Week 8 - Classroom Management: Special Issues

Until I read this chapter I really had not thought about problem students in an online class. It seems the instructor must be a psychology major, in addition, to detect odd personalities in an online situation.  Bullying, cheating, identity theft, controlling, and conniving, can all take place in this type of classroom situation. It is important that an instructor do some reading about the different types of personalities, as depicted in Chapter 11 of Online Teaching, and then be ready to inform the administration if a student is not acting normally. The instructor should be sure and save copies of all correspondence with any unusual student. An instructor can also possibly ward off problems with a personal and private email to the student, trying to lead him or her down a different path or get off a certain subject. However, bear in mind that anything typed into a discussion forum does not necessarily reflect the context in which the student meant the words. "Some instructors post their own classroom codes of conduct at the beginning of the class to help set boundaries for students." (Ko and Rossen, p. 229)

Week 8 - Classroom Management: General Considerations

When I think of classroom management I remember all the trouble I had teaching vocational 11th and 12th graders in person! My management skills were lacking. I hope that it is easier in the online environment.  Somehow setting rules for email, chat, rules for group participation and "non-rules" for attendance at a certain time seems silly in comparison to setting rules for language in class or permission to use the facility.
However, all kidding aside, the amount of paperwork and software management (here is a site that will offer software and billing capabilities for your course http://www.jackrabbitclass.com/home.cfm) that an online teacher faces is tremendous. Things like synchronous and asynchronous time can cause minor inconveniences. Advanced planning is of the utmost importance as well. Even keeping students on topic in a discussion area must be well- thought out.

Week 8 - Preparing Students for Online Learning

A good facilitator must "lead the way" for the online learner. You must assume that every student is brand new to online learning. They must be walked step-by-step through what is expected and most importantly, how to use the technology available and how to navigate the course. New students will be very uneasy the first couple of weeks. I remember how scared I was to take my first online course. And I had many technology skills already! Think of the learners that are "slow" with technology tools, or even keyboarding. Here is a link to Ball State University's orientation tips for online learners. It's great, short and sweet: http://www.bsu.edu/web/iandt/tutorial/orientation8.htm

Week 7 - Chapter 8 Copyright and Intellectual Property

So you have become a great online teacher!!!! Better protect all that work you did preparing a terrific course. You can try and protect YOUR property in some of the following ways: using password protected sites or course management systems, use software that allows you to protect your work from being copied, use Adobe Acrobat for some protection capabilities, use streaming video that can't be copied. Here is a site that we use where I work in a school district: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/scc/legislative/teachkit/.

Week 7 - Chapter 7 Creating Courseware

The actual design and homepage of the webpage is the most important tool for your online course. It can make or break you. A webpage must have a nice look to it with a simple background and lots of white space. You need consistency and repetition within a website. You also need contrast. Text should be mainly left-aligned (the normal way) and you shouldn't be forced to scroll forever to read things. Be reasonable with your choice of fonts and don't clutter a homepage with lots of links all over. Don't use too many graphics and too much multi-media. less is more. I loved going to http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/webhound/index.html to surf with the webhound for "the good, bad and bandwidth-hogging ugly". This link is a riot and gives you great examples of what not to do. The financial support of the institution you work for will also help determine how you create your site and how professional it may look.

Week 7 - Chapter 6 Student Activities

This chapter was of particular interest to me as I am planning to create a lesson plan about collaborative, group learning in the online environment. I don't have it all planned out yet, but this chapter in Ko's and Rossen's book, Teaching Online A Practical Guide has helped me start planning my lesson. Group work can be designed to be a lot or a little work for the participants, but it must be guided very specifically by the instructor. For example, the instructor must prepare the way by getting the class to introduce themselves early on. Then the instructor should choose the groups to work together (considering things like time zones and interests) and leave specific instructions and rubrics for the group to work together. (For rubrics see http://www.sjsu.edu or http://webquest.sdsu. ed u/rubrics )The instructor should make sure they are evaluated separately as well as evaluating the group work. Reflection of the group assignment is also important for the individual's learning process.

Week 6 - Chapter 4 Creating an Online Syllabus

If students are going to be successful in an online situation, it seems that the syllabus becomes the most important part of a course. Because of no face-to-face contact and because of asynchronous time, it is important that the learner can find all information he or she needs at the time when he or she wants to find it. The syllabus should be easy to find and then well-organized. The syllabus should include all information about the facilitator, a thorough description of the course, pre-requisites, and learning outcomes. From my personal experience, a week-by-week list of assignments and due dates is always preferred in a syllabus for me. A good syllabus should include all required textbooks, software and technology tools needed, as well as where to get them. If collaboration with peers is going to be needed, this should be listed in the syllabus. Students want to know if a student has a lot of interaction (between students and teachers or students and students) versus interactivity (between students and tools). (Interactive Course Design Rubric http://www.westga.edu/~distance/roblyer32.html) For pre-planning purposes, in particular I would want to know which week I had to allow my schedule to be influenced by the schedule of others. Grades seem to be universally important. I would want to know how the grades were figured as well as the total possible points for an "A", etc. I would want to know ahead of time if extra credit is given or if points were deducted for late assignments.

