Instructing Virtual School Courses
• I Teaching Online
• II Expectations for Student Participation
• III Building an Online Learning Community
• IV Resources
• V Student Discussion
• VI Learning Styles
• VII Assessment
• VIII Technology Skills
Table of Contents
• Post all deadlines and assignments at the beginning of the course.
• Send reminder emails weekly reinforcing my goals for the week.
• Respond to all emails within 24 hours (a la Florida Online's policy).
• Create and use an email account for online classes that can be synched with my Blackberry (for instant feedback).
• Have an open chat hour every week (maybe Sunday night) in an active discussion forum.
• Add discussion threads for students who report common problems with the weeks assignments.
• Create projects that ask students to apply what they have learned to solve problems.
• Have links to additional practice sites ready for students who feel they need more practice.
• Finally, be a teacher, not a teller. Help students lead themselves to their own understanding of material rather than force them to see it your way.
I Teaching OnlineAs part of my basic responsibilities, I will...
I Teaching OnlineFinding my teaching style
• Rapport is the foundation for all learning
• Modeling honesty, patience, and a sense of humor will help reinforce expectations
• Effective communication is essential to success
• Must get to know a student I may never meet face to face
• Must project core values and expectations clearly through online media
• Must use a variety of new technologies to ensure good communication throughout the course
Similarities Differences
I Teaching OnlineAdapting to new technology
As an online teacher I will have to learn
any new media that could help me connect to my students...
Texting
Blogs
MySpace
IM
II Expectations for Student Participation
Students will be responsible for...• Readings online with
follow-up questions
• Practice examples
• Participation in 1 of 2 online group chats
• Reading all posts and posting in the discussion forum (1 original and 4 follow-up)
• A cumulative course project
• Midterm Exam after week 5
• Final Exam at end of course
III Building an Online Learning CommunityPairs of students will collaborate on a project that asks them
to create a small business, complete with a budget
Goals of this Project:•Students will understand basic expense math as it relates to credits, debits, loans, taxes, and setting prices.•Math topics involved will include linear functions, exponential growth functions, fractions/decimals/percents, compound interest calculation, and estimation.•Students will work with their partners via different web media; they must communicate effectively in order to successfully launch their new business.•Students must use mathematical research to choose a business they feel will be successful•Students can demonstrate creativity when designing a company logo, slogan, and advertising•Final projects must include a multimedia presentation explaining their company
III Building an Online Learning Community
Other Project Details•Students will be paired at random and be expected to participate equally•Students will be co-owners of their business and expected to offer separate analysis of the business plan•Students will be polled privately to gauge their partners’ level of participation•‘Successful’ businesses will be identified as those whose models seem realistic, with balanced budgets, loan repayment schedules, and accurate sales projections•The final project will be presented using a multimedia presentation that will be evaluated by me and hosted online for other members of the class to evaluate•Evaluation of other students’ projects will be mandatory and count towards part of the project grade.
IV Online Resources
CoolMath.com
FinanceFreak.com
TurnItIn.com
YouTube.com
TED.com
MathaTube.com
MathTV.com
WGHB.org
HoodaMath.com
PBS.org
V Student DiscussionRubric used to assess student posts
Adapted from the EdTech Online Module
Criteria Exceptional Average Needs Improvement
RelevanceResponds directly to the
discussion question and includes pertinent, connected or applicable information
Posting responds directly to the discussion question
Posting does not respond directly to the discussion question
Use of Examples
Makes thoughtful references to previous or current session
material and relevant personal experiences
Posting includes at least one reference to session material
and/ or relevant personal experiences
Posting does not include any references to session material or
relevant personal experiences
Contribution to Learning
Community
Posting offers critical analysis of a key theme or existing post(s) which deepens or extends the
conversation
Engages with ideas from the session or the perspectives of
participants and makes a positive contribution the conversation
Does not critically engage with key ideas from the session or the
perspectives of fellow participants
Comprehension
It is evident from the posting that the participant understands the question and the key ideas from the session material. In addition, the participant employs higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) when responding to the discussion
question
It is evident from the posting that the participant understands the question and the general ideas
referenced the session material
It is not evident from the posting that the participant understands either the question or the ideas
referenced in the session material
Written Quality Has a coherent structure and the
flow of the writing is easily understood. Grammatically
correct with no spelling errors
Has a coherent structure and the flow of the writing is easily understood. 1 or 2 errors
Does not have a coherent structure and the flow of the
writing is hard to follow. Multiple errors
TimelinessPostings are made on at least 2
different days; at least 1 is made early for others to read and
respond
Postings are made on only 1 day; at least 1 posting is made early for others to read and respond
Postings are made on only 1 day; postings are late for others to
read and respond
Tone Posting has a positive, supportive and professional tone
Posting has elements of a positive, supportive or
professional tone
Posting is negative or flat in tone
VI Learning StylesAddressing multiple learning stylesHumanMetrics.com - Jung/Meyers-Briggs personality test.
Teach-nology.com - How to prepare for online differentiated instruction.
SlideShare.com - DI online:Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences - Gail Taylor M.Ed
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Levels
VII AssessmentsOnline assessments should take a variety of forms
including:
• Timed quizzes and tests
• Weekly discussion postings rubric
• Cumulative project
• Weekly practice examples
• Surveys to measure comprehension
• Instructor/student feedback
• Open response questions
VIII Technology SkillsCheckHere:
Check off each skill that you already have or that you have learned during this course. Make a note of the skills you still need to practice.
Email with attachments
Creating word processing documents
Locating, evaluating and adding Internet resources to a course
Enrolling students in a course
Creating course announcements
Using assessment tools to create tests and surveys
Creating a discussion forum
Creating groups and managing a group area
Using course gradebook
Adding staff information to the course environment
Using the course chat
Troubleshooting common software and hardware problems
Virtual SchoolsConnecting students like never
before