A. Slidescenario -Imagine That You Are a Professional Football Team Lions

A. SLIDEScenario -imagine that you are a professional football team – Lions

• Preparation involved. Look at what you need to improve, look at the other team tendencies, game film, decide on plays that would expose the other teams’ weakness
• In the same way, when designing a course, you need to first plan or prepare for the task.

B. SLIDE I’m not going to tell you how to create a lesson or unit plan – you know yourself, your class
andyour curriculum better than I can even imagine – but I will challenge you to identify some
essentialcomponents before you begin the process. Kelly Kermode, FHE teacher, article in
MACUL Journal.

• Don’t include technology for the sake of technology.
• Include only because it will enhance or better what you are doing in the classroom.
• If there is something that works great in a face-to-face environment, keep doing it.
• Suggestion – identify the ‘untouchable’ items you are currently doing.
• Understand that technology implementation takes time.
• When introduced first time, will mess up the usual flow of classroom rhythm.
• Need to add time for students to learn how to use the new tool.
• Communicate that to your department head, your building leadership.
• Not all technology implementation will hit the same levels of learning.
• If you need to do some rote-practice with digital flashcards, that’s okay.
• Don’t neglect activities that will help students reach higher levels of thinking.
• You cannot keep everything and add more.
• There must be a sacrifice in order to include something different.
• We often feel the pressure to do it all – and on the first attempt – but best to do small steps.
• It’s okay to not have all the answers.
• Technology will throw us curveballs, will swing and miss.
• Be ready to ask for help – from staff, from students. Let students ask peers for help.
• Identify tech-savvy students, bring them onboard prior to the activity so they understand.

C. SLIDEAlso part of this ‘planning process’ is developing a plan for the manner in which you want
to create the course?

• Do you want to locate all of the supporting resources first (i.e. documents, video clips, practice sheets, etc).
• Do you want to tackle the most difficult module first or last?
• Do you want to develop the course in order.
• CAUTION: Do not create the course on the fly.
• CAUTION: avoid using dates within your course. Snow days, fog delays, each year has new calendar
• ADVICE: compile list of documents that need updating prior to start of each semester
  

D. SLIDEHow will you introduce the course (Getting started message, introduction, orientation,
explainlearning sequence, modify/adjust syllabus)? As part of this process, how will you promote
thecourse?

A. SLIDEIn most classrooms, the teacher knows the instructional design and students follow along.

B. SLIDEWith a blended or even online format, that design is clearly visible to students.

• You may have a preferred style – Gagne’s 9 Events of Instruction, ADDIE, backward design

C. SLIDEGoal is you want students to first remember and understand a concept (knowledge
acquisition), apply and/or analyze the concept (knowledge deepening), and then
evaluating/creating based on a concept (knowledge creation).

• Greater reason that just that knowledge – it is the unintentional process of thinking students to think. Quote – “While much of the knowledge we teach may be obsolete within a few years, thinking skills once acquired will remain with our students for their entire lives.
• Think of it this way – “Before we can understand a concept, we have to remember it. Before we can apply the concept we must understand it. Before we can analyze it we must be able to apply it. Before we can evaluate its impact, we must have analyzed it. Before we can create we must have remembered, understood, applied, analyzed and evaluated.

D. SLIDESo how would that look?

Define – target statement, real life scenario that needs solved, capture attention

Develop – present the content in a variety of ways that will help remember, understand, apply
and analyze.

Design – create a project or work as a group to solve a problem based on what has been
learned

Debrief – assessment and/or reflection

E. SLIDEEmbrace the new instructional tools that technology affords you.

• Use the tools to explicitly state your expectations (objectives, evaluation rubrics, grading policies) – not just mentioned once in class, but available for constant reference.
• Use the tools to include multiple ways to engage students.
• You don’t have to be that ‘sage on the stage’ – find learner-centered activities
• Provide options that will help the student who struggles and the student who accels.
• Technology means we don’t have to aim for the middle of the road
• Include multiple ways for students to how what they know
• Formative and summative assessments do not have to be MC, T/F, fill-in-the-blank
• Challenge – move beyond the curriculur objectives. State in an objective format how you intend to utilize technology. “I will engage my students by incorporating a “______” to empower learning.