Week 6 Chapter 3 Course Development

Instructional Design for an online course must planned out in a similar way to a traditional-style class in that you need to outline the needs of your learners, your goals and objectives, assignments, readings or "lecture", assessment and grading rubric. This quotation is from Standards for Quality Online Courses ( http://standards.mivu.org/) : "Understanding our Instructional Design Standards we approach the process of designing and evaluating the Instructional Design of a course from a Performance Objective standpoint. In other words, online courses can be broken down into Units and Objectives." This shows the similarity in instructional design of both traditional and online classes. The difference will be in how you deliver the material and especially in the use of online learning tools. You simply cannot take the syllabus from a traditional class and type it into the web. Classroom tools will not necessarily translate to the online classroom. For example, when using a discussion tool or chat tool, the rules for discussion and chat must be layed out ahead of time for the students. As a facilitator, you cannot redirect conversation as easily in asynchronous conversation. Also, specific guidlines must be published so the students will have a greater understanding of what is expected. You must also narrow the topic or give guidlines on the topic so that precious time and space is not wasted on non-specifics to the assignment.

Week Four: Review of Instant Messaging

Article: Sotillo, S. M., Using Instant Messaging for Collaborative Learning: A Case Study, Innovate: Journal of Online Education, Feb/March 2006, Vol 2, Issue 3.

This article explores the use of the online tool of "instant messaging" for giving corrective feedback in teaching foreign languages. Advantages: 1.Corrective feedback through instant messaging can certainly enhance learning in a non-traditional way. 2. It can also encourage a sense of connectivity for students through informal collaboration. Disadvantages: 1. Students must be trained prior to the collaboration; must receive thorough training in the use of instant messaging. 2. Students must be trained how to save audio files, if that is required. 3. The process may breakdown, technologically speaking, and frustration with technology can negatively impact learning. 4. There may not be enough bandwidth for connecting to the Internet, causing more technological problems. 5. The scheduling of students to all use instant message at the same time could be a potential burden.

Week Four: Using Online Tools

Chapter 5 Building an Online Classroom

Learning the "online language" is like learning a foreign language. I must admit that terms like: synchronous communication, chat, whiteboard, web resource area, thread discussion, new thread, conferences, faq, upload, bookmark, post, and create have taken on new meanings for me since I began taking online courses. Chapter five presents tools and language for using tools as an online instructor. I would like to concentrate this week on "chat and whiteboard" because I have found that I dread that aspect of online learning, probably because I never used either before taking classes. Chat allows students from anywhere in the world to have a conference and discuss topics at the same time, considering they all decided on the same time in the same time zone to begin the discussion. A whiteboard is a feature where students can discuss a topic in real time by typing their comments into a small window. The advantages of a chat with a whiteboard are: students can type in answers or draw symbols with a drawing tools (handy depending on the subject discussed, i.e. math or science); students can collaborate easily if in the same time zone; chat can be recorded sometimes and available for everyone to view later, for review; leadership can be fostered for learners by assigning a group leader or taking turns presenting information. The main disadvantages of a chat with whiteboard is: different time zones for students around the world can become a problem when finding time to get together. (p. 89) I think having the chat with whiteboard available first during a class would be a good way to get students to know each other and then lead up to chatting with a webcam, which would require more work and time for the student new to that technology.

Chapter 12 Integrating Online Elements in a Traditional Classroom

The most important comment I found in Chapter twelve was regarding incorporating the web into a traditional classroom, in other words creating a hybrid class. "Making the use of the Internet optional rather than incorporating it into the curriculum dooms it to failure." (p. 258) By this I assume the authors mean that a hybrid teacher should make certain Internet research or readings mandatory for the traditional classroom learners, or they are missing out on valuable learning opportunities. Teachers not really using the resources of the web in teaching and learning are doing an injustice to the learners.

I read very carefully the paragraphs about establishing virtual office hours (p. 254) because once again, I myself have not participated in any virtual office hours that have been offered me through Boise State. Something about real time I have been denying. The teacher of a hybrid class (or fully online class) can set times to be available for real time chat. The teacher just opens the chat tool and leaves it on their desktop. If they see a message starting in the whiteboard, he or she can respond and the chat begins. It sounds very easy for the teacher and I presume a lot of multi-tasking can be done while waiting for a student to possibly enter the chatroom whiteboard. The whiteboard can also be made mandatory for the student to attach files or show presentations. The authors also indicate that improvements are coming for this type of technology and that much more sophisticated video-conferencing will be done in the future. I think this would be a good tool to use for adult learners who have not necessarily grown up using chat rooms or instant messaging.

Week Three: Evaluating Online Courses

In Chapter One of Teaching Online - A Practical Guide, I was impressed by the different styles of online teaching. I had never before thought about the differences between a hybrid course and a course taught entirely online. An entirely online class is great where you have a multitude of students from different parts of the world participating. A hybrid class could be useful in a traditional campus-style university where a teacher "gives students the opportunity to review the material before coming to class" (p. 10). If a student can be relieved of taking a lot of notes during class, it could be beneficial to his or her total understanding of the curriculum. I could use blogs this way in my Business Technology Class, by having students read information at their leisure.

