Check out my reflection throughout the building of my online course.
Learning in an online environment provides so many new and interesting challenges, and yet considering the design theory that is prevalent in my course building; constructivist by far out shadows the rest. Many of the parts of the online course allows teachers to build on their current skill set and experiences, and learn through doing and not just thinking about it. This process provides clarity to knowledge teachers have already started to inquire about and shapes it for connections that can be made with students and colleagues (Bates, 2018).
The course in question has provided a very standard assessment tool at the end of each module and allowed for quite a bit of freedom on the behalf of the teachers. This freedom will give teachers more comfort in choosing which way to show what they learned and also be willing to show that learning in creative and visual ways if they choose.
The use of the OER Commons in Module 2 allowed teachers to collaborate and share their thoughts in a type of pre-assessment (3-2-1) and again at the end to check to check for changes in opinions or from learning that had taken place during the activity. Teachers are given the time frame that works best for them, which allows for an authentic learning environment that applies to their practice in their own classrooms. This connection to their students through their learning in this course is the most effective and beneficial way for teachers to learn and grow as educators.
Online learning for students is a fairly new endeavor, and the changes in how learning is accomplished is quite different. If you were to compare traditional to digital learning; you would have to consider a few aspects. Information transfer is a thing of the past, as digital is known as managing the knowledge that is acquired and many times this is done by machines (Freeman, Adams, Cummins, Davis, Hall, 2017). The focus of traditional learning was on the content and now is more centered on the learning of skills. Collaboration is the key to digital learning; while previously learning was all about the individual student (Bates, 2018). With the change in the way learners learn an adjustment to how teachers assess and evaluate their students must improve as well. This course has provided a chance to come to a better and more elaborate understanding of the ways teachers can assess students in a digital forum.
As a teacher of teachers now; I tend to look at the big picture more and ask myself what I can do to help as many teachers as possible with my online courses or coaching in their classrooms. With that being said, I also know that the online course that I have created is such a small step in the right direction in my district and the teachers in it. My own personal growth is starting to show through as I continue to look for opportunities to get feedback and improve upon what I have started. Creating buy-in from teachers to participate and complete the online course is the most important step in this process. I believe that in my new position; I will provide support for teachers and also offer them other ways to learn about how to be a better teacher with the hope that they want to grow and learn beyond the basics I can provide in a short help session.
Reflecting on the my final course was made very easy with the OSCQR scorecard that I used. This was a great tool to provide direction for my reflection without the threat of a lower grade. I believe that a tool like this is a great example of the direction we want for our students.
References
Bates, A. T. (2018). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning.
Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). NMC/CoSN horizon report: 2017 K–12 edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
Mischnick Mindset 