F. A word of caution – don’t be distracted by the ‘shiny stuff’.

• Just because you can do something in Moodle does not mean that you should do it or have to do it. The ultimate goal is learning.
• What is it you want your students to know?
• What is it you want them to be able to do?

A. SLIDEShare personal experience with BLiC course

• I was stunned at the number of teachers who struggled with navigating their way through Moodle.
• Part of me wonders if that is one reason for some dropouts.

B. Students don’t always understand the concept of blended or online learning and the relationship
between the classroom and the online components. They may need help with time management.
They may need help with active learning.

C. SLIDE TRANSITIONHow do you support student navigation within Moodle?

• Demonstrate for students during some face-to-face time, or
• Place tutorial in the same area as the skill the first time (for example, when you give your first assignment in the course, include a segment on how to open the assignment link and complete it.
• Encourage students to help each other.

D. SLIDESuggestions for participant tutorials

• How to navigate around Moodle
• How to view gradebook/reports
• How to participate in a discussion forum
• How to submit an assignment (various kinds)
• How to participate in a chat
• How to submit an item to the glossary
• How to use Completion tracking
• How to edit the profile
• How to take a quiz
  

A. SLIDEYou will hear me talk a lot about what I learned from teaching the BLiC course.

• There was a time when I gung-ho, look at all the cool things you can include in a course
• Our course started with 38 teachers. Learned very quickly that reviewing/grading is very time consuming. VERY time consuming.

B. TRANSITION SLIDEThink about how time is managed in a traditional school.

• There is a highly defined start and end time
• Classes are slotted into segments within the day
• Sometimes bells ring to make sure everyone gets to where they need to be on time
• Doors are closed on weekends and holidays.
• Note: There has been a great deal of talk about the confines of time within schools. Forcing learning to ‘only’ happen within a confined time limits our opportunities.

C. The use of time could not be more different in the virtual world! In many virtual school
environments, students and teachers can work any hour of the day or night, any day of the week,
any time of the year.

• Many online teachers enjoy the flexibility of the virtual environment, but it can also present some time challenges such as:
• Having a hard time walking away from the computer since students can submit work at anytime
• Personal and work time blend together, resulting in feelings of working all the time

D. The first step in getting organized is to think about balance. Every life needs balance; too much
time spent in one area can lead to fatigue, ineffectiveness, and even resentment.

E. SLIDETime Management Tips

• Create a course facilitation schedule and stick to it whenever possible.
• Whenever possible, communicate to the class as a group
• Set aside defined times to work on the course
• If suddenly have inspiration, jot it on a note and put aside.
• Provide balanced teaching presence – forum – on too much, hurt discussion
• Create a feedback plan – let students know when they can expect to hear back from you

E. My goal today is not to teach a time-management course. Rather, help you understand that time management is totally different with blended or completely online learning. A couple of resources:

A. SLIDEAnother example from BLiC – had the privilege of working as a co-facilitator with Cathy
Williams

B. At first, not overly excited. Excited, couldn’t wait to get started, I was going to do all these cool things with the course.

C. As I got into the course, I begin to realize all that was involved (PowerPoint demo)

Provide structure, focus on students, create authentic tasks, implement variety of learning
methods, actively revise lessons, manage course, provide feedback, grade student work, build
rapport with students, differentiate, give weekly updates

D. SLIDEIdeas for Involving Others In Your Course

• Work with department colleague
• Steal from others (thanks to Creative Commons licensing and proper documentation of copyrighted materials)
• Use subscription services such as Discovery Streaming (providing password is used).
• Tap into GenNet resources
• Ask students to research and find resources – give them extra credit.
  