In Chapter Two I was impressed to learn that a person could design an online class for free by going to www.blackboard.com and setting up your class. This could be especially useful in a low-tech high school or university, or say if you were consulting in a third-world country where many resources are not available. Some of the benefits at Blackboard include: "You can control who accesses your course and who doesn't, You can create course syllabi and course notes simply by typing in your information online, You can create online quizzes, You can divide your students into private study groups who members can chat" (p. 30)

Week Two: What issues must a teacher consider that are specific to teaching in an online environment?

Some issues specific to an online teaching environment:
1. Facilitate learning to different learners around the world, but during a specific time frame or semester
2. Provide multiple paths to learning for students with learning disabilities that the facilitator may not even know about
3. Provide an opportunity for student collaboration, even if they are 1000 miles apart
4. Allow for asynchronous interactions by students and foster learning and a sense of camraderie
5. Students must have access to contributions by other students
6. Develop a learning environment conducive to many nationalities and cultures
7. Provide many "links" or assignments for students to choose from, to customize their own learning based upon their interests.
8. Provide an environment where the student does not feel alone, lost, or frustrated
9. Find a way to get to "know" the student, so a relationship can be formed
from Journal of Distance Learning AdministrationSheldon L. Stick, Ph.D.ProfessorCollege of Education and Human SciencesDepartment of Educational AdministrationUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln
Nataliya V. Ivankova, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School of Education Department of Human StudiesUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
Reference: Yang, Cornelius, Online Journal of Distance Learning Education, Preparing Instructors for Quality Online Instruction, Spring 2005, Volume VIII, Number 1,
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring81/yang81.htm

Week Two: Describe the qualities of a successful online teacher

Before I discuss the qualities of a successful online teacher, I want to discuss the skills needed. An online teacher must have some basic technical skills, such as file management skills, email and attachment skills, Internet browsing and searching tools, and word processing skills. However, it seems that technology skills are not as important as educator pedagogical skills. Technical support is available everywhere today, schools and universities included. It is more important that a teacher understand educational strategies than technology when teachng online.

One of the most important qualities needed is flexibility, being willing to help students 24 hours a day. Many students are enrolled in a class because of a need for flexibility and they will be signing on at all hours of the day. In addition, a student may be taking the class because of a need for the flexibility of "online" due to family obligations. An instructor should set deadlines, but be willing to allow a good student flexibility when family must come first.

The teacher must have the drive to disseminate information in a timely manner. Online students are still looking for structure and to see the total picture. The online teacher must be willing to update him or herself, as technology changes rapidly and therefore, so does the online teaching.

The online teacher must have the ability to respect all learners. Adults, in particular, have a need to understand relevance for the subject matter. Adult learners have had many life experiences and sometimes already have a goal. The online teacher must respect that the adult wants to learn around subject matter that can better his or her position in life.

An important quality is creativity. The teacher must have the ability to create challenging assignments that will interest the learner and keep the learner motivated. The assignment must also foster discussion with the peers online.

The teacher must be kind and optomistic, praising the learner for good work and reinforcing the positive behavior that the learner has demonstrated.

The teacher must be able to listen to faculty and administrative concerns as well as copyright issues. http://www.westga.edu/~distance/rockwell24.html

Week Two: What percentage of students drop out of online courses?

Fifty percent of students drop out of online courses! (http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/winter64/brooks64.htm , Brooks, 2003 Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, How the Attitudes of Instructors, Students, Course Administrators, and Course Designers Affects the Quality of an
Online Learning Environment, Winter 2003 - Volume VI, Number IV) One of the reasons that a student may drop out is that he or she enrolled in the course for the wrong reasons. Many times a student may have the perception that there are no deadlines or structure to an online course, that it is easy and does not take much study time. A student may also perceive that all the lessons will be available online and that there will be no collaboration or time spent offline. It could be the exact opposite. Many online classes (like the ones I took at Boise State University) require many hours a week of dedication and some structure and collaboration with other students. Another reason may be that a student needs auditory or face-to-face contact to learn. Many students also need support from other students and may not know how to find it in an online course. Lack of skills in technology tools is sometimes a reason. Students need to realize that they can enhance and improve their technology skills in an online learning situation if they have the desire to stick with the course for just that reason. Finally, some students drop out for family and personal reasons, and that reason is usually not documented by research.

For the reasons stated, the burden for keeping a student enrolled in an online class seems to be on the instructor and ultimately, on the University. Instructors need to outline well ahead of the time, the syllabus, with a timeline, and the technology skills needed.

First Post as Online Teacher Blogger

JensenBlog was created in July of 2006 when I attended the "High School's New Face" curriculum camp in Western New York. This camp was sponsored by BOCES and "21st Century" funds. Teachers from all over Western New York attended and we were taught how to create and use blogs and wikis in the high school classroom. We also learned how to subscribe to rss feeds using a bloglines account.

I am looking forward to using this blog now to share my reflections with my classmates for the "Online Teaching" Class.