This is my first week of taking EDUC5199G, Teaching and Learning in an Online World through UOIT (University of Ontario Institute of Technology). It is being led by Dr. Rob Power and this is the third course that I have taken with him and my 8th course overall in the M.Ed. program. I have to admit that I am both excited and nervous about this course since it is run over a condensed timeframe of six weeks. I've never taken a summer course before because of the tight timelines, so I'm a bit worried about being able to keep up with the pace. I'm also in the middle of moving to a new home and living in the middle of a construction zone, so this should make for a very interesting but overwhelming summer!
Rob has designed this course using a project-based approach where we are tasked with designing and developing an online module. I'm not a stranger to online learning; I've been an eLearning teaching for six years with the Halton District School Board. I have taught both math and chemistry courses online. I've already started to realize with taking this course that when I designed my online courses in the past, I didn't really approach it with a plan in mind. So even though I have a lot of experience in eLearning, I am quickly recognizing that I still have a lot to learn and I think I will be able to take away a lot from this experience. Taking this course will help me to fill in those gaps so I can become a more effective online instructor.
That being said, the purpose of this blog is to chronicle my progress and learning as I develop my online teaching module and course. By doing so, I will be able to reflect on my learning and understanding of various aspects regarding teaching in an online world. Reflection is important in learning; it develops metacognition by allowing the learner to develop an understanding of what they know and where the gaps in knowledge are (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). I can already see the benefits of reflection, as demonstrated with my thoughts above, as I have been able to identify some gaps in my current knowledge of designing and implementing an online course.
Each week, I will be creating various posts to document my thoughts as I embark on this journey. This will include both my successes and my struggles as I progress in this course. I will be exploring each stage of the design process starting from creating a welcoming environment for my learners, to storyboarding my module, and then to finally delivering and refining my course.
Rob has designed this course using a project-based approach where we are tasked with designing and developing an online module. I'm not a stranger to online learning; I've been an eLearning teaching for six years with the Halton District School Board. I have taught both math and chemistry courses online. I've already started to realize with taking this course that when I designed my online courses in the past, I didn't really approach it with a plan in mind. So even though I have a lot of experience in eLearning, I am quickly recognizing that I still have a lot to learn and I think I will be able to take away a lot from this experience. Taking this course will help me to fill in those gaps so I can become a more effective online instructor.
That being said, the purpose of this blog is to chronicle my progress and learning as I develop my online teaching module and course. By doing so, I will be able to reflect on my learning and understanding of various aspects regarding teaching in an online world. Reflection is important in learning; it develops metacognition by allowing the learner to develop an understanding of what they know and where the gaps in knowledge are (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000). I can already see the benefits of reflection, as demonstrated with my thoughts above, as I have been able to identify some gaps in my current knowledge of designing and implementing an online course.
Each week, I will be creating various posts to document my thoughts as I embark on this journey. This will include both my successes and my struggles as I progress in this course. I will be exploring each stage of the design process starting from creating a welcoming environment for my learners, to storyboarding my module, and then to finally delivering and refining my course.
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