I learned to focus in on the tech tools availble to enhance both asynchronous and synchronous learning. I want to choose tools that will support my student's expected outcome/goal for the course content. Students will likely develop their skills working collaboratively if I provide the communication support consistently and appropriately.
Having students go through the lessons of typical activities on a computer such as copy, cut and paste in a document, saving a document as a pdf, using spell check and/or the thesaurus, attaching a file to an email and more is necessary. I learned not to assume they all know how to do these tasks.
Using social networking sites for learning help students share information and knowledge.
Knowing the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning and what works best for your students.
It is important to know the technology skills of your students before starting your course, and then choosing technology that will help enhance learniing and the material.
The need to ask students what is helping them learn in an online nevironment and what is hindering their learning. Also the many social medias can be implemented to enrich the class experience and lead to building a community.
Providing mulitple communication tools supports online learning for both the student and the instructor. I will be sure to include all tools within the syllabus
Asynchronous communication includes email, Discussion Boards, Wiki, and Blogs.
Synchronous communication includes application sharing, web conferencing, chats, conferencing, instant messages, and whit boarding.
As I read this section, GOOGLE SUITES kept screaming in my brain. Interactive documents, spread sheets, presentations and drawings. Google classroom as a LMS. Not to mention google meet for synchronous learning. All working seamlessly together.... maybe this should be added to this section instead of only a nod to Google Docs?
It is important as an online instructor to have an understanding of student’s technical skills. It is a good idea to have students complete a survey so the instructor knows the technology skills of the student. It is helpful for the instructor to create short “How to” videos that will help students that need to learn certain skills. It is also important for the instructor to use different mediums of technology so that students can focus on learning content and not technology tools.
It is important to not assume that students have basic computer skills. I tend to think that they do because my students are young. It will be important to determine what skills the students have. I also need to learn how to incorporate the different types of tools into my online class.
In the Preparing Students to Become Good Online Learners course, module three, Technical Skills I learned that I must identify the necessary technology skill of the students. I, as the instructor, must provide how to guides as well as helpful hints for students lacking in technical skills. The list of questions to ask students about their technical skills are a good resource to use when creating a class syllabus or these questions could become part of the student survey at the beginning of the course when the instructor is gathering information about the students. When students are lacking in technical skills the instructor needs to help the student with his/her deficiencies by providing available resources or helping the student one on one as needed. Lastly, social networking is always going to be an important aspect of an online class. Facebook groups will definitely help create a virtual community.
Choosing the appropriate communication tools is essential to making your class responsive to the needs of your students. I hope to explore and implement both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools so I can engage with my students and create a community.
When teaching in an online environment, communication tools are essential components for student success. There are a variety of social networking tools to assist in online learning. Examples of social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, Ning, LinkedIn, and others.
Teach should teach them to and also use cut and past info in documents, attach a file in an email, use the USB drive, and different tips for learning.
Technical skills must be used with confidence to acheive success in an online course. It is imperative that the instructor makes this clear from the beginning.
I will need to become familiar with all of the components of my LMS so that I can use them effectively to present content. It will be necessary for me to evaluate my students' technical skills and comfort levels and I must teach them how to use the technology required to access content, collaborate and communicate with me and with one another in addition to teaching the content itself.
Using a technology survey at the beginning of the course is very beneficial. It allows the instructor to determine the technical ability of the students and helps the instructor see where technical problems may arise during the course.
There are many different communication toosl available for online teaching . The instrcuctor must choose the one that will enhance his or her classroom content.
Make sure to investigate all available technology before implamenting one.
It's best to get an idea of your students computer skills at the beginning of the course
