Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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Time Management . . . The Biggest Pitfall?

With students often juggling school, work and family, is it a disservice to allow and accept make-up work without the need for extenuating circumstances?

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To Chat or Not To Chat

With the ever-changing of cyberspace, are more "traditional" live chat that supplant lectures still relevant?

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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How Do Correct Communication Errors Postively?

How can online teachers guide and correct the communication errors of their online learners without defeating the student?

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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Motivating Today's Online Student

Greetings All! How can we as online instructors capture the attention of online learners who are often distracted by other online outlets when they are trying to learn?

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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ED104

I was thrilled to gain insightful information that I can easily use in my classroom. The data provided was easy to understand, and the lists appealed to my lawyer brain. Great course!

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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On Line and Face-to-Face: Mutually Exclusive?

Can face-to-face courses be translated into the online environment? Absolutely! The topics covered can be the same, but the methods for delivery and evaluation must be edited. Most course can be translated from the traditional learning environment to the online environment. The key is proper review and changes to fit the content to the learning environment, and carefully planning can accomplish this goal.

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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Guidance v. Hand Holding

It is very important for an on-line instructor to manage the facilitation process carefully. For many instructors, the student roster is comprised of non-traditional aged students. So, how can a balance be struck between proper, dynamic, engaged guidance and coddling or hand holding? If instructors provide clear objectives and a roadmap for completing the same, along with consistent feedback and encouragement, most students can be successful. Instructors should not, however, spoon feed information to students. Instead, instructors must lead the class on a road to discovery.

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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Learning to manage tone online

Often an email exchange can be derailed by simple formatting or punctuation issues. For example, using all caps can imply anger or frustration, when mere emphasis was required. Why not simply use underlining instead? Proper salutations in emails can set the best initial tone, e.g., "Dear Professor Schmitt" or "Dear Samuel." With today's prevalent use of texting and online chatting, basic rules of decorum and manners are being lost. Proper tone is essential, and students and instructors must be careful to explore not only the content of their exchanges, but also their mode and pattern of delivery.

Ginger Patton-Schmitt

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How much technology is too much technology?

In today's every-changing education landscape, new learning tools are created each day. While these innovative tools have opened new vistas for instruction, for some instuctors and learning, the options can be overwhelming. So, when is technology too much? I believe that using online tools can be wonderful, but the pace with which new choices and options are presented to both instructors and learners must be matched to the personalities, teaching styles and learning patterns of all involved in online learning. When the online tools become the focus, and the course content takes a make seat to the same, technology becomes… >>>