Blog #7 Online Teaching

What does the research say about this?
Online teaching is becoming more prevalent in our society with our expanding technology. Blaine Smith and Cynthia Brame, "more than 6.7 million students in higher education were taking at least one online course during the Fall 2011 term..." (para 4). In the past seven years since that information was found the amount of students doing online classes has likely risen. There are many elements that can make online teaching successful. These include, "learner-centered education, collaborative and interactive learning, meta-cognitive awareness, increased flexibility, immediate feedback, and multi-modal content" (Smith & Brame para.7). Making sure that online classes work for the students and not against the students is important. Students should still be working together and using their brain to learn through many different ways. 

How can this be effectively integrated into your teaching?

I can effectively integrate this in to my teaching by making more blended or hybrid assignments. This doesn't mean that all of my class is online but have different parts of class online so we can focus on more hands-on learning in class. I can also make more of my students projects multi-modal and have them use technology to complete these tasks.

How will this help your students?

This will help my students because they are used to being on the computer all the time. If I move some of their classwork online, it will make them feel like they are a part of their learning. Many students know more than I do about our ever changing internet and can also make learning more enhanced by finding different ways to assist their learning.

What are your goals with regard to this topic?

My goals are to have a good portion of my lessons be blended or hybrid. I don't plan on having any of my classes fully online but I can make room for increased learning. My goals are that students enjoy learning and feel engaged by including many different ways to learn and different ways for becoming hands-on. My goals is to have a few multi-modal assignments and projects throughout the year.

How does this shape your vision for empowered learning for your students?

This shapes my vision for empowered learning for my students because students learn better if they have a part in their learning. Instead of having me lecture them about a theme of a book or the time period of the book, students can use technology and explore the different implications of a theme or time period for themselves. They can use this information to enhance their reading experience. Having technology allows students to feel empowered because they spend so much time on technology that it has become a part of their comfort zone. Allowing them to utilize their comfort zone can have positive reactions from students. 

Works Cited

Smith, Blaine and Cynthia Brame. "Blended and Online Learning." Vanderbilt University, https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blended-and-online-learning/. Accessed 17 April 2018.