In your reflective post this week, think about the following questions: 1. Reflecting on the information covered in this module so far, how might your instructional methodologies need to change in an online or blended learning environment? 2. What skills and strategies might you improve or expand upon in order to best support student learning in a blended or online environment?
I think these questions are harder to answer than they first appear. From what I can tell so far, a pure online learning experience is a very different beast from a blended class experience. The amount of face-to-face contact between the teacher and students could also range greatly in blended environments. In a class situation where I see students on a fairly regular basis, I believe that my instructional strategies and methods would not have to change nearly as drastically as they would in a situation where I either did not see the students at all or saw them on a very limited basis.
As you may have noticed by some of my other responses, one of my concerns with a pure online learning experience is the accuracy of assessments. As an instructor in an online class for middle school or high school students, I would need to design activities and assessments where I could really hear an individual student voice come through. With my students now, I know them individually because of the time we spend together in class. If a student hands in a project or paper that uses words or ideas that I know that particular student wouldn't use, it is pretty obvious to me. Without the face time with the students, I would need to plan enough discussions and responses so that I can get a feel for each student’s voice. Then I would be able to tell better whether a larger assessment was the authentic work of a particular student. This area of mastering an effective online pedagogy will be challenging.
As far as skills and specific strategies, I think that communication and timely responses will be key. Part of the communication will be in creating very clear written instructions. In my classroom now, I can rely on a thorough in-class discussion when a project is assigned to make up for a lack of foresight when writing a project requirement handout. In an online class, I will not have that luxury. The written instructions will have to be clear and complete. I will also have to respond promptly when I student has a question so that they will understand as soon as possible what is expected of them.
Image from: http://learnmore.uncg.edu/blog/?Tag=online%20class
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