Reflection: iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Teaching

Standard A addresses the understanding of effective online instruction and the ability to create learning experiences for student success. This is an area of strength in that I have strong understanding of best practices and strategies for online teaching and am able to effectively implement these to create meaningful experiences for my students. I design learning experiences to best meet the instructional delivery (online, blended, and face-to-face) and make sure that they are flexible and interactive in order to engage the learner in a meaningful and purposeful way. With my background, experience, and credentials, I am fully able to meet the state’s professional teaching standards and consider myself a life-long learner.

For standard B, which discusses the proficiency in a range of technology skills for teaching online, I am very confident in rating myself with all 4’s.  I feel that the technology aspect of online teaching is perhaps my greatest strength.  I am very intuitive about how different programs work and have had a vast experience using various software programs and online applications.  I have found that most programs essentially work the same way, depending upon the focus of the tool (word processing, graphics, video, spreadsheets, presentation software, etc.).  Because one of my guiding philosophies is the content is primary, the tool secondary, I have a firm understanding of the appropriate use of a variety of different online tools.

In standard C, I scored myself with some 4’s and several 3’s making than an area that I plan to continue to develop as an online teacher.  For the most part, I am able to develop and support an active learning environment, however, I feel that I use the same strategies and would like to add different strategies and tools to my toolbox in order to better facilitate, monitor, and establish expectations for online learning. Finding new ways to promote learning through higher-order thinking and group interactions is an area that I will continue to work on.

Standard D is an area of strength as I always articulate clear expectations and provide ongoing supportive feedback for my students. I want my students to have the support that they need to be most successful and this can only occur by effectively communicating expectations and following up with prompt ongoing feedback. As an instructor, I constantly am checking in with my students to make sure that they understand the expectations and to gather feedback on their perceptions of how they are learning in the course. I provide timely, constructive, personalized feedback and often go out of my way to support all of my students, those who are excelling as well as those who might be struggling.

In all of the courses that I teach, standard E is always modeled through the appropriate citing of resources, honoring intellectual property in my own materials, and keeping student safety in mind with the tools that I am teaching. This is an area that I have grown in as I’ve started working more closely with teachers at the district level as opposed to the county level. Being aware of the district AUP and modeling the appropriate behavior is part of my instructional delivery in most all topics I train teachers on.

For standard F, I am very aware of the diversity of student academic needs, but addressing those needs is an area of weakness. It is an area in which I need to do more research on and build a stronger foundation.

Standards G, H, and I share the common aspect of assessment and is an area that I am comfortable with, but can always grow more. In designing courses, I integrate a variety of competency-based activities that assess the skills of my students. These often include a self-reflection piece to provide opportunities for students to assess their own learning. Assessments are always based upon goals and student data in mind. There are several areas within these three standards of which I am comfortable, however, I would like to further explore the role of assessment as part of teacher professional development.

Standard J address interactions with colleagues, parents, and members of the community to support students’ success that is professional and effective. The power of teaching comes from collaboration and this is an area that I value tremendously.  I do collaborate with my colleagues in a face-to-face environment, however, time and distance tends to limit these opportunities leaving the online environment as the best alternative. An area gaining strength is that I am just starting to draw from the wealth of knowledge through social media.  This is an area that is being developed as I am working to establish and engage more regularly with my professional learning environment.

For standard K, using media to provide and support instruction is a strength for me. I am able to effectively use an LMS and different software and applications to create assignments, projects, and assessments that address the various learning modalities and am cognizant of the need to use a variety of media to support instruction.

How have you changed as a learner and an instructor through this process?

When I began the process of achieving Leading Edge Online and Blended Teacher certification, I felt that I knew quite a bit about how to create courses and facilitate online, however, going through the modules, I realized that I still have much more to learn. Although my technology skills are competent, I did learn to use a several new web 2.0 tools that I had not had the opportunity to fully experience before. Initially, I found them to be frustrating because they were new, however I did discover the value of the tools through it's purpose. This has added to my toolkit and I am more comfortable in exploring the use of new tools and actually using them to create samples before asking my students to create a product.

What is your action plan for implementing changes in your teaching practice as a result of new learning?

In terms of changing as an instructor, just having gone through the course as a student has provided me with more empathy as to where our students are coming from and how to better support them. Before this, I probably did not value the need for building community as my focus was on moving through the content but now I have a greater understanding and appreciation for building the community because it enhances the content on so many levels. The “social director” aspect of online teaching is my most neglected skill and I will continue working in this area. Building confidence in engaging my students will be my focus and one way I hope to implement this change is to actively create a more robust professional learning network. It seems that in my work, I am so focused on the projects and tasks on my plate that I don’t stop, look around, and take time to nurture my own learning. I believe that seeking out and engaging with online professionals is the first step of working within my zone of proximal development (ZPD).

How do you plan to continue your learning about online teaching?

As an instructor for a fall cohort, my learning about online teaching will be first-hand and I will be able to put into practice so many of the things that were discussed in the content of the Leading Edge certification. In addition to this hands-on experience, I plan to be more active in continuing to stay abreast with new research, strategies, and discussions around online learning by enhancing my learning network, research new strategies, and put into practice what I learn as I continue to facilitate and design online courses.

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