During my EDTC 5334 course we learned about online learning discussing both the theories as well as the research around online learning. Through this course we developed our own online course. I am using the course I designed as my artifact as this was the project during my that I committed a large amount of time and effort towards. My goal was to create an online course for our middle schoolers to get some history content in. At our school we only offer mathematics, reading, writing, science, and computer science. There had been some students asking for some other opportunities to drive their own learning and explore history content. I came across The Big History Project, which is a free online source for teachers and learners. They had a huge amount of content and I decided to use that content and more to curate a history course for my learners.

The largest challenges I faced varied from deciding on the best LMS to put the course on, designing the weeks to be consistent but also high-level and well worth learners time. I ended up using a Google Site to host the course as it allowed for me to easily place videos, articles, links, and assignments. I iterated many times and eventually found a format that felt user friendly.

The real adventure began after this course ended and I implemented it with my students. We have ran it for the past year calling it a "prototype year". Where learners have helped me to continue to develop and improve the course along the way while they take the course. We meet every Thursday morning before school starts to discuss any bugs, any ideas for improvements and the content itself. They then spend the week self-pacing through the weeks content and completing assignments. This cycle has proven to be extremely helpful and I have learned so much! I plan to continue iterating this course and making improvements along the way.

ISTE Standards

Leader

2b Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students.

Citizen

3a Create experiences for learners to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic behavior online that build relationships and community.

3b Establish a learning culture that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and fosters digital literacy and media fluency.

Collaborator

4b Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues.

4d Demonstrate cultural competency when communicating with students, parents and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in student learning.

Facilitator

6a Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.

6b Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.

Analyst

7a Provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using technology.

7b Use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction.