Distance Learning Course

I have enjoyed learning how to develop an online course and also how to work with Blackboard. With regard to the discussion topics, I found Universal Design to be especially interesting. This was a new concept to me, and it was good to learn that it began in the field of architecture before educators began applying the concept to the classroom. I also found the Quality Matters site and rubric to be very helpful. It was very good to be reminded that when developing courses and evaluating courses, instructors should take into consideration different abilities, learning styles and special needs. One thing I will remember when designing an online course, will be to include podcasts which will help auditory learners as well as blind students.

It has also been a pleasure to share information with other instructors both in secondary education as well as in elementary education. In some ways you can get to know people even better in an online course because you can communicate (asynchronous communication) whenever it is convenient for the students and the instructor.

Universal Design

It was interesting to read about the concept of universal design and to find out that the idea emerged from the field of architecture. Architects design buildings that have accessibility features such as: wheel chair ramps, curb cuts and automatic doors. Universal design is an approach to designing environments and products so they can be used by the widest range of users without adaptation. (Center for Universal Design, 1997)

Educators are now applying universal design concepts in their classrooms. According to the American Institutes for Research, universal design in education seeks to ensure that all students have the option of learning from materials and practices that suit their abilities and learning styles in settings and facilities that can accommodate their various needs.

Many educators today consider learning differences when developing curriculum and use instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning styles. The concept of universal design seems to support this differentiated instruction. According to Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler, applying universal designing concepts in course planning assures full access to the content for most students and minimizes the need for special accommodations. She gives the example of designing Web resources in accessible format as they are developed so no redevelopment is necessary if a blind student enrolls in the class. Another example she gives is captioning course videos, which provides access to deaf students, but also it benefits students for whom English is a second language and to some students with learning disabilities.

It was interesting to read about the concept of universal design and to realize that in some ways I am applying it in my classroom. My chapter notes are posted on the homework site for students to download, to increase the font size, and to highlight. I will have to look into some programs that change text-to-speech and investigate how to get course materials in alternate formats.

Universal Design

It was interesting to read about the concept of universal design and to find out that the idea emerged from the field of architecture. Architects design buildings that have accessibility features such as: wheel chair ramps, curb cuts and automatic doors. Universal design is an approach to designing environments and products so they can be used by the widest range of users without adaptation. (Center for Universal Design, 1997)

Educators are now applying universal design concepts in their classrooms. According to the American Institutes for Research, universal design in education seeks to ensure that all students have the option of learning from materials and practices that suit their abilities and learning styles in settings and facilities that can accommodate their various needs.

Many educators today consider learning differences when developing curriculum and use instructional methods that appeal to a variety of learning styles. The concept of universal design seems to support this differentiated instruction. According to Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler, applying universal designing concepts in course planning assures full access to the content for most students and minimizes the need for special accommodations. She gives the example of designing Web resources in accessible format as they are developed so no redevelopment is necessary if a blind student enrolls in the class. Another example she gives is captioning course videos, which provides access to deaf students, but also it benefits students for whom English is a second language and to some students with learning disabilities.

It was interesting to read about the concept of universal design and to realize that in some ways I am applying it in my classroom. My chapter notes are posted on the homework site for students to download, to increase the font size, and to highlight. I will have to look into some programs that change text-to-speech and investigate how to get course materials in alternate formats.

The Educated Person in Today's World

According to Wallis and Steptoe in the article, “How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century,” our schools need to prepare students:
- for global citizenship
- to think across disciplines
- to collaborate with people from different cultures
- to have good communication skills
- to have critical thinking skills
- to have technology skills
- to show respect for others and be responsibleI agree that we should prepare our students for global citizenship by exposing them to other cultures and languages. In addition, in order to prepare students to collaborate and work as members of a team, I have seen a trend toward the utilization of more group activities in the classroom. Certainly, good communication skills are a must. They need to be able to communicate orally and in writing, writing e-mails and reports. With the essays on college boards today, many schools have focused on developing better writing skills across the curriculum. Also, with the vast databases of information on the Internet, students need to be able to use critical thinking skills to evaluate the information and determine what information is reliable. They also need to be familiar with the software programs that are commonly utilized today, such as browsers, e-mail, word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software. They need to constantly learn how to use new technologies that will help them communicate and interact with people all over the world. They should become familiar with Web 2.0 technologies and be able to utilize wikis, blogs, videocasts, and podcasts. In the article, the authors mention a high school in Michigan where one of the graduation requirements is for students to take one online course. This is the method they are using to make sure the students are familiar with current technology. Along with all of these new skills, it is very important for schools to reinforce traditional values such as respect for others, responsibility, and honesty.

