Online Learning

This week in our Internet for Educators class, we focused on online learning. We experienced an online synchronous class on Monday, and had a presenter in our class on Wednesday from Manitoba Education about their online courses.

Monday

Our class on Monday was hosted on Zoom, an online conference call service with video capabilities. During this class, we discussed our experiences with online courses. We discussed asynchronous, synchronous, and blended learning classes, and their pros and cons. Our class then broke apart into smaller groups to discuss questions about online learning. 

Why do we do online at all? I think the best reason is accessibility. For students who do not have access to certain courses because of remoteness or lack of services, online courses provide them with options they would not have otherwise. Online courses allow for flexibility, letting students complete assignments on the own schedules and complete modules at their own pace (assuming the course is asynchronous).

Why, do we think, the success of web-based courses is not very high? Related to flexibility, some students struggle with the added responsibility of doing a course on their own. There are more distractions at home, there are is no responsibility to attend lectures at a certain time of day, and online courses can be easier to forget about than face-to-face classes. For example, I know that if I miss a class in the morning, I better not run into my professor later that day. That alone is enough to make me attend lectures, but that element is missing with an online asynchronous course.

What are some of the key challenges of online courses? Sometimes instructors can be hard to get a hold of if you have questions, but some online learning management systems (LMS) have a forum function where you can discuss topics with classmates. This helps provide students with the sense of community they may be missing in an online course. Online courses often have few opportunities for assessment. My small group discussed that having a synchronous class where students participate on Mentimeter may be a way to assess students more frequently, in a situation with less pressure than an online test. Students may struggle with motivation in their online classes, in which case, we recommended that students have a calendar to keep track of their assignments. With both online and offline classes, I list all my assignments due on a whiteboard that I always have visible in my bedroom. That way my due dates are always looming over me!

I even colour-code for each class!

Can we see any techniques or apps for online learning being useful in an EY or MY classroom? We discussed using Flipgrid, Kahoot, Goosechase, Seesaw, and other applications like ClassDojo (though more for classroom management and parent communication). Another group had mentioned connecting to other classrooms in the world, but I don't think they had mentioned an app or program - but it made me think of Empactico. I wonder if we were thinking of the same website!

Wednesday

Chris Fredrickson, a web-based course developing consultant, visited our classroom from the Manitoba Department of Education. First, he talked about how online learning benefits our classrooms. Online learning helps meet student needs, and learn how they naturally would learn on their own. Students are more likely to look up a YouTube DIY video than make a trip to the library. Online learning reflects how a student in today's world would learn without a teacher.

We later talked about the elements needed for a successful online course. Chris spoke of the importance of building community, and engaging activities. 

To build community, find a platform in which students can talk to each other and share learning. They can do this in a forum provided by the LMS, or using websites like Edmodo. I had never heard of Edmodo before, but I am curious to try it with classroom activities I had seen demonstrated on Facebook. Chris also recommended writing blogs, or creating YouTube channels to make videos about their learning, much like Flipgrid, but a longer format.

For engaging activity ideas, Chris recommended gamification. Gamification is the application of game-like elements in a "real life" scenario. For example, Classcraft is gaining popularity in classrooms. Students can create characters, and use collected points to buy weapons or powers for their characters. They gain points by completing assignments and reaching curriculum goals. I had not heard of gamificiation or Classcraft before this presentation, and I can see the perks of using a system like this in a classroom. I'm not sure if I would use it to the extreme of Classcraft, but I like the idea of combining an extended story line that will keep students engaged, with completing work. Chris had mentioned Scott Hebert and his classroom. I think his gamification is a little extreme for my taste, but his students seem very engaged in his classroom.

Conclusion

Over all, I thought this week's topic of online learning was important to discuss. As technology grows more relevant in our personal lives, online learning has never been this accessible to people, and especially to students. In remote areas where skilled people in certain disciplines may not be readily available, online connectivity allows us to connect students with people who can teach them the skills they need for their future. I think it is important to not write off online learning. Online learning provides students with options that would not be accessible to them before. Online learning, in an asynchronous setting, allows people to work jobs and care for their families while learning at their own pace and own timing. Though online learning has it's challenges, I think most of these challenges are solvable and the positives outweigh the negatives.