Welcome to Taylor-Land!
My name is Helen Bourke-Taylor and I am venturing to extend my online teaching skills through being a student. I have been teaching through Web CT for two years and can see that this is a medium with huge potential. Online teaching skills are very important for several reasons. One is that it reduces distances for students who cannot get into class physically, another is that Generation Y needs a different vehicle to learn than the old chalk and talk method. Also, there are 1:1 multimodal learning opportunities and the learner logs on when they have the time and inclination, rather than on someone elses schedule. All more conducive to learning if you ask me! I am excited and believe that it is a very important skill to have as an academic. Here begins my journey!
About myself: I am an occupaitonal therapist and lecturer at La Trobe university in Bundoora, Australia http://www.latrobe.edu.au/occtherapy/Staff/bourke-taylor_h.html
I am currently writing up my PhD in my field which has been a study about the health and occupations of Victorian (my state) mothers of school aged children with disabilities. Concurrent with this reaearch, I teach in a course through GSU in subjects about children with cerebral palsy. Through this course, I have learned about online methodology somewhat. I want to extend my education and online learning knowledge so that I will be able to participate in full time academic work after I complete the PhD (April next year). I would like to design an online curriculum in my field. That is my long term goal.
This blog is for the sole purpose of recording and practicing my skills. Already, I have identified several skills that I am deficit in! One is creating a blog! I want to learn about pod casting; virtual classrooms; use of videa and other media; audio files and how to create upload and provide in a form students can use and assessment methods. One of my aims is to create an online curriculum for a degree course. I have created two full 3 credit hour subjects that are passable, but quite basic when compared to this course. I definately feel competent to a middle level, but incompentent beyond at present. So my goals for the course are:
1. To understand adult learning so that I can use the online medium to create an engaging course
2. To develop technical skills to create audio, video files
3. To gather resources so that I have my own library to refer to for assistance when I build my own curriculum
4. To meet other people and hear about what has worked with their students and what has failed miserably (as I would likely do it too without warning!)
5. To enjoy this medium. I figure that if I enjoy putting material together, a studetn might also enjoy interacting and learning from the material.
6. To accomplish decent skills at creating fair student evaluation tasks.
Helen
