Part one of this course included a myriad of topics including 1) Introductions to Online Learning 2) The Online Environment 3) Models of Online Learning 4) Learners in the Online Environments and 5) Online Teachers.
In the ‘Introductions to Online Learning’ section, the course started off with an introduction from each student. I felt the course was off to a great start. I thought it was quite interesting in learning the different backgrounds of each student and to know why they want to teach online. Although each student is uniquely different, I know we share a common goal as wanting to teach online.
This section of the course also teaches students how to follow rules of appropriate behavior while using the internet, also referred to as Netiquette.
Netiquette
The virtual classroom exists without the nonverbal clues available in real classrooms and it is easy to be misunderstood or to offend others in this environment. Netiquette (online etiquette) is about how to conduct and protect yourself during online chats or while using email, discussion forums and other communication tools.
Here are some sites that I found that could better explain the rules of netiquette:
The Netiquette Home page takes a serious look at behaving better online
Net Manners is a light hearted site with useful tips and insights into net behavior
Business Netiquette International is a site with a business focus for users wishing to develop a professional online style.
The biggest issue I had with the first part of the course was learning how to create a blog. I was new to the blog world and never wanted to learn about blogging nor created my own page. I had no idea of the legwork it took in creating a blog page. Nevertheless, I took my time in creating my blog page and found out that blogs are very easy to use as well as create. Now, I find the blog world very fascinating.
What is a blog?
A blog is a Web publishing tool that allows authors to quickly and easily self-publish text, artwork, links to other blogs or Web sites, and a whole array of other content.Blogs are set-up like conventional Web sites, with navigation links, and other standard Web site features. A blog is different from a typical Web site in that the primary content is comprised of a daily posting. Blog postings are text entries, similar to a diary or journal, which includes a posting date. They include subsequent comments made by people other than the author. Postings are often short and frequently updated. They appear in reverse chronological order and can include archived entries (teachingtoday.com).
Blogs work well for students because they can be worked on at virtually any time, in any place with an Internet-enabled computer. Blogs require minimum technical knowledge and are quickly created and maintained. Unlike many traditional Web sites, Blogs are flexible in design and can be changed relatively easily.
My favorite part of the course was Unit 4 & 5 (Learners in the Online Environment and Online Teachers) which consisted of students finding out their learning and teaching styles. I enjoyed learning about the four basic learning styles (Visual/Verbal, Visual/Non-Verbal, Auditory/Verbal & Tactile/Kinesthetic Learning Styles) that are identified in the VARK (Visual, Aural, Reading and Kinesthetic) model. When I took the VARK questionnaire, I quickly learned that I am a Visual/Non-Verbal learner. As you can see, each student has a different learning style. These learning styles tell us that all students do not learn in the same way. This is what makes each student uniquely different.
In Unit 5, I learned the different styles of teaching. See teaching styles here Teaching Style. Instructors develop a teaching style based on their beliefs about what constitutes good teaching, personal preferences, their abilities, and the norms of their particular discipline. Some believe classes should be teacher-centered, where the teacher is expert and authority in presenting information. Others take a learner-centered approach, viewing their role as more of a facilitator of student learning. What is your teaching style? Check here Teaching Style.
As Part 1 comes to a close, I can’t wait to get started on Part 2 of this course. I am experiencing new online web tools that I would have never given a second thought. This course gets more interesting as we get closer to the end!!!
