I would like to get feedback on what everyone does for their students who struggle with technology, at the school where I teach, often I will have an online conference with students and they can't figure out how to login, submitting assignments gets difficult, etc. What does everyone suggest for this?

I enjoyed this section of the course because I liked how it covered that online courses need to be simple to navigate, they need to have interaction in the courses, and they need to be intellectual where the students can learn from them, even if they aren't in the classroom. I think that the instructor is key to the success of the online classroom.

when creatingng the threaded discussions what are your feelings regarding having two topics and the students having to post a minimum of three posts for each topic and posting on different days?

A simple definition pinched from Wikipedia: In education, realia (pronunciation reel-ee-ah) are objects from real life used in classroom instruction by educators to improve students' understanding of other cultures and real life situations. Where we discuss the importance of delivery technologies in an online environment - and the goal of increasing the quality of media and increasing the level of interaction to increase learning - the use of realia in online course is a critical component. Striking at the heart of electronic page-turners (click, read, click Next), I think we must strive to incorporate as much realism and authenticity in online content as we can. The use of a cartoon narrator that reads the screen is a step (a small step); a video overlay of a credible human being doing the narrating is a larger, more effective step. Ultimately, the realia should be created and shared by the online students themselves, since that is likely to be a more effective method of: 1. focusing attention 2. stimulating memory encoding 3. increasing retention 4. interacting intellectually.

The tech world is constantly shifting, what do we decide to go with as online instructors and why?

Online course evaluation should be an ongoing thing. Having Peers evaluate it is always beneficial.

It's best to correlate the in-seat version and online course together, and yes, there can be group projects. My wife has done some online, as have I. They're certainly doable!

All assignments must map to the Learning Objectives, but one thing that wasn't mentioned is that learning objectives map to the Course Description.

You must create your course that is extremely comparable to the in-seat version.

I find that a pre organized syllabus ,created by the institution, somewhat takes away from the authority of the instructor.After reviewing the syllabus I find that there are some things that I would like to change after teaching the course a number of times; however, I am told I must follow the syllabus already in place in the class. Any thoughts on this? Is there a way I can make a suggestion on some of the course material and be heard by my institution?

I plan to utilize group assignments/projects as a way to facilitate the learning experience of the online learners. After week 1, I will begin to put students into groups according to the way they have performed during the 1st week of class. I intend to put students into groups of two, with one student having done poorly in the first week and the other having done exceptionally well. This way I feel that the students can help each other or the strong student can help the weak student. To prevent cheating or to ensure that one student is not obtaining all the answers from the other, I will give instructions that will require the answers to the assignments be written in their own words. Are there any pros or cons that may arise with this distribution of course work?

Utilizing a Cellular Phone to submit an assignment as proven to be unacceptable to me. Most students do not possess a smart phone; therefore I've receive horrible homework assignments via text messages.

Course evaluation is an ongoing process. We are professors have to look at our courses to be sure they are current and all links work. Also we have to be sure the textbook is the latest ed.

Structural integrity in online courses has us preparing lesson plans for presenting material in a logical manner. What examples can you share of structural integrity?

I wish AIU introduced a feature where instructors teaching the same course are able to share content, links, instructor files and so on. With student access to this pool it will enrich the learning experience tremendously.

Some learners are best taught by "old school" instruction; use of the chalkboard, pen and pencil, and handwritten tests. Has this type of instruction died or has it been proven to no longer be the best approach to learning?

There are so many different tools available for streaming video, animation, three D presentations, IMovie, etc. Where do you think the imaginary line of too many technology bells and whistles is located? How do you know?

During my traditional educational experience, soft skills were taught that I do not see being a value added experience on-line. I am afraid by isolating our students more, we are taking away the ability to network, socialize, and overcome the fear of communicating either one to one or one to many. How do you add the value of learning soft skills to your online students?

I like the idea of opening a live chat with a survey- as well as adding a survey to the home page of any course I teach. It gets people engaged- and generates interesting results.

I would prefer to include a 5-10 minute You Tube video 2-3 times during a one hour live chat. It breaks up the live chat, which keeps each student's attention.