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What are the goals of this course?
What are the goals of this course?
Distance learning is new for students and educators in South Portland and much of the rest of the world. In March, we jumped into emergency mode and teachers have changed how they do things to adapt and to make the best of a less than ideal situation. As with anything though, there are ways we can do it better.
Members of the K-12 South Portland Infotech Team have created this mini-course which aligns with design principles from educational institutions such as the Global Online Academy and TeachingOnline.com.au
We would all rather be face to face with our students but find ourselves in a position where we may need to plan for more distance learning in the future. The mission of this mini-course is to introduce teachers to best practices in course design principles and to help them design learning experiences that empower students to succeed in a blended or online learning environment.
Upon completion of this course educators will:
Understand course design principles for online and hybrid/blended learning.
Discover which tools work best in synchronous and asynchronous activities.
Leverage and design online assessments that measure holistic learning.
Begin designing learning modules that guide students through self-paced learning.
Have a foundational understanding of principles needed to create a Google Classroom and Google Teacher Site that will be used in the 2020 - 2021 school year.
What to expect as you move through the course.
What to expect as you move through the course.
This mini-course has 4 main components. They are the getting started section, the learning modules built on key principles, the discussion forum (optional), and the course wrap up.
The learning modules are based on the role of the teacher and four design principles:
Leadership - Changing role of the teacher in distance learning
Module 1- Communication
Module 2 - Navigation
Module 3- Relationships
Module 4- Assessment
The learning modules will guide you through concepts and practical applications. You will discover suggested tools that work well in various situations. There are also additional resources provided with each specific topic .
Before jumping in to the modules take some time to explore the resources on this Getting Started page. Here you will find some overview resources to get you thinking about concepts.
As you move your way through the course you should spend time looking at all of the readings, videos, and other resources and be thinking about ways you can apply some of these to the design of your classes. You are not expected to implement every idea. Treat it like a menu and not a checklist. Look for ideas that are most applicable for you, your students, and the context of your class. Bookmark those resources that you want to revisit.
The discussion board/forum is not mandatory, but because this class is completely asynchronous it is a good way to connect with your colleagues, share ideas and ask questions. This is not required to complete the course but is a place for people to ask questions and share ideas so that you can learn from each other.
And a word about word choice: The word "teacher" as used in this mini-course applies to all educators. We all teach the students in South Portland regardless of what role others may perceive us as filling.
Click HERE for the full PDF version of the infographic.
Option: Feel free to use this graphic organizer to take notes as you progress through the course.
Graphic Organizer - PDF Version
Getting started - Step 1
Getting started - Step 1
Before moving on to the next section, watch this video and consider how your students have (or have not) engaged in distance learning. Think about ways you can engage them moving forward.
This video (4:27) gives a brief introduction to the three types of engagement we should consider as we design classes.
Teacher to student engagement
Student to content engagement
Student to student engagement
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