A. You may be quite familiar with Howard Gardner’s eight/nine multiple intelligences –some students stronger in a given intelligence than another.

NOTICE that I did not say has to be included in every module. Make it a goal, but not break it.

SLIDE

• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the verbal-linguistic student?
• These learners have highly developed auditory skills and often think in words. They like reading, playing word games, making up poetry or human interest stories.
• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the visual student?
• These learners are very aware of their environments. They like to draw, envision, daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal and physical imagery. Use tools that enable drawing.
• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the bodily-kinesthetic student?
• These learners have a keen sense of body awareness. They like movement, making things, touching.
• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the musical student?
• These learners love music, but they are also sensitive to sounds in their environments. They may study better with music in the background.
• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the interpersonal student?
• These students learn through interaction. They have many friends, empathy for others, street smarts.
• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the instrapersonal student?
• These learners tend to shy away from others. They're in tune with their inner feelings; they have wisdom, intuition and motivation, as well as a strong will, confidence and opinions.
• What have you incorporated that will make it easier for the logical-mathematical student?
• These students think conceptually, abstractly and are able to see and explore patterns and relationships.

A.SLIDESome of you might remember a song from years ago (perhaps 70’s) – Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Neil Sedaka).

B. Similar way – self-reflection about yourself as an instructor and of your course is hard to do. Very simple advise – in the words of Nike – JUST DO IT!

• Begin with yourself – what did you do well, what was a struggle, research ideas to help
• Next, focus on the course – what learning activities went well, what didn’t (don’t automatically dismiss it – ask why, maybe because it was a new activity).
• Finally, review student feedback. Ask if it was user-friendly, what helped them learn, what did not. May be a survey or feedback or a simple open-ended question.

C. SLIDESurvey compiled by staff at Simmons College – excellent questions that give insight in a roundabout way. For example –

• Worked in a course discussion without doing the required pre-work or readings?
• What would that tell you about the course?
• Worked on an assignment that required integrating ideas or information from various sources?
• What would that tell you about the course? – more than regurgitating what read
• Discussed ideas from your class with others outside of class (students, family members, co-workers, etc)
• What does that tell you? – that it reached the HOTS
• Too what extent do the assessments in your class challenge you to do your best work?
• Too easy, or if higher ratings, what did you do right?

A. SLIDE Share that there are three primary types of interaction that can happen in a course.

• Participant-Instructor Interaction
• Emails
• Announcements
• Discussions
• Feedback
• Define what can be done in advance.

• Participant-Participant Interaction
• Discussions
• Collaborative group work
• Peer review activities
• Opportunity - encourage students to learn together
• Moodle is not just about text, images and links. There is a Moodle philosophy that presumes that learning is particularly effective when constructing something for others to experience. Moodle was born with collaboration in mind.
• This means that your job as a 'teacher' can change from being 'the source of knowledge' to being an influencer and role model of class culture, connecting with students in a personal way that addresses their own learning needs, and moderating discussions and activities in a way that collectively leads students towards the learning goals of the class.
• Learner-Content interaction
• reading content
• presenting course content inan appropriate and motivating format

B. Why would I include this information as one of the eight essential questions? Balance. Perhaps at the end of each module, ask yourself:

• Am I communicating on a regular basis
• Am I empowering students to help each other learn?

Am I providing relevant content and creative instructional strategies?

SLIDE – Thank You and Contact Information

SLIDE – Image Credits

STEVE’S SUPPORTING WEBSITES

Blended Learning Resources

Blended Learning Toolkit -

Kathy Schrock’s Bloomin’ Apps Guide (Apps Linked To Bloom’s Taxonomy) –

Instructional Strategies Online -

21st Century Pedagagy -

Article, “Guidelines for Making Changes to your Curriculum” by Kelly Kermode, MACUL Journal, Spring 2013 (page 13) -

While Teach Your Course Checklist -

Designing Your Course Checklist -

Time Management

Five Tips for Better Work-Life Balance –

Evaluating Your Course

Revising Your Course Checklist -