment will be different in many ways then the traditional first days that I have come a custom to. However in other ways the experience will be the same, but with different and new techniques. One important item to consider and know is the technology that is currently being used by the students. This is extremely important due to it sets limits to what you can do. One thing that I think is great about the way Walden does their courses is that you know the technology prerequisites upfront. This way it allows the students to know the minimum amount of technology that they will need to be successful in the courses. Also this has a benefit to the instructor, because they know the students at least have the minimum technology for the course. Additional software, hardware, and accessories can be added later if needed, for example when I had to purchase the CS5 suite for the second course.
Communication is always the key to any healthy and productive relationship. This is true in the traditional classroom as well as the online environment. I major difference that has to be known is that the non-verbal communication will be lost in the online environment due to no face-to-face time. So communication has to be concise and to the point. One concern that I have is that sometimes written items such as emails, can be read with different attitudes. I am always careful to not make the tone of my communication negative or harsh. Vice versa if I read an email and feel upset or angry, I don’t response immediately. I walk away from the communication and come back to it later. This way I can be surer that it was the true tone of the communication and not my “reading” into it.
Variety of instruction is another thing to consider when setting up an online course. Like the authors Boettcher & Conrad (2010) stated that making different group sizes for projects is a good way to vary instruction and peer to peer learning. Another method that I use in my classroom that can be effective is modeling. For certain tasks and projects having an example or even a short tutorial video on how to do it can help the students. Another important thing to consider for setting up a course is to have good discussion questions and limited instructor responses (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). The learner focused style of instruction allows the peers to help teach each other. In discussions this can be halted or interrupted by too much instructor presence in the discussion boards.
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Getting started in a course that is run in the online environment will be different in many ways then the traditional first days that I have come a custom to. However in other ways the experience will be the same, but with different and new techniques. One important item to consider and know is the technology that is currently being used by the students. This is extremely important due to it sets limits to what you can do. One thing that I think is great about the way Walden does their courses is that you know the technology prerequisites upfront. This way it allows the students to know the minimum amount of technology that they will need to be successful in the courses. Also this has a benefit to the instructor, because they know the students at least have the minimum technology for the course. Additional software, hardware, and accessories can be added later if needed, for example when I had to purchase the CS5 suite for the second course.
Communication is always the key to any healthy and productive relationship. This is true in the traditional classroom as well as the online environment. I major difference that has to be known is that the non-verbal communication will be lost in the online environment due to no face-to-face time. So communication has to be concise and to the point. One concern that I have is that sometimes written items such as emails, can be read with different attitudes. I am always careful to not make the tone of my communication negative or harsh. Vice versa if I read an email and feel upset or angry, I don’t response immediately. I walk away from the communication and come back to it later. This way I can be surer that it was the true tone of the communication and not my “reading” into it.
Variety of instruction is another thing to consider when setting up an online course. Like the authors Boettcher & Conrad (2010) stated that making different group sizes for projects is a good way to vary instruction and peer to peer learning. Another method that I use in my classroom that can be effective is modeling. For certain tasks and projects having an example or even a short tutorial video on how to do it can help the students. Another important thing to consider for setting up a course is to have good discussion questions and limited instructor responses (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). The learner focused style of instruction allows the peers to help teach each other. In discussions this can be halted or interrupted by too much instructor presence in the discussion boards.
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Week 3
William Knopf- Blog entry week 3
Getting started in a course that is run in the online environment will be different in many ways then the traditional first days that I have come a custom to. However in other ways the experience will be the same, but with different and new techniques. One important item to consider and know is the technology that is currently being used by the students. This is extremely important due to it sets limits to what you can do. One thing that I think is great about the way Walden does their courses is that you know the technology prerequisites upfront. This way it allows the students to know the minimum amount of technology that they will need to be successful in the courses. Also this has a benefit to the instructor, because they know the students at least have the minimum technology for the course. Additional software, hardware, and accessories can be added later if needed, for example when I had to purchase the CS5 suite for the second course.
Communication is always the key to any healthy and productive relationship. This is true in the traditional classroom as well as the online environment. I major difference that has to be known is that the non-verbal communication will be lost in the online environment due to no face-to-face time. So communication has to be concise and to the point. One concern that I have is that sometimes written items such as emails, can be read with different attitudes. I am always careful to not make the tone of my communication negative or harsh. Vice versa if I read an email and feel upset or angry, I don’t response immediately. I walk away from the communication and come back to it later. This way I can be surer that it was the true tone of the communication and not my “reading” into it.
Variety of instruction is another thing to consider when setting up an online course. Like the authors Boettcher & Conrad (2010) stated that making different group sizes for projects is a good way to vary instruction and peer to peer learning. Another method that I use in my classroom that can be effective is modeling. For certain tasks and projects having an example or even a short tutorial video on how to do it can help the students. Another important thing to consider for setting up a course is to have good discussion questions and limited instructor responses (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). The learner focused style of instruction allows the peers to help teach each other. In discussions this can be halted or interrupted by too much instructor presence in the discussion boards.
