A teaching problem I identify with
Some educators have a problem transforming their teaching style when faced with offering online classes versus face-to-face classes. After so many years of providing personal, physical attention to their students, educators can find it challenging to teach in a virtual environment. Therefore, I would like to take a closer look at educators migrating from teaching face-to-face classes to teaching online classes and what educational technologies will help make the migration easier. For myself, I have taught face-to-face classes, but not online classes. I am interested in and excited about teaching online, but find it a bit daunting and I feel the class would be a bit one-sided. How do you connect the educator with the students when teaching online?
My answer
Doing research on this question, I found many ways to connect educators with students during online teaching. One way is to have the students share their life experiences through their assignments and the educator can connect to the students by relating his/her life experiences too. What’s key here is that educators express to the students “…that their diverse experiences and backgrounds are valued in [the] classroom” (Robertson, 2007). Basically, making the students comfortable by including their life experiences is one important component to help connect the educator with the students. Additionally, there’s a balance educators need to find while teaching online “… and still remain in control of the classroom” (How to Improve the Student-Teacher Relationship, 2011).
Another way to connect educators to students is for the educator to experience firsthand being an online student. In this manner, the educator can connect their online experience as a student with the student’s experience. “In addition, it helps to have faculty ‘attend’ an online class where they can guest lecture and react to students” (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010). From my experiences as an online student I will be able to connect with my online students on their level and be able to offer relevant advice throughout their online experience. Listen to podcast #1 about debunking the myth about Faculty Training is About Technology. Podcast #1 - Faculty Training Is About Technology
Using video, voice, and other online communication tools is a great way to connect educators to students. The trick is “…to use these tools differently and exploit the virtual qualities of the learning experience” (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010). As an educator, you can capture your image, either live or recorded, using a camera to bring a dynamic level of learning to your students. Listen to podcast #2 about debunking the myth about Virtual Classroom as a Literal Translation. Podcast #2 - Virtual Classroom as a Literal Translation
Using video, voice, and other online communication tools is a great way to connect educators to students. The trick is “…to use these tools differently and exploit the virtual qualities of the learning experience” (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010). As an educator, you can capture your image, either live or recorded, using a camera to bring a dynamic level of learning to your students. Listen to podcast #2 about debunking the myth about Virtual Classroom as a Literal Translation. Podcast #2 - Virtual Classroom as a Literal Translation
Setting the stage to engage students online is essential to the student’s learning experience. One way to do this is to setup a discussion forum. Discussion forums allow students to communicate and educators to connect with their students in a constructed, engaging environment. Listen to podcast #3 about debunking the myth about Discussion Forums Push on Strings. Podcast #3 - Discussion Forums Push on Strings
Another way for educators to connect with their students online is to ask for and provide feedback opportunities. Using blogs is a great tool to use to provide feedback. “Blogs, when used as learning journals, can serve this function. Blogs also facilitate the educator's ability to tailor the following weeks' classes to address gaps or extend the learning further based on the blog's contents” (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010). Listen to podcast #4 about debunking the myth about Blogs Are for Navel Gazing. Podcast #4 - Blogs Are for Navel Gazing
Knowing the technologies you’re using to enhance your online class is important so you can manage them and offer your students help when needed. Technologies such as “…blogs, discussion forums, wikis, drop boxes, surveys, chat, and workgroup tools, to name a few” (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010) can help educators connect with their students. Using these technologies concurrently will impact your student’s learning effectively. Listen to podcast #5 about debunking the myth about My Class Is Unique. Podcast #5 - My Class Is Unique
Keeping connected with students while online can be taxing when you can’t physically see or talk to them. To keep communication alive, educators can “…[encourage] text chat and using the instant feedback from students” (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010) to enhance learning; “Mastering this skill enables instructors to react faster and provide immediate feedback, which results in better learning” (2010). Listen to podcast #6 about debunking the myth about Too Much Going On. Podcast #6 - Too Much Going On
*Under the resources section, please find two additional podcasts that shed light on online learning and a teachers’ experience moving from face-to-face to online teaching.*
More ways to connect educators with students during online teaching are listed below in table 1.
