By enrolling in these two courses, I want to learn what are the essential aspects of creating an online course since there is a big push from our district and nationwide for online classes. I have my masters from Marian University in Educational Technology so I know a lot about different Web 2.0 tools and online resources (blogs, wikis, etc.) but we never actually created a course using Moodle. Online learning is definitely something that interests me so I am excited to learn how to create a successful online class.
In addition to finding out the essential aspects of an online course, I also want to learn specifically what can be used for a successful online math course. Right now, I feel that high school math courses are one of the more difficult subjects to create a course online for. Currently at our school, we use Compass Learning Odyssey, which is a computer program that uses lesson tutorials to help boost the skills of students who struggle with math. Most of these students dislike math to begin with, but many do not like using this program and find it very difficult to learn math from a computer program. I am open-minded that it is possible to create a strong online math course, but I am sure that there needs to be certain aspects included to accomplish this.
I already had a blog created from my masters program, but I never used it with my students. One way I could envision using a blog is as a way for students to ask specific questions about homework problems. Not only could I answer questions on the blog, but also other classmates could provide answers and clarifications on topics that students are not understanding.
Another way I could see using a blog for my classes is as a way for students to reflect on what they know or their thoughts on a certain topic. I can see this as a way of strengthen students' understanding of the material we are covering. Also, from reading student responses, I can get an understanding on any misconceptions that students have.
I looked up to found a website that has sample math prompts that can be used for blogging (http://futureofmath.misterteacher.com/Writing%20Prompts.pdf). Also, I found another websites that has blogs that can be used in the math classroom (http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-25-blogs-for-math-in-the-classroom/). I think these are two great resources that I can refer to help utilize blogs in my classroom.
