I have learned a lot in one week. Most amazingly, I have a Twitter account and a blog - two things I never thought I would create. It was a fun learning experience. One that I do not think is quite over :) The FERPA webinar was also a great learning experience. One of the discussions that still sticks out in my mind is their definition of parent. Much like Barbara, I also teach in a small Alaskan village where the definition of family is lax. Many of my students were adopted as babies by aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas. However, they consider their birth parents just as much a parent. Sometimes, during parent-teacher conferences, I do not know which parent will show up to discuss their students' progress. I also have older brothers and sisters who come as a guardian representative, and I always wondered if it was legal for me to share the student information with them. The definition seems to imply yes. However, I am worried about one sister who was a SPED student herself when she was in high school and never received a diploma. I honestly do not think that she is legally capable of being a guardian - her mental state would be questionable. Do any of you have an opinion on this?
I have been thinking of what type of online class I want to create. As a secondary teacher of a core subject in my school, I am required to teach an RTI (Response To Intervention) session biweekly to my students. Depending on the group of students that I have been assigned, I review math concepts that the particular group is having difficulty mastering. I would like to create an online course that would supplement this RTI teaching session. There would be a total of 45-50 students assigned to the class, however on a biweekly basis the group consists of 10-15 students. I am thinking I will create the course as an ongoing study and discussion class. All students would be able to access the class at any given period to review concepts they are struggling with; however, the group that is meeting during the current biweekly session would be required to access the class, review the materials/strategies introduced on the site, and write a discussion about their learning experience during the session. If anyone has any ideas about how I could tweek this idea, please feel free to post your comments. I would love to hear them - especially if you think this would not work at all. I am really excited about creating this class, but I want to make sure it will be something that will benefit my students' learning.
Brandi, the key thing in developing a class is that you MUST be excited about it...and you are. Since I started developing online courses I have discovered that these courses are an extension of myself as a teacher and I love that these courses are my creation...and don't nobody touch them!! When dealing with high school students, it is very important that you be on top of their work progress. It is easy for me to put my courses online and expect my students to be self-directed enough to just do the work...they don't. Usually I have to figure out a way to meet with them face to face once a week to make sure they are keeping up with the work, understanding how the site works, and answer any questions they may be having. Just a few thoughts. ~Gary
ReplyDeleteKeeping up with the work can be tough, especially when it's all online. I can relate in a couple different ways - this week working on the road I have been swamped doing 12-14 hour days and haven't found a way to just push back and say "NO! I need to get my other work done!"
DeleteInteresting enough on the plane out here I flew next to another grad student from BC who mentioned how important discipline is, doing a little each and every day and staying in touch with their professors and classmates to get a better sense of where they were at in their studies. So even though my hours have been nuts this whole week I've still been trying to put in 30m here, 30m there, whenever I can, just to get by until the weekend when I can *hopefully* catch up.