Table 1
Ask students what works and what doesn't | Gather feedback from students about what works and what doesn't and how the online course or online resources can be improved. I invite them to share their thoughts about the course at any time. Instructors always have an opportunity to gather feedback from students …I strongly believe that feedback should be solicited throughout the course, and that the instructor should be open to making appropriate changes while the class is underway. (Everson, 2009) |
Share ideas, collaborate, and commiserate about the online teaching experience | Don't hesitate to reach out to others who teach online to share ideas, collaborate, and commiserate about your experiences. Collaboration among colleagues is important, and I have learned so much about teaching and learning when I have shared my own experiences with others and heard about their experiences, too. (Everson, 2009) |
Teaching online can inform what you do in the classroom if you have opportunities to teach both online and classroom-based courses | I feel fortunate in that I have opportunities to teach both in the classroom and online, and I honestly feel that teaching online has made me a better instructor. The online teaching experience has provided me with so many great opportunities that I just don't get in the classroom. For example, in a traditional classroom, you can walk around and listen to bits and pieces of various group discussions, but you can't hear everything that's said in every group. But online, you have a window into every single discussion, letting you overhear and correct misinformation. (Everson, 2009) |
Ground the Learning in Real Experiences | When the instructor and all the learners are remote, and all the interaction between them is "virtual" (electronic), it's more important than ever to connect the material to the real world. Pulling from my personal experiences makes me more human and illustrates that the course is applicable to the real world. (Macek, 2009) |
Use Synchronous Discussion | In the classroom, students sometimes remain silent after the instructor asks a question because they are thinking. Teachers can see it on their faces. Online, there are no visual cues to let the instructor and other students know that everyone is still processing information, and all that dead air is magnified online or over the phone. Provide questions to students before the meeting. They can research information and make concerted comments about the topic. (Macek, 2009) |
Ask Good Questions | The best questions for online classes are ones that make the student research and support their answers, rather than "show knowledge" questions. Ask about "factors that contributed to..." or "what if..." Ask for supporting documentation, not just "support your answer" (students tend to think their opinions and personal examples will suffice). In a face-to-face class, I can review the previous lecture by asking "who, what, where, when, how" questions. But online, questions need to be more substantive, soliciting discussion, thinking, and research. (Macek, 2009) |
Therefore, it seems that communication is the main key to connecting educators to students, which should be done in an ongoing process that need to be nurtured throughout your teaching career. Another element to communicating to students and connecting educators to students is choosing effective, innovative educational technologies. As such, Desire to Learn is an educational technology that I will use to demonstrate connecting educators to students.
An existing eLearning technology that I found interesting was – Desire2Learn (D2L), which after researching the technology, I feel is an easy migration from face-to-face to online teaching. It supports creativity, induces critical thinking, and enhances innovation. D2L offers 6 Platforms – Learning Environment, ePortfolio, Learning Repository, Mobile, Analytics, and Capture (Desire2Learn, 2011).
For this post, I will focus on the learning environment platform, which provides cloud hosting or on-premise Learning Management System (LMS ). The learning environment platform delivers engaging content and offers effective collaboration opportunities. This platform helps educators develop learning outcomes and objectives that allow them to connect to their students by aligning assessments to learning outcomes. It also helps educators to develop quality level courses that are aligned to assessments, content, and learning activities.
Key Benefits of the Learning Environment Platform |
Tailor Your Approach | Endless options provide the flexibility to match the system to unique administrative, teaching or learning styles. |
Get Started Quickly | User-centric design and online help features promote end user adoption. This provides our clients with the confidence to use Learning Environment with ease and focus their attention on teaching and learning. |
Encourage Collaboration | Rich communication tools offer a social eLearning atmosphere for students and instructors. |
Improve Learner Outcomes | A built-in collection of evaluation tools enable our clients to understand learner achievement and assess transparently. |
Make Decisions, Improve Retention | With extensive reporting capabilities found in Learning Environment, analyze the performance of an organization, institution, school, department, course, or an individual. Intelligent Agents can also trigger emails to provide automatic guidance. |
D2L offers 5 distinct services – cloud, delivery, content, training, and support (Desire2Learn, 2011). These services will help educators migrate easily from face-to-face teaching to online teaching. The cloud service offers flexibility, security, & growth opportunities. The delivery service offers seamlessly integration with existing systems. The content services offers flexible, interactive, and accessible development and production services. The training services offer a wide range of training topics and opportunities to design customized trainings, which support a variety of deliver methods – virtual, onsite, self-paced or blended training. The support services offers highly trained and friendly teams of Help Desk professionals that will ensure your unique needs are dealt with in a fast and efficient manner.
Connecting Adult Learning Theories to D2L
Social cognition - is the process of learners learning through observing and intellectually encompassing social models. What’s the connection? D2L’s Course Design and Delivery toolset enables seamless incorporation of instructional design’s best practices, which parallels assessments and learning experiences with course objectives.
Meta Cognition - is the process of thinking about thinking; in other words, knowing when and how to use specific strategies for learning or for problem solving. What’s the connection? D2L’s Measurement and Assessment toolset, which offers a consummate collection of tools to measure results and execute diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments.
Constructivism - contends that humans generate awareness and meaning from connections between their experiences and ideas. What’s the connection? D2L’s Collaboration and communication tools offer academic networking through flexible group management options that are integrated with learning tools and provide customizable synchronous and asynchronous communication tools.