Good Assessment

In the book, "Teaching and Learning at a Distance," the authors state that one of the characteristics of a good assessment tool is that it matches the objectives. In my lab course, occasionally, I have assigned a lab that does not meet the course objectives. This usually happens when we have a new textbook, and I assign consecutive exercises in the textbook. Usually, working on each consecutive exercise is a good idea since each new lab builds on the previous one. For instance, in my Excel lab class, one of the course objectives is that students demonstrate their knowledge of formulas by completing a payroll spreadsheet. Working on an exercise that emphasizes the creation of unnecessary formatting features does not meet the course objectives. I have learned that to skip over a few exercises like this that really do not meet the course objectives and focus on those exercises that will help the students learn how to create formulas.

The authors of “Teaching and Learning at a Distance” also state that a useful assessment reflects the learner’s progress and understanding as well as the transferability of skills and knowledge. One of the learning outcomes of my computer applications course is that the students will use the software programs they learned in my course to complete assignments in their other courses. For instance, after learning how to create charts in Excel, the students should be able to use the data they have collected in a science lab and create an Excel chart showing the data.

Assessment, Evaluation & Feedback

In the PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Diana Zilberman, assessment is defined as any systematic basis for making inferences about student knowledge usually based on of evidence. In the book, “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors describe assessment as a way to measure learning gains. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek 2006). In my classes, I use a variety of methods for student assessment: objective tests, summary reports, lab performance activities which include MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint lab assignments, homework assignments, and projects.

In the PowerPoint presentation, evaluation is defined as a judgment regarding the quality of a response or performance based on established criteria. In the book, “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors discuss Woodley and Kirkwood’s six categories of evaluation. One of the categories is measures of outcomes which refers to measures of adequate learning, and it is considered to be the most important measure of outcomes of distance education. In the Computer Science Department at my school, one of the ways we measure outcomes is by conducting surveys of upperclassmen and graduates who have completed our basic computer applications course. We gather information in these surveys that will help us determine if they have continued to use the applications and if they have applied their computer application knowledge and skills to assignments in their other courses.

In the PowerPoint presentation, feedback is described as a work in progress and as something that should be constructive rather than redundant. In the book, “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors believe that the most influential purpose of assessing learning gains is to provide feedback to learners and instructors. Learners certainly need to know how well they are doing before going on to the next step in a course. The instructor needs to know if students are ready to proceed to the next level or whether remediation is necessary. Feedback helps the instructor evaluate the success of the lesson.

According to the authors of “Teaching and Learning at a Distance” learning outcomes consist of three components: conditions under which learning is facilitated, observable and measurable actions or products, and a minimum standard of expectations. In my school, we recently developed some learning outcomes during a Middle States evaluation. These learning outcomes are observable and measurable. In my department we measure learning outcomes related to the use of application programs by students after they have completed the computer applications course in their freshmen year. We have set minimum expectations with regard to the frequency of the continued use of the software products by the students.

Using Blackboard in a Traditional Classroom

If I had the opportunity to use the Bb course management system in my high school classes, my students would be able to continue class discussions outside the classroom. Every student would have the opportunity to contribute to the class discussion. In fact, students would be required to become involved in each discussion. Students would communicate frequently through written posts, so they would get more practice writing. Hopefully, they would learn to write more clearly, accurately, and concisely as a result of frequent peer feedback and review.
In addition, Bb would make it more convenient for students to collaborate on projects, and share files. With Bb, I would have a convenient platform to link students to all class assignments and materials. I could also incorporate podcasts that might appeal to students who are audio learners. Also, I could assign students to collaborate on reports, create a podcast of the report, and add a link to the podcast on Bb.