After doing a little bit of research on the technology used for this course, it seems that the technology is a very sufficient tool to use to teach online courses. WebCT is owned by Blackboard; therefore it is safe to assume that it offers many of the same features. This program should be a great tool to help teachers organize the course being taught by posting materials, assignments, due dates, grades, etc. The students are also able to communicate online through the use of discussion boards. This will be a great way for the teacher to keep track of who is participating and who is not.
The teacher is also using the Iowa Communications Network to teach this course. This is a great tool because it gives the teacher the opportunity to broadcast her lectures so that students are aware of what is going on in class. It also helps the students stay on task and reminds them that they are enrolled in a class even though they are not actually going to the campus. Also, the students have the opportunity to view the video of the teacher so that they are aware of exactly what is going on and what is required of them. This way, they will have no excuse as for why they are lagging behind.
As far as the organizational aspect is concerned, since Mrs. Wortmann is using WebCT and Iowa Communications Network, she should have no problem conveying the information to all her students. It seems that WebCT is very similar to Blackboard, since it is owned by them. Since Blackboard offers is set up in a very user-friendly manner and gives the teacher lots of control, I would assume that WebCT does the same. I would only recommend that Mrs. Wortmann uses all the resources that Web CT offers to ensure that the students are keeping up with the weekly assignments and are not falling behind. Also, I noticed that through IOWA Communications Network teachers are able to record videos for students to watch. This would be a great tool for the teacher to use to summarize the assignments and chapters read. This will help the students who do not have a great deal of time to complete all the readings necessary.
Being a distance learning teacher, Mrs. Wortmann needs to be very careful so that all her students get the most out of her course. She should have paid closer attention to her students by sending out assignments updates and reminders. She should have also given each student a syllabus so that they are aware of what is required of them and know all the due dates in advance. I would also advise Mrs. Wortmann to check up on Nick more frequently since he did tell her that he was busy and was not able to spend as much time posting and responding to blogs and emails.
As for her tests, she should change them around every semester to ensure that students aren’t cheating and include short answer questions as well so that she can see how students respond to different questions. It is nice of her to give the students two turns on each test but maybe it would be better that she gives them only one chance and an opportunity to do extra credit for students who do poorly on the exams.
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I also felt that Mrs. Worthmann needed to be more attentive to her students. She could also let students work in online pairs or teams to help them create some online support and friendships. The assessment of knowledge learned does not need to be just a written test. One project that the students do in my high school is make sweatshirts with various bones, organs, and tissues drawn and labeled on it. (They also wear these around school!) They could also do an online video that models how one of the systems work.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Worthmann could also get some online support by joining an online Anatomy Teachers group like HSAA - High School Anatomy Association. They offer organization features, articles by other Anatomy High School teachers, listings of schools that teach Anatomy, grants for funding, and sample Anatomy activities, as well as an online blog for Anatomy teacher support.
I especially like your suggestion to use video to summarize. Keeping track of everything like assignments, readings, due dates, download sources needs to be pulled together. A syllabus is valuable, but the course is often dynamic and changes can be difficult to keep track of.
ReplyDeleteAbout changing the tests: It is easy to change them. The Michigan Secretary of State just introduced driver education tests last year that are selected at random. If you need to retake it you can count on getting a different test and it will be different from the student next to you. It's not difficult.
Paula-
ReplyDeleteYou have some really great suggestions. Sometimes I wish I taught high school students; I feel like it would be a lot more fun.
David-
I understand that a syllabus is sometimes changed, however, it is a good tool to let the students know what is going to be expected of them for the course. It also gives the students a sense of ownership and responsibility.