My Experiences.
I was cyber-schooled from grades 4-9 and had a variety of online learning experiences. Additionally, this is my 8th online course for my Master’s Degree in Online Teaching. I enjoy the opportunity for flexibility while taking online courses and the freedom to manage my time and resources as I desired. I was always a shy student in the classroom, so I enjoyed online collaboration opportunities that allowed me to participate in conversations, collaborate on projects, and even share my work in a more comfortable way. I hope to use technology to help students come out of their shells, to create opportunities for deeper engagement, and to collect formative assessment data that can help me improve my teaching practices and deepen student learning.
My Hopes.
I hope to engage my students with technology in real way by being present to them, by creating opportunities for collaboration, and by scaffolding learning and assignments into manageable chunks with regular check-ins to keep students afloat.
I plan to work on my instructor presence by incorporating my face and voice into everything that I can. I hope to use instructional videos, audio notes, audio and video feedback, and more. I will embed photos and bitmojis into emails, announcements, and updates, share personal experiences, and give students opportunities to do the same.
Next, I will utilize collaborative tools like discussion boards, Padlet, Lumio, collaborative documents and slides, breakout rooms, group projects, collaborative whiteboards, etc. to help students engage with one another, share ideas, teach other, and develop their ability to compromise and work together.
Finally, I will be able to use technology to stay organized and help students learn valuable study skills. I will provide answer keys, extra resources, review games, videos, and additional engaging material that students can use to preview or review new material. I will provide a calendar online that students and families can access at all times to see upcoming deadlines and be prepared. I will break assignments into small, manageable pieces, establish regular deadlines for these pieces, and perform regular check-ins. I hope to keep students on pace with me, so they don’t get lost or fall behind–a common challenge in online or flipped classroom models.
Technology has and will continue to play a large role in my classroom as I work to shape scientists in today’s world.
Mrs. Morrison's Science Blog 