A variety of tools is great. It is important to consider student access to these tools and to use only what is needed so the focus isn't on the delivery but on the content.
It is important for the online instructor to be aware of the importance of motivation and helping students develop and sustain their own motivation.
I feel it is important to consider a student centered online learning space so the workload isnt on the instructor but students have a hands on approach in their learning .
I learned how and when to use asynchronous and synchronous communication tools and the need to be proactive in ensuring that the students have the necessary technical skill for online learning. I will ensure that I create an online learning space that is conducive to my students
We cannot assume that our students are technically competent we must find this out in the biginning and do what is necessary to bring them up to speed.
There are a variety of technical skills and tools that are required to teach effectivley online. These tools must curated to meet the needs of your course.
I plan to use this information when desining my online courses so that they are as effective in delivering the course content.
I learned more about using synchronous and asynchronous types of technology to improve online learning. Blogs and wikis are new tools that I could use to improve learning discussions
The abondunce of social networking that we can use for online and to make sure that the tools are compatible.
Understanding the tools available to the instructor for the students is very important. The more we understand what the tools available to us and the students the better their online experience will be and the better they will adjust to online learning.
technology continues to improve our online learning experience. Instructors should ensure students are not only proficient with the technology, but have access to it. While it may be rare to encounter students without access, students may lack access or desire to proper technology.
Technology is continuously changing and so we need to stay current in order to give our students the best opportunities to be successful learners.
There are different tools to be used for students. They should be able to have a basic knowledge of technology.
It is important to assess student basic technology usage at the beginning of the course.
It may seem basic, but it's important to survey students on their technology capabilities from cutting and pasting to what type of operating system they are working on. On a regular basis, I teach students f2f that do not know how to format basic computer programs and it blows my mind. They are geniuses on social media but not in other formats.
The initial list of questions to ask students, that is recommended for learning just what technical skills a student possesses, is something I will be implementing indeed. Also, the lack of these skills should not lead to changing the expectations of the course, but rather how I may assist a student to become more technically prepared to be successful in the class. Love the list! It could also be used to evaluate the skills of a potential new hire??
There were several different examples of online tools to use to help show tutorials of how the equipment works, such as Blackboard Collaborate, Captivate, Adobe Connect, etc. It would be nice to have a student who is knowledgeable about these tools show the class how they work, maybe a previous student who already took the class. Sometimes students can explain things better to students than the teachers can, and I believe this can only benefit student understanding. As long as students understand how the tools work before the class begins, that works for me.
One of the things I will take from this module is the importance of sifting through all the resources and capabilities available for online student learning and choosing the best ones for maximum benefit.
Also, it's crucial to be sure all students have the ability to access the technology required for online success.
With this sudden shift to online due to Covid-19, many students are taking an online course for the first time. Their technology skills are very raw and they require a lot of support to be successful. One challenge is "seeing" what a student is struggling with. I have used Zoom and had them share their screen however I also had a student who could not figure out the share screen option either.
Setting aside time at the beginning of your course to address technology skills can eliminate frustration throughout the entire course. Often I am guilty of assuming that students are coming into my class with the technology skills that I commonly require. With this information I would add questions regarding technology skills to the student survey/biography assignment at the beginning of the course. This would give an overall picture of what skills students were confident in and what skills would need to be addressed prior to jumping into course content.
I learned about the wealth of technological tools that are available for online learning. It will be one of my first challenges to navigate through it all to use the right tools in my class.
