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Principle #5: "Effective online teachers recognize ongoing professional development is a central component of their success."
Principle #5: "Effective online teachers recognize ongoing professional development is a central component of their success."
One of the most salient takeaways from this journey through @ONE is that it does not stop; I must continue learning. Online teaching is dynamic and ever-evolving. When I reflect back on my Moodle shell from 2014 and compare it to my current Canvas shell in 2019, the difference is drastic.
It can be time-consuming and frustrating at times to feel like you constantly have to upgrade your skills. However, in my experience engaging in regular professional development has had undeniable benefits. It has benefited my students in that I now provide a much more dynamic and effective online learning experience. It has also benefited me, mostly because it has connected me to a wonderfully supportive network of online educators not just at my college, but within the @ONE community and beyond.
Presenting at Fall Flex with my colleague Inger Stark on the Peralta Equity Rubric.
Some of my most powerful learning experiences have stemmed from the @ONE community and the community of practice I have participated in .
Some of my most powerful learning experiences have stemmed from the @ONE community and the community of practice I have participated in .
@ONE Courses
@ONE Courses
@ONE Courses have been instrumental in my development, especially:
- Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning
- Equity and Culturally Responsive Teaching
- 10.10.10
- Digital Citizenship
As evidenced by this website, I have left those classes with concrete strategies to apply to my own teaching as well as models of exemplary online courses. The experience of being an online student has also allowed me greater empathy for my own students' experiences and brilliant ideas to borrow for my own courses. As a sidenote: I am still trying to figure out the best way to orchestrate group projects online! I struggled with this as an online student and my students dislike it, but there HAS to be a way :).
Conferences
Conferences
- The Online Teaching Conference in Anaheim has been a wonderful way to meet colleagues across the state and learn new ideas. While many of us are often connecting virtually, it is refreshing to have a face-to-face meet up with colleagues who I have collaborated with online through @ONE.
- I have thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to attend online conferences sponsored by @ONE and facilitated by Michelle Pacansky-Brock. I was also honored to be asked to present at the most recent virtual conference: Digital Learning Day in February 2019. It was so meaningful to share with my colleagues across the state. I will continue to participate in these fabulous conferences!
Hybrid Community of Practice
Hybrid Community of Practice
In January 2018, I led a group of six instructors in a community of practice in my department. Our mission was to cultivate ongoing language development, academic skills, and digital literacy in our students by building high-quality hybrid courses supported by equitable online pedagogy.
After extensive collaboration and data gathering, we developed a handbook, which offers suggestions for how to structure and conduct hybrid courses online and face-to-face at the beginning, middle and end of the semester, sample lessons, an array of "How To" videos, and tutorials for using various technology tools.
Many online teachers love the flexibility of teaching online but also express that it can be isolating. I felt this way when I first began teaching hybrid courses. The beauty of this group was that I finally had a community. We always began our meetings by discussing our successes and challenges, and offered advice to one another. We designed surveys in order to develop a deeper understanding of our students' experiences and pored over the results, brainstorming strategies for more effective teaching practices. What we were most excited about last semester was that that 90% of our students reported that their confidence in online learning improved since the beginning of the semester. By putting our heads together, our team was able to significantly improve the quality of our courses.
Though it requires a time commitment, working within a supportive community has made me a better teacher and a better colleague. I plan to keep looking for opportunities to build, create and share with others.
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