We must be aware of our students technical abilities
I learned that networking on socail media can be part of online learning. Also the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning.
It is important to survey students regarding their technical skills and comfort level with technology. It is important to provide a list of technology access and skills that will be needed for the course in the syllabus, and it is important teachers assist students in obtaining the access and skills needed or lacking.
Students must buy in to the idea of student centered learning for collaborative meaningful learning with their teacher in a "guide on the side role" and become designers and evaluators of learning goals, course goals, and project goals in order to participate in evaluating and identifying the best choice of technology for various tasks in online learning.
Although social media is often a distraction in a face to face class, it can be utilized in an online classroom to establish a sense of classroom community. This can make the classroom feel more engaged and may ease in video sharing. This often can help students that are not good with technology to practice getting more tech savvy.
In wanting to remember the difference between asynchronous and synchronous (A for anytime as in A asynchronous) so that helps me and may also help the student remember the difference. This module gave some good resource links such as Jing, Cantastia, Captivate for use of recording my course tutorial. As instructor I need to make students aware of their online learning space and how to use social media as a learning tool.
In using social networking I have learned. It maybe practical to use more than one social networking group. It will help the students build technology tools when using documents, videos and other media.
Technology skills are very important for online learning. What is mastered by some might be challenging for others. It is important to understand each student's ability and make sure none are left behind.
As with any electronic median there must be not only requirements but guideline,standards, and usage of proper choices along with consequences to assists with student success. Because I'm from the generation that needs technology assistance I make sure I stay upto date and learn what tools with meet theneedsof my students and myself.
I assumed that because the parents of the children I teach are younger than me that they would be more tech savvy. This is not the case and I will make sure to incorporate video tutorials for all the technology I teach with in the future.
It's best to get an idea of your students computer skills at the beginning of the course
Make sure to investigate all available technology before implamenting one.
There are many different communication toosl available for online teaching . The instrcuctor must choose the one that will enhance his or her classroom content.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
