Scott Olsen

It stands out to me as important that the best way to utilize hosting tools and the assignment development depends on the assignment and desired outcomes. With security-conscious universities, there is a tendency to want to contain all content and interactions under the umbrella of an LMS or software controlled by one company. This practice does a disservice to students in that they are having the best experience but they are also not building a variety of competencies. 

Interesting introduction to social media and online classroom. So far, a number of questions are coming to mind and as typical in these courses, there is an initial reaction that sounds something like "ok, now another thing to do to add to course development, research, and writing, grading, student interaction, and followup, etc, etc." Beyond this reaction, I am interested in how specific courses that social media use can be used to augment the learning experiences rather than be more busywork of students and professors. 

The importance of Universal Design and the opportunity for students to access material is underlined by the fact that much disability remains hidden. It is not only for the student that is known to need accommodation but for the student who is struggling that we do not know the nature of their challenge.

Thoughtfulness and planning ahead go a long way to precluding accessibility issues. Understanding what options are available and pairing those options to meet course objects require an effort but necessary to provide learners the best possible experience.

While there has been tremendous progress through the years, the advent of technology and various pedagogical practices that benefit some students clearly can be a hindrance to others. Developing a curriculum is a challenge on many, many levels, not the least of which is providing the appropriate levels of challenge and access to a diverse group of learners.

There are many challenges to be considered, not the least of which is how to open learning opportunities and how to keep peripheral processes from obstructing access to primary course material.

Thoughfulnessess is required from conception to completion. There are excellent frameworks to assist course development, much of which good instructors probably do intuitively, but it is helpful having some of an extended checklist.

Implementing the five lecture formats has the possibility of creating a better blend of content delivery. I am prone to expository but I can see how the other formats can be valuable for learning and keeping things fresh in a difficult online learning environment. 

I have a class coming up that could make excellent use of guest speakers :)  Also, it has been my intuition but this provides some confirmation that reading needs to be more focused in online learning rather than reading the entirety of a text regardless of its level of relevance to the course at the moment.

Variety is the spice of life so they say. In online education avoiding all assignments that require only one sensory experience is important. Multiple interaction and engagement with instructor and students make for online learning that is right-paced and moves beyond rote learning.