Online Teaching and Learning
Talk about how you could use one of the technologies that qualify as an online experience with your students:
Several of the technologies that qualify as an online experience have already been implemented into my classroom. When teaching Social Studies I strongly support the use of webquests. I have already utilized the webquest that I created through this course and plan to create more in the future. By taking the students to the computer lab over the course of several days, they would be able to experience more educational freedom and time management as they prepare for college. Furthermore, students would have the opportunity to independently gain their own understandings about large themes Social Studies curriculum One other technology that struck me while reading the document was an electronic portfolio. I currently do not incorporate portfolios in the classroom, but would be open to doing so in the future. Having the students keep an educational portfolio of their best work would allow parents to see their students’ accomplishments and would allow the students to take higher level of pride in their work. Lastly, blogs would be a great tool, in that they would foster an online community of learners. I could periodically take students to the computer lab to respond to each other’s blogs. This would allow them to voice their own opinions, challenge the views of others respectfully.
What content could this help you teach?
Webquests would be effective in helping me teach any Social Studies topic that aims to educate students about critically analyzing their political beliefs or an event in time. The “guide on the side” nature of webquests is perfect in allowing the teacher to present information to the students and is excellent in allowing the students to take this information and form their own truths. Electronic portfolios would work for either Mathematics or Social Studies, my two content areas. The portfolio itself would not necessarily teach the content of the course, but would educate students on how to use technology for an educational and professional means. Finally, an educational blog is another online experience that I could imagine myself using in the future. Often times, my Algebra students are stuck on two different steps of an equation. By allowing them to communicate their understandings and misunderstandings publicly, they would to put their heads together and tackle problems together. Blogs could be inserted into Social Studies setting in order to have the students discuss opposing views on a specific topic.
What type of pedagogical strategies might you use with your students?
Webquests definitely incorporate scaffolding. By using webquests I would focus students on completing smaller tasks that when combined yield an outlook on a large theme. Blogs would best be used with an inductive approach, where an example (math problem, or event in history) is given and students must make sense out of the example (determine the theorem or rationale for the event).
What technologies do you think would be harder to use with your students? Why?
I do not think that any one particular technology would be extremely difficult to use with the exception of Learning Management Systems. Smaller technologies, such as blogs, and webquests, can take place over several sporadic visits to the computer lab. Learning Management Systems on the other hand require more constant dedication. With the lack of after school media center time and home computer access, I feel that my students would struggle to complete the tasks required to them. Therefore, I think that until classroom laptops become available or after school media center time is expanded I should not require hefty activity online. This would place select students at a major disadvantage and would not serve the purpose of having education as an equalizer.
Several of the technologies that qualify as an online experience have already been implemented into my classroom. When teaching Social Studies I strongly support the use of webquests. I have already utilized the webquest that I created through this course and plan to create more in the future. By taking the students to the computer lab over the course of several days, they would be able to experience more educational freedom and time management as they prepare for college. Furthermore, students would have the opportunity to independently gain their own understandings about large themes Social Studies curriculum One other technology that struck me while reading the document was an electronic portfolio. I currently do not incorporate portfolios in the classroom, but would be open to doing so in the future. Having the students keep an educational portfolio of their best work would allow parents to see their students’ accomplishments and would allow the students to take higher level of pride in their work. Lastly, blogs would be a great tool, in that they would foster an online community of learners. I could periodically take students to the computer lab to respond to each other’s blogs. This would allow them to voice their own opinions, challenge the views of others respectfully.
What content could this help you teach?
Webquests would be effective in helping me teach any Social Studies topic that aims to educate students about critically analyzing their political beliefs or an event in time. The “guide on the side” nature of webquests is perfect in allowing the teacher to present information to the students and is excellent in allowing the students to take this information and form their own truths. Electronic portfolios would work for either Mathematics or Social Studies, my two content areas. The portfolio itself would not necessarily teach the content of the course, but would educate students on how to use technology for an educational and professional means. Finally, an educational blog is another online experience that I could imagine myself using in the future. Often times, my Algebra students are stuck on two different steps of an equation. By allowing them to communicate their understandings and misunderstandings publicly, they would to put their heads together and tackle problems together. Blogs could be inserted into Social Studies setting in order to have the students discuss opposing views on a specific topic.
What type of pedagogical strategies might you use with your students?
Webquests definitely incorporate scaffolding. By using webquests I would focus students on completing smaller tasks that when combined yield an outlook on a large theme. Blogs would best be used with an inductive approach, where an example (math problem, or event in history) is given and students must make sense out of the example (determine the theorem or rationale for the event).
What technologies do you think would be harder to use with your students? Why?
I do not think that any one particular technology would be extremely difficult to use with the exception of Learning Management Systems. Smaller technologies, such as blogs, and webquests, can take place over several sporadic visits to the computer lab. Learning Management Systems on the other hand require more constant dedication. With the lack of after school media center time and home computer access, I feel that my students would struggle to complete the tasks required to them. Therefore, I think that until classroom laptops become available or after school media center time is expanded I should not require hefty activity online. This would place select students at a major disadvantage and would not serve the purpose of having education as an equalizer.
Labels: education, experience, guideline, online, pedagogy, social studies, technology, webquest
posted by Brian Ericson at
2:38 PM
2 Comments:
I think as long as you are helping the student fulfill their 20 hour online requirement by using blogs, wikis, and WebQuests, there isn't a pressing need to use a LMS unless your district requires you to. The MS and HS teachers in my district are beginning to use Blackboard for posting content. Students who do not have a computer at home can use the ones in the media center during their study hall. The community library or a relative's house are other options that can be explored. It has been my experience that students who do not have computers at home have MySpace and Facebook pages they keep up to date - where there's a will there will always be a way=8-)
I have to agree with Susan. We are using a LMS and are hosting it on-site here at the high school, but it has not been easy! There have been many issues both technical... and, believe it or not, political.
While it's true that the state requires 20 hours, I think if I added up all of the qualifying, non-documented time, that number would be astounding. I believe my district documents our 20 hrs with the state in 8th grade so all of the online time during high school isn't officially counted.
Moodle allows a teacher to move all of their papers (that they currently keep in gigantic binders) into an electronic format. This makes it so much easier when a student was absent! They simply check Moodle for the missed material, instead of having to ask the teacher for absent work. The ability to turn student work in electronically is also a huge time (and paper) saver.
Overall, it has been eye-opening for some teachers as they upload their documents. They end up reflecting on their current practice without really setting out to do so. "Is this worksheet necessary? Did this unit accomplish what I set out to do?" That alone is worth noting. :)
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