Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Teaching an Online Course
I think I love to teach an online course. I am pretty confident that I would do a good job at it. I am usually a fast learner and really dedicated to whatever project I take on. I think I would be a very dedicated online teacher and make sure that I know and am well prepared to teach any course I am assigned to. I also think that I would have no problem learning how to use any an educational web tool such as Blackboard, etc., because I’m usually really good with anything hands-on.
Furthermore, I frequently check my email throughout the day; therefore I should have no problem with my students not being able to get a hold of me.
Finally, I feel confident teaching an online course because I have learned of so many web tools that could be used to assist students learn in a fun and educational manner. I feel that I have learned enough from this course and the activities we have been assigned to put together a great course that requires lots of student interaction and a great deal of tools to use.
Furthermore, I frequently check my email throughout the day; therefore I should have no problem with my students not being able to get a hold of me.
Finally, I feel confident teaching an online course because I have learned of so many web tools that could be used to assist students learn in a fun and educational manner. I feel that I have learned enough from this course and the activities we have been assigned to put together a great course that requires lots of student interaction and a great deal of tools to use.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Topic 2: Efficacy and potential influence of a virtual environment on student learning
From my own experience, it seems as though any student who has decided to complete high school online has done so because they were not succeeding in the traditional school setting. Also, of those students, the majority of them have had someone else complete the course for them. There are so many institutions online that offer students diplomas with very little to no effort being required of the students. I have recently heard of a high school that offers students a valid high school diploma after taking 4 tests. So basically, a person can get a high school diploma in about 2-3 hours. How will that affect the students? I think many of our students are used to doing things the easy way and doing just enough to get by. If more of our students are turning to institutions like these, I’m afraid that in the future, we will have intelligent individuals who cannot hold down a job or have trouble focusing on tasks because they were used to taking the easy route all their lives.
Topic 1: Challenges in providing effective virtual schooling
There are a few challenges that concern me about virtual schooling. The first is motivation/or lack of motivation of the institute that is providing the virtual schooling. It seems as though many of the virtual schools offered online are not very serious about the students they are teaching. As long as the student pays for the course, the institution moves on to the next enrollee. I am aware of many instances where people are enrolled in a course and someone else is taking the exams for them. This alone is an issue in itself. How is a student supposed to effectively benefit from an online course, if he/she is not even taking the courses?
The second concern is the follow-up process of these schools and the teachers. Of the cases I have heard of, it is very rare that the school follows up with students to see how they are doing and/or addresses the concerns of the students. Again, as long as the student pays for the course they really don’t care. Sometimes I wonder if there are actual teachers at the other end who are held responsible for the progress of these students.
The third concern is the accreditation of these institutions. Can a student really get a valid high school diploma from completing a few tests online? Whatever happened to the other factors that are considered in a traditional school, such as participation, attendance, completion of assignments, etc? How do we expect our students to be successful in college and hold down a successful career when we are basically spoon-feeding them and teaching them that being irresponsible and careless is ok, as long as you no one cares?
The second concern is the follow-up process of these schools and the teachers. Of the cases I have heard of, it is very rare that the school follows up with students to see how they are doing and/or addresses the concerns of the students. Again, as long as the student pays for the course they really don’t care. Sometimes I wonder if there are actual teachers at the other end who are held responsible for the progress of these students.
The third concern is the accreditation of these institutions. Can a student really get a valid high school diploma from completing a few tests online? Whatever happened to the other factors that are considered in a traditional school, such as participation, attendance, completion of assignments, etc? How do we expect our students to be successful in college and hold down a successful career when we are basically spoon-feeding them and teaching them that being irresponsible and careless is ok, as long as you no one cares?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
You Must Learn Online
Dear legislator,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you my views on online learning and support for this topic.
Being a secondary teacher working in Michigan it really saddens me to see how many students we are losing due to the lack of interest in schooling and education. Our students are brought up in a generation that is completely different from ours. In order to keep their interest in school and motivating them to excel we need to give them opportunities to do so using tools they are most familiar with. In this case these tools are computers and the internet.
Through the use of the internet to teach courses, our students will learn responsibility, time management skills, self-control, and will gain confidence. They will also learn how to use the internet to gain information and apply it rather than using it as a source of entertainment. Furthermore, the use of the internet and familiarization with technology will better prepare our students for future of Michigan, the United State and more importantly their future careers.
Thank you for taking the time to read and review my input on virtual schooling. Good luck with this legislation.
Sincerely,
Asmaa Kayed
A Concerned Michigan Educator
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you my views on online learning and support for this topic.
Being a secondary teacher working in Michigan it really saddens me to see how many students we are losing due to the lack of interest in schooling and education. Our students are brought up in a generation that is completely different from ours. In order to keep their interest in school and motivating them to excel we need to give them opportunities to do so using tools they are most familiar with. In this case these tools are computers and the internet.
Through the use of the internet to teach courses, our students will learn responsibility, time management skills, self-control, and will gain confidence. They will also learn how to use the internet to gain information and apply it rather than using it as a source of entertainment. Furthermore, the use of the internet and familiarization with technology will better prepare our students for future of Michigan, the United State and more importantly their future careers.
Thank you for taking the time to read and review my input on virtual schooling. Good luck with this legislation.
Sincerely,
Asmaa Kayed
A Concerned Michigan Educator
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Additional Virtual Schooling Scenarios
Scenarios that could be developed in the future could be ones that discuss how teachers, students and parents from virtual schooling.
To display the benefits of the teachers, a scenario could be developed to show how the teacher is able to teach and convey a subject without all the disruptions that would usually arise in a regular class setting. It could begin with a teacher teaching in an in-class setting and display the constant problems and disruptions that the teacher has to deal with. It can then show that same teacher working as a virtual school teacher and show how she interacts with the students on an individual bases without all the daily distractions.
A scenario that displays the benefits for the students could begin with a student who is very shy in class and is often picked on. The students can be shown in an in-class setting sitting in the back and avoiding any kind of interaction in class. That same student could be shown taking an online course and blogging, carrying on in discussions and giving his/her opinion on topics without feeling the fear of being ridiculed or teased by the other students.
As for parents, a scenario could display a parent that is not aware of how his/her child is being treated at school or is not sure of how the teachers are helping her child. He/she can then sign her child up for a virtual class and help him/her with assignments and monitor his/her progress. The parent can also be reassured that his/her child is getting the proper education from the teacher and can have round-the-clock access to the teacher.
To display the benefits of the teachers, a scenario could be developed to show how the teacher is able to teach and convey a subject without all the disruptions that would usually arise in a regular class setting. It could begin with a teacher teaching in an in-class setting and display the constant problems and disruptions that the teacher has to deal with. It can then show that same teacher working as a virtual school teacher and show how she interacts with the students on an individual bases without all the daily distractions.
A scenario that displays the benefits for the students could begin with a student who is very shy in class and is often picked on. The students can be shown in an in-class setting sitting in the back and avoiding any kind of interaction in class. That same student could be shown taking an online course and blogging, carrying on in discussions and giving his/her opinion on topics without feeling the fear of being ridiculed or teased by the other students.
As for parents, a scenario could display a parent that is not aware of how his/her child is being treated at school or is not sure of how the teachers are helping her child. He/she can then sign her child up for a virtual class and help him/her with assignments and monitor his/her progress. The parent can also be reassured that his/her child is getting the proper education from the teacher and can have round-the-clock access to the teacher.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Scenerio 3- Virtual Schooling and Security
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.
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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