We are coming to the close of OLTD 501 Introduction to Online Learning-Competencies and Environments. This is the first of ten courses in the VIU, Online Learning and Teaching Graduate Diploma. As a teacher already working in a DL school I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to: explore the history of online learning and look at the direction education is going in the 21st century; consider copyright, licensing and appropriate use issues; learn about the theories and theorists and how they have used brain-based research and cognitive learning as a guide for development, from the early days of correspondence to the present day online learning, of key is how as online teachers we use theory to guide our teaching for best practices; read about and confirm the challenges of online learning and look at what is needed for student success in online learning student connections, an understanding of student learning styles and motivation, the need for “electronic pedagogy” and the design of engaging online learning activities; learn about and use a personal learning contract as a guide to self-directed inquiry based learning. Of value has also been the opportunity to have discussions with fellow students and our instructor, and connect with specialists in the field of online learning.
Throughout all of these I am thankful to have had the opportunity to explore and use different technology and tools: Blackboard Collaborate for our weekly online sessions, D2L learning management system used for our course materials, for facilitating weekly discussions and submission of our learning activities, Wordle
Word Cloud to present text in a different format, Audacity for recording a Slide Deck Script podcast, SmartArt in Microsoft Word for creating an image map, Microsoft Office PowerPoint for a photo and text presentation, Delicious account allowing us one area to store key websites, EPortfolios to demonstrate ones learning and Weebly to create this personal webspace, along with communicating using a wiki,Gmail and a blog site; all of these a first for me.
As we have progressed through this course I have been reflecting on my own teaching as a DL educator in a hybrid program and looking each week at how I can apply what I have learned. My question at this point in
“my journey” is: How can I best apply what I have learned and will learn to the design of my courses, Math 8 and PE 5-12, to enhance the learning experiences of all students?
Throughout all of these I am thankful to have had the opportunity to explore and use different technology and tools: Blackboard Collaborate for our weekly online sessions, D2L learning management system used for our course materials, for facilitating weekly discussions and submission of our learning activities, Wordle
Word Cloud to present text in a different format, Audacity for recording a Slide Deck Script podcast, SmartArt in Microsoft Word for creating an image map, Microsoft Office PowerPoint for a photo and text presentation, Delicious account allowing us one area to store key websites, EPortfolios to demonstrate ones learning and Weebly to create this personal webspace, along with communicating using a wiki,Gmail and a blog site; all of these a first for me.
As we have progressed through this course I have been reflecting on my own teaching as a DL educator in a hybrid program and looking each week at how I can apply what I have learned. My question at this point in
“my journey” is: How can I best apply what I have learned and will learn to the design of my courses, Math 8 and PE 5-12, to enhance the learning experiences of all students?