ITEC 7481: Designing and Developing Online Learning
Practicum LogReflection
Instructional Technology Department
Candidate:Maggie Phillips / Mentor/Title:
Tawana Phillips-Taylor / School/District:
Cobb County
Course:
ITEC 7481: Designing and Developing Online Learning / Professor/Semester:
Dr. Williamson Fall 2012
Part I: Log
(This log contains space for up to 5 different practicum experiences for your 10 hours. You may only need one. If you have fewer field
experiences, just delete the extra rows. If you have more than 5 practicum experiences, please copy and paste additional rows. Thank you!)
(Minimum of 3-4 sentences per question)
10/23/2012
10/26/2012
10/28/2012
10/30/2012
10/31/2012 /
- Observation of synchronous sessions on 10/23/2012 (1 Hour) and 10/30/2012 (1 Hour)
- Review of “Rational Functions” Module (Resources, Lessons, Assignments, Assessments, etc.) (2 Hours)
- Review of “Rational Functions” Discussion Postings and related assignment submissions (1 Hour)
- Exploring resources (instructor created and online) provided to support student learning of Trigonometry (2 Hours)
- Review submitted assignments for module and teacher commentary/feedback (2 Hours)
- Exploring record keeping resources through GaVS (Discussion Posting Tracker, Student Grade Tab, etc.) (1 Hour)
Technology
- I, i, III
- I, i, IV
- II,i,XI
Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions
- II, v, I
- II, v, II
- II, vi, III
- II, v, IV
- II, v, V
- III, iii, III
- III, iii, IV
For the second part of this field experience, I focused on instructional and assessment methods, communication strategies, and teacher/course data keeping resources. I attended two synchronous sessions, to observe the instructional methods and strategies implemented to support student learning of complex topics. I reviewed a variety of assignments and discussion posts assigned through the module, and I explored the resources available to course instructors to track and monitor student participation.
2. How did this learning relate to the knowledge (what must you know), skills (what must you be able to do) and dispositions (attitudes, beliefs, enthusiasm) required of an online teacher? (Refer to the standards you selected in Part I. Use the language of the PSC standards in your answer and reflect on all 3—knowledge, skills, and dispositions.)
In this field experience, I learned how important it is to have a strong knowledge of varied instructional approaches. The instructor of this course, as well as instructors of other online courses must have a deep understanding of instructional strategies and methods. When teaching complex topics in an online setting, instructors must know different ways to show, explain, and reinforce a concept with very little synchronous communication. This far exceeds presenting the same information many times, it requires teaching the same concept multiple ways to ensure student understanding. In addition, the instructors must have the technical skills to implement these instructional methods. They must have the ability to use asynchronous communication to teach a range of diverse learners a complex topic using an online platform. That skill is a vital component of online teaching. Finally, the disposition of the instructor is incredibly important. They must have the desire and motivation to ensure student learning and success in the course.
3. Describe how this practicum experience impacted your development as an online teacher and your ability to provide high-quality online instruction in your current context. How can the impact be assessed?
Through this field experience, I learned so much about instructional approaches. I focused in on one (very complex) module and explored the many different ways in which the content was taught. The same concept was taught in four different ways. I saw the resources that were used, the instructional methods, and the meaningful communication included within the unit. To see the numerous ways the content was taught helped me better understand how learning in an online synchronous environment can meet the needs of a variety of diverse learners. Moving forward with my online course, I have a strong desire to incorporate (with modifications) a variety of the instructional methods I saw in this course. I will make sure that there are resources to support a variety of learning styles and reinforce content in multiple ways. Ultimately, the assessment will be of the impact on student learning. If the modules contain multiple instructional approaches, students will most likely have a positive learning experience, leading to positive assessment results.
DIVERSITY*
(Place an X in the box representing the race/ethnicityand subgroups involved in thesepracticum experiences)
Ethnicity / P-12 Faculty/Staff / P-12 Students
P-2 / 3-5 / 6-8 / 9-12 / P-2 / 3-5 / 6-8 / 9-12
Race/Ethnicity:
Asian / X / X
Black / X / X
Hispanic / X / X
Native American/Alaskan Native / X / X
White / X / X
Multiracial / X / X
Subgroups:
Students with Disabilities / X / X
Limited English Proficiency / X / X
Eligible for Free/Reduced Meals / X / X
Gender:
Male / X / X
Female / X / X
School Type:
Public / X / X
Private / X / X
Home / X / X
*When diversity info is not available on class-by-class basis, percentages for
all GVS students are applied to the number of students in the class as an estimate.