The Changing Classroom

I have been a classroom science teacher for almost 20 years. When I began in the mid 80s the classroom learning experience was vastly different then today. Back at the beginning of my teaching career I though it was pretty cool how I could take different sheets of colored ditto masters and create colored diagrams for my kids. I could run an 8 mm projector, the slide strip machine, opaque projector and the VCR. I used a text book, dittos and photo copies of articles from actual paper journals.

I remember how excited I was when electronic grade books and report cards came to be. No more passing around the report cards among teachers, or the hand written narrative – if you saw my handwriting you would appreciate my need. I remember the joy I had when I turned in my chalkboard for a white board.

Now the learning environment is very different. It may still take place in a classroom but for many it is also extended outside the 4 walls. Just take communication for example, no longer is there just the game of phone tag between parents and teacher now we have e-mail. Teacher websites or services such as Edline allow for students and parents to see grades, news, and calendar items. Teachers can post assignments, grading rubrics, class notes, links to helpful websites, multimedia presentations. New words are entering our educational lexicon; podcast, videocast, photocast and screencast. Other web based services such as UnitedStreaming, Study Island and textbook publisher sites provide content and test prep to students both in and out of school.

All of this can increase the participation and accountability of the parents in their child’s education. Some say this is also increasing the work load on teachers and students, as there is a greater expectation to work outside the traditional school day. In fact all this new technology has even change the notion of a school day. Now you can complete a college degree without ever setting foot on campus. Online courses and elearning means the people have access to educational opportunities no matter where they live or what they do. Education is morphing into something new; I wonder what the next 20 years will bring.

Teaching Online Courses

Whether you teach a face-to-face class, a totally online class or a combination of both it is important to remember that all learning takes place within the student. The purpose of education is to make a change in the learner. This may be the acquisition of knowledge, skills and change in attitude. All courses must have clear measurable objectives. All courses must have a way to assess if objectives are met. No matter what type of course you develop or teach you must begin here.

Once the goals and measurable outcomes are determined, you then need to develop the process and define the learning experiences that a student will encounter. The significant difference between the face-to-face and online setting is in the course delivery method. In a face-to-face setting the material is divided into chunks of time, a certain number of class sessions for a set amount of time. With in this setting a teacher will develop class activities and assignments to fit in this time frame. With the increase of technology in education what goes on in that classroom is rapidly changing. This is no longer the traditional education experience of my parents. But that is a another post altogether.

In an online course setting, the daily time constraint is lifted. Sometimes courses are organized around a weekly approach with students asked to complete readings, assignments, and participate in online discussion on a weekly basis. Other courses can be structure around topics. When one topic is complete the student or class moves onto the next topic. Other classes have no time frame and a student completes the required components at their own pace and are done with the course when they completed the necessary requirements. What format is chosen should be determined by the objectives of the course, but in reality are determined by the institution offering the class.

For many teachers the transition from face-to-face to online instruction will take some time. Each setting requires different methods and strategies. But if you focus on the basics of any good instructional design "what do you want them to know and how will you know when they know it" you will start with a good foundation. All successful courses and learning environments are built on this strong foundation.

The following are some links for more information on designing an online course. Please share your experiences with online learning environments.

Less is More: Designing an Online Course

Designing an Online Course: Brainstorming Ideas

Principles of Online Design

Instructional Strategies for Online Courses

Online Learning

I have taken courses using Blackboard and am now getting into Moodle. There was no question that the courses I took at Bridgewater State College would lead to graduate credit. There are many online courses and professional development opportunities whose credit is accepted by institutions of higher learning and state licensing boards. But then there are high schools. Online Learning is a new way of doing things and will require some changes in how high schools look at courses and credit.

In many high schools there is an attendance requirement. This means a student may be passing a course academically but fail the course because they did not meet the attendance requirements. How do you determine attendance in an online course, is the student required to be online a certain amount of time or complete a certain number of posts? How can a school justify an attendance requirement in one course format and not in another? Should they? Schools have been getting around attendance and other issues by accepting this credit as transfer credit. They look at course providers as another "high school". But what happens when high schools become online course providers themselves? In Massachusetts schools can be considered failing if they have unacceptable attendance rates. A school may have sorted out their course and credit requirements but how do they synch with state requirements?

Why offer online courses? In the past many high schools used correspondence courses to help with credit recovery, summer school or to offer students courses the school could not. Are online learning courses any different? Students learn differently. Some work well in a traditional classroom settings. Some students are not able to work in a classroom, but on their own at their own pace maybe able to succeed where they could not before. Other students would never "go" to their online course as there is always tomorrow, these students need the face-to-face class to keep them on task and accountable. If schools wish to meet the needs of their diverse learners, they need to offer a variety of options to match these styles. We need to provide courses to meet the needs of our under achievers and the gifted and talented. This later group has lost offering as schools shift resources to support those at risk of not passing state tests. Online courses can offer the flexibility that traditional classes may not. It would be wonderful if schools could offer a menu of course selections and formats to completely customize the learning experience for each child. The ultimate individual educational plan.