Second post from Helen

October 11th, 2008: Update on learning about online teaching and learning

Here at the end of 6 weeks in the online teaching and learning course, I find myself considerably further ahead in knowledge.
Many of the tools for communication between students and instructor were familiar to me: the discussion boards, email, messages/announcements. These instruments are for asynchronous communications and can be very effective. New learning has included using the horizon live classroom and Wimba for real time communication. I have found that the real time communication has made me feel more like a member of the course.

Another new experience was being part of a group for an assignment and again the lack of real time communication left me wondering if my students will really connect with me (as their teacher) without some from of meet and great.

Other experiences and knowledge that have been very useful to me over the last several weeks, is the experience of being a student again and being reminded of my own learning style. As a blended learner with 3 main styles, I can pretty quickly adapt to different learning situations. But viewing the discussion boards reminded me load and clear that this is not the norm. Students have a range of learning styles. For future reference the DVC learning styles questionnaire is located here.

Once we reviewed learning styles we took our understanding a step further by exploring our own teaching styles and reactions to online teaching and learning. I was happy and somewhat relieved to learn that I am a combination of high facilitator, expert and delegator. The website for this questionnaire is worth saving for future reference.

One way that I would like to use these surveys is for a ‘student insight’ assignment for students at the start of my courses. I’d like everyone to discover their learning and teaching preferences and biases so that accommodations can be made during the course. Similarly all of the resources for students about how to be a successful online learner are crucial and I’d include them too!

My reactions to online teaching and learning are excitement, enjoyment and I am overwhelmed. I am defeated by the fast and complex nature of the medium in some ways. With an excellent facilitator and advanced technical skill, online courses are a very enjoyable way to get an education. I look forward to implementing my new knowledge and skills there!

In summary, I have met every objective for this section of the course to my own satisfaction. I look forward to further exploring online teaching and developing my teaching skills overall.