Teacher and student biographies are important so that all those enrolled in the online course can get to know each other.
improve student introductions
During this module, I learned how important it is to build a relationship with students right from the start by asking questions and having them complete welcome assignments. I also learned that it is important to send out frequent messages to remind them that you are there for them in case they get overwhelmed or need support.
Sometimes adding a personal piece of yourself shows your students you care.
Students must feel comfortable with there instructor
There are several tools that now a days we as instructers have for our students to teach in online enviorment
I learned that providing your qualifications and professional experience and academic credentials is part of the way that you can connect with students. We tend to think of sharing more personal, non-career oriented details as the way to establish connection and they have their place, but it is important to be professional in the classroom and let the students know that you are qualified to be their instructor.
Nancy Tosh
Good idea to post messages and reminders and to make individual contacts on a frequent basis.
I like the idea of sharing a bio of yourself and having each student share theirs. I makes everyone feel more comfortable with communicating throiugh video.
I should post a bio with my credentials so as to inspire confidence in the students. For the first assignment, I will also have the students post a bio as well. By all of us posting bios, a level of trust may better develop.
I learned how to demonstrate my authority online using my credentials and experience...and that including a brief bio can help accomplish this
It is important to get to know the students and let them get to know you and each other. This needs to occur at the start of the course to create a collaborative group learning environment. It also helps students to feel that they are not alone, but have support for their learning.
I will apply these strategies by:
- Asking the right questions and analyzing the answers.
- Effective listening.
- Verbal cues.
- Body language including posture, movement and gesture, and eye movements.
- Voice tone and quality.
I learned more about the importance of student introductions/biographies. In my experience, I've struggled to get students to respond in this area. I'm thinking of making it more interactive and fun by asking each student to ask five random questions of a fellow student and then that student will be expected to respond. I'm thinking of questions with short answers (What is your favorite TV show?, Coke or Pepsi?, etc.). Hopefully this will be a nice ice breaker as students won't see it as intellectually daunting or burdensome.
I have learned to be very interactive with your students.
I appreciate the idea of having the students post an introduction bio about themselves including the instructor while also including hobbies and interests. This brings a personal touch and sparks conversation amoung students and the instructor as well.
The more personal you can make the online experience the better. There are so many techniques you can use to make this type of learning a great experience.
Just because you are behind a computer screen, you still should have and work toward developing a sound relationship with your students.
I learned that a photo and background intro of myself as well as a bio of the students is crucial in the e-learning environment.
