Here We Go...

Holy buckets! Get ready for a load of work!

I do have to say that one of the perks of this program versus another is that the final task is a portfolio and not a thesis. However, as a few of our cohort members have already mentioned, it would have been greatly beneficial to have some understanding and mention of how the portfolio was going to play into everything else. There were several tasks that I struggled with putting together, mostly because I couldn't see them having an immediate place (or any place) with my little kiddos in early elementary. Having the guidance of the standards that we had to select, or knowing how it would be used later on for the portfolio, may have helped give me a little more direction, which also creates a peace of mind and confidence that what I was doing had a place and focus. I pulled a bunch of artifacts and put them into my site already, but realized that most of them were created with an inspiration from the program, not necessarily for the program. I hope that at some point, there will be an opportunity to look through them with the class (not just teammates) and that the instructor will be taking a peek, so that if something isn't correctly placed, it isn't addressed on the last week, but sooner.

Wrapping Things Up...

My final thoughts on this course that I definitely came away with some understanding of how some form of blended learning could be fit in and appropriate for differentiation for certain groups of students. I also enjoyed creating a lesson that could be taught via online learning, so that I had the opportunity to make things that I already have fit into an online learning situation, and not have to start from scratch. I also was happy to talk more one-on-one with Kris and find out some answers of how this could work with younger students. That was one thing that hung over my head for most of this course, so I was grateful to get a better picture of what was realistic and appropriate.

The Future...

I have mixed feelings about online learning. I can see great potential, but at the same time, have a lot of questions. For the most part, I see much more blended learning occurring versus straight online learning. I can see huge benefits and possibilities for blended learning to help meet learning needs for all students, but still see a need for face-to-face teacher time. There are so many students who need instant clarification and assistance on things, and an online learning situation is a lot of work and comes with high expectation for individual responsibility and adjustment. I also wonder how a strictly on-line education would be possible for students who come from families who have working parents and how it all works. Where do the kids go during the day? When is the work done? What if they can't afford computer(s) and other services/materials? Once I have those pieces, I may have a different understanding for the whole process and how it can completely fit.  Until then, I will continue to feel as though online learning opportunities within a traditional school building and environment may be a reasonable direction.

Formative Assessment Tool

As my class has been working through the roles of a literature circle, I wonder if Voicethread could be used in place of the typical worksheets that individuals fill out to carry on a group discussion and show their comprehension?  I could see using Voicethread as a tool to have students share their thoughts on a certain role by setting up slides and having the students comment their thoughts on their role and have other students comment back on the original comments.  This could be a nice way to "hear" all the group discussions without being there.  I don't think it would be something I would do all the time, but it could be an interesting way to spice things up and have more "contact time" with the students, even though it may be at a later time.  Then, individuals could be pulled as needed for extra instruction.

Being an Online Educator

This was a bit of a frustrating blog post for me.  Not because it is difficult, but I have no interest in being an online educator, so I would much rather be putting my time into something that I could possibly take away for my classroom.  Yes, "Never Say Never," but I would much rather be asked to look at my students and think if I could see any of them benefiting from online education vs. the traditional setting.  Even though that may not be an option right now for them or myself, it could be something to keep in mind for the future and help me think about my instruction for them and if I could integrate some sort of online experience.

Delivering Instruction

Because I was curious to see how much I actually knew about these three delivery methods, I choose to compare and contrast all three formats (blended, online, face-to-face). Once I got 5 minutes into it and started writing things in the spaces, I found the answer to how much I really understood about their differences.



The face-to-face instruction contrast space actually gave me the hardest time.  Obviously, I am fairy familiar with face-to-face instruction, but I felt like I include a lot of technology in my teaching. This made me really think about the "how" it is used, so that I really understood the difference.  Face-to-face uses technology to enhance and assist.  Blended uses it to guide, instruct, enhance, and assist, all depending on the learning situation.  Online, of course, relies on technology to guide, facilitate, and provide a lot of the instruction. Looking at learning this way, blended seems to be the much more balanced and student friendly method for students.  So now that we see this, what do we do about it?

A New Beginning...

After the first meeting of our new course, I find myself going away from it much more refreshed about my level of comfort compared to the last course.  I am hoping that there are things taken from this course since I don't see myself ever teaching an online course…but never say never, right?  It will be interesting to see what I end up taking away from it to apply to my standard classroom.