Reflection+-+Online+learning

I believe that education and business are both moving toward the online setting. With this movement, educators will need to understand the online setting including design and implementation. A lot of educators will feel scared and overwhelmed by this transition. I felt that way myself. After "being forced" to design and implement an online course, I can say that it can be simple and beneficial. Our students are demanding more from us - in-depth knowledge, technology, and a wider variety of classes. Online learning can be a way to meet all those demands. As a teacher creating the online course, you don't have to have every answer - just the resources to guide students. This resource will be a way to include students in choosing what is studied, exploring new ideas, creating meaningful learning as well as meeting technology needs. The online learning environment also offers teachers the flexibility to create a basic course one time and add to it as needed. This flexibility can be a great benefit when considering the busy schedules we all have.

As an educator, I feel responsible for giving my students the best available whether my time, knowledge, or advantages. With online classes, my students will be able to connect with others while exploring new topics. I want to give students the best start to their post-secondary plans. This online environment will give students the opportunity to interact with technology in a way that they will find in the business world. In order toaccomplish this, I plan to create more online lessons for students as well as teachers. One other possibility for me is to have students create lessons for their classmates. I work with a very specific population (hearing impaired) and I can see this being very helpful. Their teachers and I can use this to help students stay abreast of their peers as well as a communication tool for all involved. My goal professional goal has always been to help my students become successful adults. I see this movement toward online learning as way to meet that goal as well as challenge myself to continue to grow as an educator.

I am well on my way to incorporating the Schoology course in my role as a member of the technology planning committee. I am meeting with the committee on Monday (5/17). We will be discussing using the professional development course I designed as part of our technology plan. We will explore the three activities already on the site as well as what else needs to be added to meet faculty needs. I hope to continue using it as a resource for teachers who need help incorporating technology into lessons.

At this point, I feel comfortable with the basics of online learning. I know that I will run into questions as I involve more teachers and students. I can foresee questions from teachers about grading, how to handle monitoring/participating in discussions, how difficult or simple to make assignments or how to incorporate online learning with typical classroom work. I look forward to working out the details with teachers so that students can benefit.

Overall, this has been a fun experience. I just feel that I need to keep exploring the possibilities.