Reflections+EDLD5368

This course was complicated to say the least, it involved several steps as we prepared to develop and design our online course by using the “backward design” model created by of Wiggins and McTighe. I learned several new strategies and a new product that assisted as I created the online course. I used the “backward design” model to create a needs assessment to determine our students’ areas of weakness, and determine what TEKS I would use as a starting point to create the online course. I then had to create the “Big Idea” and the essential questions bases on the nouns and adjectives used in the TEKS I chose. The process helped me understand what my students needed to learn based on these TEKS and what I had to base my assignments on to ensure students would learn the “Big Idea”. I created my lesson plan and activities and implemented them into Schoology, an open source learning management system (LMS). Dr. Diane Mason stated, “A learning management system is computer software designed to manage the organization, delivery and tracking of online courses and student performances.”(Course Ware Week 3, Slide 4). Schoology allowed me to create my assignments and activities online as well as enroll my students in the course. This would allow students to learn online and in a manner that will keep them motivated. They will also be able to collaborate on projects online with other students. By creating activities and projects that are learner centered and involve collaborative learning the potential to teach students skills that will prepare them to succeed beyond their education is very credible. Using technology as a LMS introduce students to online learning and combining it with classroom instruction provides students with a blend of new and old methods of learning thus introducing them to something new in a safe and comfortable environment. This experience provided me with knowledge that I will be able to implement in the future with students to help them experience online learning as they learn subject content. I will eventually like to provide professional development training for teacher to teach them how to integrate online courses into their curriculum. I gained knowledge on preparing lesson plans using the “backward design” model. This too will ensure that I am creating learner-centered projects that ensure students are grasping the Big Idea, and comprehending as they collaborate to complete the projects. In my opinion, the Schoology assignment was an excellent exercise that allowed me to integrate online learning with the third grade curriculum that I teach. A few students were provided with passwords and were allowed to respond to a question in the Discussion section of the LMS. These students were excited to try something new and help me with my project. Teachers that saw my project provided me with positive comments regarding the Schoology project I had created. They were interested in how this project would work in my class. The assignments in this class were not collaborative in nature so there were no group processes related to this course. The affective tone of the teachers that saw the project and the students that participated were both positive and enthusiastic about the outcomes of the Schoology project. There are many questions that I have regarding Schoology and online learning. For example, how do you create assignments or assessments directly in Schoology that can provide teachers and students immediate feedback? What are the long-term expectations of online learning in K-12 education? How is online learning implemented in the elementary grades? How will online learning be funded in the future for K-12 education? These are all questions that I would like answered by the experts in online learning. It puzzles me how online learning may be utilized in the elementary levels. For example, will it be used for homework assignments and out of class projects, or will it be taught as an individual class that teaches students one of the content areas. Regardless of how it will be used, I am sure it will be an integral part of student learning.  Reference Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2000). //Understanding by Design.// Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice  Hall., Ch. 1. Mason, A., (2010). //EDLD 5368 Instructional Design//, Brighten Course Ware, Resources, Week  3-4, Slide 3.
 * EDLD 5368 Instructional Design **