Candidates develop, model, and facilitate the use of online and blended learning, digital content, and learning networks to support and extend student learning and expand opportunities and choices for professional learning for teachers and administrators. (PSC 3.3/ISTE 3c)
Reflection: I chose to complete the Online Teaching Endorsement. Through this pathway, I developed an online module for fifth grade students covering life science standards found within the Georgia Standards of Excellence. Throughout this module, students participated in synchronous and asynchronous class settings. They worked both collaboratively and independently to complete learning activities utilizing digital tools. They completed final projects with peers through project-based learning strategies. I felt that the course syllabus was the most important aspect of the planning process. Teaching online is vastly different than teaching in a face-to-face classroom and providing students with explicit instructions prior to the beginning of the course is vital for setting the tone and expectations. This artifact demonstrates mastery of standard 3.3 because while writing the course syllabus, I revised it many times to ensure that I provided clear, concise, and explicit instructions as to how to navigate the course, the contents of the course, and that ensured that students understood their responsibilities. I also provided steps for troubleshooting each digital tool and resource that was utilized. Withing the syllabus, students were also provided with a contact list of technical support personnel at the school for various support issues. I also shared the syllabus and course content that I had created with our instructional coach and fifth grade teachers as resources for teaching the same content in their classroom and in years to come. Throughout the creation of this module, I learned that as an online facilitator, you must be explicit in your instructions, both in the synchronous and asynchronous class formats. When teaching students online, it is difficult to gauge students’ comprehensions and engagement levels. Overcommunicating expectations and offering students a variety of methods in different modalities to complete tasks are good strategies to use to ensure that student interest levels are high, that they are engaged in the content, and understand what is expected of them throughout the course. If I were to enhance any features of this module, I would create a section in the course syllabus and in the Google Classroom materials section providing students and parents Screencasts showing them how to troubleshoot the tools and resources being used in each section of the module. I believe by offering this resource, students and parents would feel more supported throughout the module. By sharing the course content with our instructional coach and fifth grade teachers, I shared effective an appropriate digital tools and resources to be utilized with students going forward. Several of the tools were included in the technology improvement section of the School Improvement plan to be utilized throughout grade levels. By adding these tools and resources to the school improvement plan, as a school, we are increasing our utilization of appropriate forms of digital tools to enhance our student’s learning experiences. By doing this, we are also creating stronger twenty-first century thinkers and learners.