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Getting started in a course that is run in the online environment will be different in many ways then the traditional first days that I have come a custom to. However in other ways the experience will be the same, but with different and new techniques. One important item to consider and know is the technology that is currently being used by the students. This is extremely important due to it sets limits to what you can do. One thing that I think is great about the way Walden does their courses is that you know the technology prerequisites upfront. This way it allows the students to know the minimum amount of technology that they will need to be successful in the courses. Also this has a benefit to the instructor, because they know the students at least have the minimum technology for the course. Additional software, hardware, and accessories can be added later if needed, for example when I had to purchase the CS5 suite for the second course.
Communication is always the key to any healthy and productive relationship. This is true in the traditional classroom as well as the online environment. I major difference that has to be known is that the non-verbal communication will be lost in the online environment due to no face-to-face time. So communication has to be concise and to the point. One concern that I have is that sometimes written items such as emails, can be read with different attitudes. I am always careful to not make the tone of my communication negative or harsh. Vice versa if I read an email and feel upset or angry, I don’t response immediately. I walk away from the communication and come back to it later. This way I can be surer that it was the true tone of the communication and not my “reading” into it.
Variety of instruction is another thing to consider when setting up an online course. Like the authors Boettcher & Conrad (2010) stated that making different group sizes for projects is a good way to vary instruction and peer to peer learning. Another method that I use in my classroom that can be effective is modeling. For certain tasks and projects having an example or even a short tutorial video on how to do it can help the students. Another important thing to consider for setting up a course is to have good discussion questions and limited instructor responses (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). The learner focused style of instruction allows the peers to help teach each other. In discussions this can be halted or interrupted by too much instructor presence in the discussion boards.
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Monday, September 12, 2011
EIDT 6510
Online learning is an interesting and challenging concept. One of the things that interested me was the chance to make my classes more interactive when the resources are tight. Looking back at the last course that was taken by me online fit right into the foundations and major concepts that Dr. Pratt and Dr. Palloff (2011) stated; the course was a learning community. The interesting part about the learning community system that is used by Walden was setup and running without me even knowing that was the principle focus. The interaction between the students and instructor was a great experience. The role of the instructor was equal and the learning mostly occurred from peer-peer interaction. The only con from the last course was the time it took the instructor to grade and give feed-back to assignments. Sometimes the next assignment was due before feed-back was given on the previous assignment.
The principles that were aligned in the previous course were the achievement of the course objectives through engaging activities; achievement of developing a learning community (LC) between the learners/instructor; reflection of the knowledge obtained throughout the course; increased learner self-directed focus; and learning was conveyed by the peer-to-peer interaction (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
The last course was completely converted for the online environment. The course was not just taken from the traditional classroom and placed online. The course was interactive, engaging and student focused. The instruction came from the equal partnership between the learners and the instructor, not a silo-instructed course. Dr. Saba (2011) discussed that when using learning strategies they should be established and backed by supported evidence of success. The theories that are questionable should not be used. The major focus of the course should first be the foundation of the theories, the knowledge of the field (course related), the concepts and principles used (to develop knowledge), and making the instruction effective for the learner (Saba, 2011).
The only improvements that I saw for the previous class would be the decrease in amount of time for graded assignments. The major problem was that you could not improve or correct any problems before the next assignment was due. The interaction between the instructor and the learner with requirements and corrections was a huge factor for me. In the engagement model that was discussed by Conrad (2004) the principles and problem-based learning are essential for a learning community that is engaged. With the previous course the principles and problem-based learning were there, however the maximum learning for me could not occur because of late input by the instructor. I was not able to transfer the needed information missed from each assignment to the next.
Sources:
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R., Pratt, K. (2011). Online Learning Communities. Walden Video Library.
Saba, F. (2011). Evaluating Distance Learning Theory. Walden Video Library.
The principles that were aligned in the previous course were the achievement of the course objectives through engaging activities; achievement of developing a learning community (LC) between the learners/instructor; reflection of the knowledge obtained throughout the course; increased learner self-directed focus; and learning was conveyed by the peer-to-peer interaction (Palloff & Pratt, 2011).
The last course was completely converted for the online environment. The course was not just taken from the traditional classroom and placed online. The course was interactive, engaging and student focused. The instruction came from the equal partnership between the learners and the instructor, not a silo-instructed course. Dr. Saba (2011) discussed that when using learning strategies they should be established and backed by supported evidence of success. The theories that are questionable should not be used. The major focus of the course should first be the foundation of the theories, the knowledge of the field (course related), the concepts and principles used (to develop knowledge), and making the instruction effective for the learner (Saba, 2011).
The only improvements that I saw for the previous class would be the decrease in amount of time for graded assignments. The major problem was that you could not improve or correct any problems before the next assignment was due. The interaction between the instructor and the learner with requirements and corrections was a huge factor for me. In the engagement model that was discussed by Conrad (2004) the principles and problem-based learning are essential for a learning community that is engaged. With the previous course the principles and problem-based learning were there, however the maximum learning for me could not occur because of late input by the instructor. I was not able to transfer the needed information missed from each assignment to the next.
Sources:
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R., Pratt, K. (2011). Online Learning Communities. Walden Video Library.
Saba, F. (2011). Evaluating Distance Learning Theory. Walden Video Library.
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