From the article “10 Things I’ve Learned About Teaching
Online”, I found it reassuring that some of things that I have experienced as
an online learner were things mentioned by the author. One of the biggest aspects of an online class
that has surprised me is that assignments take longer than in a traditional
classroom. Posting messages on your blog
and responding to other classmates entries are much more time consuming than
taking part in a discussion in a classroom.
Also, some of the fears I have of teaching an online class
were addressed in this article. Two of
these fears are that teaching online classes are time consuming and that online
learning is not for all students. With
online classes, even though you are not meeting everyday, it seems like it
would take a lot of time to find resources for an online class and setup the
course using a program such as Moodle. In
addition, based on my own experiences with online learning, I have a hard time
seeing some of my students being successful taking online classes. I think some students would pleasantly
surprise me, but as the author mentioned, online classes are not the right fit
for all students. For me, it helps to
hear upfront some of these points about teaching an online class, rather than
thinking one way at the start and then find out differently later on.
I found the “How Important Is The Online Facilitator”
article extremely helpful since it focused on teaching math and science courses
online. I really liked the “Seeing Math”
website, which included many useful lessons and interactive tools that I can
use in my classroom. I already included
it in my diigo account so I can share it with other teachers.
I have some of the same fears you do about teaching an online course -- time and student participation. Researching and watching videos, examining websites and links, finding valuable resources all takes a lot of time. Also, if I find myself struggling as a student with finding the time to work on an online course, I can only imagine how hard it will be for my students. Not all of our students go home to just continue being 24 hour learners. Many of them have athletics, jobs, or take care of younger siblings (or children of their own). I wonder if students should be given a disclaimer about online learning before they take an online or blended course. If we want them to be successful, maybe they should understand their options before they sign up. Online courses are definitely more time consuming -- a challenge not all students will rise to meet.
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