Peer Reviewed Research | |
YouTube Video – Why Desire2Learn? Here's What Our Clients Have to Say... | |
D2L Instructor Quick Reference Application - | gives easy access to information on using Desire2Learn’s most popular tools. Peer review: This is a great app. kudos to the developer. Directions are written in a clear and engaging manner. Faculty should be able to follow as they develop materials inside their D2L course shells. Needed cautions are in yellow boxes. The developer rightly states that D2L is highly customizable for each institution/instance of the program and that details of tool function and user design will vary. Great additional tool in our arsenal! D2L Instructor Quick Ref By Brandon Ballentine (2011).Customer Reviews: A+ app by David At Walters State. Retrieved June 5, 2011 from http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/d2l-instructor-quick-ref/id419775687?mt=8>%20<http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/d2l-instructor-quick-ref/id419775687?mt=8>%20http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/d2l-instructor-quick-ref/id419775687?mt=8 |
Feed 2JS - | allows instructors to easily add RSS feeds to websites, online courses, etc. by converting the RSS code into javascript that can then be copied and pasted on a web page. This …creates a useful tool for instructors who want to provide continuously updated material to students. It can be used to direct student attention to specific sites/sources. Peer review: The information is well indexed and easy to understand for the novice but the pages are also designed so the experienced user can find the script easily. There is a lot of information about RSS feeds and javascripts available under the various tabs. Concerns: There seems to be a wealth of information and it might be intimidating to new users. Many schools have locked down their computer systems so students and teachers may not be able to download the javascript. Peer Review (2011). Feed2JS: Feed To Javascript. Retrieved June 5, 2011 from http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewCompositeReview.htm?id=392698 |
The Learning to Teach Online project - | is a free professional development resource designed to help teachers from any discipline, whether experienced in online teaching or not, gain a working understanding of successful online teaching pedagogies that they can apply in their own unique teaching situations. Peer review: Written, audio and visual material is available 24/7. Access to the forum where other educators who are teaching online, is beneficial to participants. The site has potential for either individual learning or group learning in a staff development approach. There is a technical glossary (including videos) to support learning. The information is updated periodically. Users can rate the videos, although few have been rated at the time of this review. Concerns: With the speed of technology, some of the videos might be outdated quickly. So keeping material current will certainly be an issue. Peer Review (2011). Welcome to Learning to Teach Online. Retrieved June 5, 2011 from http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewCompositeReview.htm?id=538241 |
One Teacher's Take: How Holly Mortimer Took Her Teaching Career Online - | It takes a certain kind of educator to thrive as a full-time online teacher. Holly Mortimer describes how skills like responsiveness and flexibility are critical to create the best online learning experiences for students. Peer review: click here to see video. Edutopia (2011). One Teacher's Take: How Holly Mortimer Took Her Teaching Career Online. Retrieved June 5, 2011 from http://www.edutopia.org/stw-online-learning-teacher-skills-video |
Connecting D2L to the problem
For educators skeptical about migrating from teaching face-to-face classes to online classes, D2L offers dynamic, innovative tools to help ease the transition. “Teaching begins with the lesson plan, generally written a week or two before teaching the concepts. However, for online curriculum one must design the entire course, from start to finish … Written communication is much different from spoken communication.” Communication comes in many forms. “Much of the spoken word is conveyed through body language and personal interaction... However, the online environment means a lack of visual cues… Teaching in the online environment requires a change from being teacher-centered to being student-centered.” (Kiekel, 2006)Additional Resources
Listen to podcast about debunking the myth about Impersonal Online Learning. (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010) Podcast - OnlineLearning Is Impersonal
Listen to podcast about a teacher’s move from face-to-face to online teaching. (DeMaria and Bongiovanni, 2010) Podcast - Backgroundfor Roseanna DeMaria's Move to Online TeachingAdditional Information
Peer Review -D2L In the News Article - Throwing away the chalk with a desire to learn: University phases out Blackboard and welcomes new learning system. Desire2Learn was found to provide easier ways for faculty and students to interact, upload materials, and work in groups. (Ashley, 2010)
Peer Review -D2L In the News Article - CU adopts new online learning system: Students hoping for simple, user-friendly replacement. The new system, Desire2Learn will offer new, user-friendly features like social networking, personalized content and portability. And while most professors haven't seen the new system yet, some of them are already on board with the change. Thomas Zeiler, professor in the international affairs program, said he`s looking forward to a new system that`s more user-friendly. (Bryen, 2011).
References
Ashley, M. (2010).Retrieved May 24, 2011 from http://www.depauliaonline.com/news/throwing-away-the-chalk-with-a-desire-to-learn-1.2154785 ; Post updated: Saturday, April 9, 2011.
Desire2Learn (2011). Retrieved May 24, 2011 from http://www.desire2learn.com/
Bryen, W. (2011). Retrieved May 24, 2011 from http://www.coloradodaily.com/cu-boulder/ci_17457281#axzz1FdkvMLh7
DeMaria, R. and Bongiovanni, T. (2010). The 10 Biggest Myths About Synchronous Online Teaching. Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/The10BiggestMythsAboutSynchron/213702
Desire2Learn (2011). Retrieved May 24, 2011 from http://www.desire2learn.com/
Everson, M. (2009). 10 Things I've Learned About Teaching Online. Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=best_practices&article=57-1
How to Improve the Student-Teacher Relationship (2011). Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.ehow.com/how_2055184_improve-student-teacher-relationship.html
Kieke, J. (2006). Online Teaching: How Hard Can It Be? Retrieved May 24, 2011 from http://www.techlearning.com/printablearticle/5392
Macek, J. (2009). Discussion Management Tips for Online Educators. Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=best_practices&article=59-1
Robertson, K. (2007). Connect Students' Background Knowledge to Content in the ELL Classroom. Retrieved May 29, 2011 from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/20827
