5368+Week+5+Reflection

Course Reflection
There are many advantages in being able to design and implement online learning. Online learning is here to stay and I believe it will soon become a //major// component of any educational institution. Everyday more and more educational campuses of all levels, including elementary schools are using and offering online courses. Having the skills to create online content is an asset for any teacher in today’s educational setting. In face, I believe in the rapidly advancing near future, the ability to design and implement online learning may become a prerequisite for all classroom teachers.

Another benefit in being able to design and implement online learning, is the ability to supplement your classroom learning with technology-infused learning that is very appealing to today's students. Students, who are constantly online, are disheartened at having to “power down” as soon as the walk onto a campus. Having students participate online is one way of combing the online interaction they enjoy, with educational learning.

At this time, I am currently using a wiki with my students. As the multimedia teacher, my classroom is located in the computer lab. When the students come in, they know to log in, get online, and get to to the classroom wiki page. On the homepage they see the day’s agenda and activities. Depending on the activity, they can link to and/or download websites, photos, videos, music, and other pages with course content. As this is my first year with middle students, I do not plan my activities too far in advanced. I am trying different lessons, adjusting them to fit the middle school level, and I am trying out activities to find ones that 7th and 8th graders are interested in. With the tools given to me by this course, I will be able to create a basic, solid, multimedia course that meets targeted objectives, that I will be able to modify and revise every year according to my student’s needs.

I am excited about online course I started for the campus teachers. Because of some of the issues I had with Schoology, I did not get very far, but I eventually was able to get it going and I will continue working on it. As the campus technologist, part of my duties is to instruct teachers on how to use technology to accomplish their many daily tasks, making for a more efficient workday. Plus, I also assist in integrating technology into their curriculum. Though the teachers are open to new experiences with technology, time is always an issue. There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to squeeze some in. Most of our technology staff development sessions are usually conducted during the summer. By the time we get back to school, a lot of the content has been forgotten, or another problem arises-using the technology in a real setting brings up new issues. Plus, teachers never seem to be able to find the packets of paperwork they carefully put up over the summer, when it is really needed.

My plans are to use my new learning to create an teacher online course, where staff development can become “just in time” instruction, which is shown to be more effective. I will use surveys, “examine established content standards…and review expectations” to create course content customized to my teachers needs (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 30). I will predetermine what “assessment evidence" will be "needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved…” (p.30). This will enable me to choose activities that will help insure that the objectives are being targeted.

The course can begin anytime during the school year, enabling teachers to put their new skills right to work. Plus, the course instructor will always be there “just in time” to respond to any new issues or questions via email, blog, or wiki//.// Creating the course in a topic format, would allow teachers to go back and review the content, plus the paperwork will always be right where they left it-online. It is win-win for all concerned. Online learning has a bright future and I am very excited to be part of the early stages of this developing technology-as a student and a teacher. As the campus technologist, I periodically look at my campus, trying to anticipate what will be needed to keep my campus current in the rapidly changing world of educational technology. Are we eventually going to go online for everything? Textbooks? Software? File Storage? Data Storage? Are we going //Cloud Computing//? In a district where classrooms are equipped with iMacs, do we need to spend $2000 on a computer, where a $500 iPad may do the trick? Can that take us to the magic ratio of 1:1 for students and computers?

My aspiring goal for next year is to apply to our district’s Education Foundation for grant funds. I would like to acquire 20 iPads and in collaboration with teachers, would like to create an online course for students to use with the iPads. It is very exciting to dream about the new ways technology may take us. We may not know where are going in the distant future, but acquiring online resources, experiences, and skills will help to point us in the right direction. Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA, USA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Available from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/lamar/Doc?id=10081770&ppg=30