Online Learning in My Classroom

One type of technology I use with my students that qualifies as an online learning experience is a web-based career planning tool. Career Cruising is a program that incorporates interest inventories, career exploration, and portfolio compilation.  Using Career Cruising, students create an Educational Development Plan (EDP) and an online portfolio which helps document the career development process they go in our school district from 8th - 12th grade.

Another type of technology that qualifies as an online learning experience  I can use with my students is the Blackboard Learning Management System. I have begun to use this software and would say my classes fit into the Web-enhanced category. An online course called Using Technology in Career Exploration is available for my students use. I have been selectively choosing parts of this online course to meet curriculum requirements for my 8th grade and 6th grade students. I find using this online course easiest for delivering content and in some instances to assess student performance. So far, I have not found that monitoring student progress is an easy thing to do in Blackboard.

Using Blackboard and the online course Using Technology in Career Exploration can help me meet curriculum requirements because the course contains an Internet safety oriented Web Quest, rubrics for several assignments, and a threaded discussion board. I evaluated the Web Quest for one of my assignments in CEP 812, identified it's strengths and (most importantly) shortcomings, and made a plan to supplement what is missing. I have not used the threaded discussion feature yet (I guess I just need to take the plunge), but plan to in the future.

Following is a list of content standards these technologies help me teach:

Career Planning Tools - Career Cruising
Students develop an EDP and a career portfolio.METS 6-8 2c-1, 2c-2
Learning Management System - Blackboard
Interactive discussions and use of rubrics for assessment are helpful here.METS 6-8 1b-6, 2a-1, 2b-1, 2b-2, 2c-3, 3a-2, 3a-3, 3b-1, 4a-1, 4b-1 
WebQuest - Be Web Wise and Safe On-line
This WebQuest involves online research and collaboration among team members. METS 6-8 2b-1,2c-2, 3a-2,5a-1,2,3,6b-1

The online learning experience for students lends itself to using pedagogical strategies I already know and love. Following is a list of some of them along with an example:

• Identifying similarities and differences- In career exploration, students identify how similarities between school subjects and careers.
• Summarizing and note taking -  Students do a project  that involves online research, summarizing and note taking, and using technology to synthesize this into a presentation. 
• Setting objectives and providing feedback- Students set SMART goals for themselves and reflect on whether the process they identified is working to help them achieve these goals.
• Utilizing questions, cues, and advance organizers - Students use advance organizers to organize information about themselves regarding personality traits, likes and dislikes, lifestyle preferences, and hopes and dreams and use this information to analyze career choices.

Technologies I think would be harder to use with students are wikis, educational blogs, and RSS feeds. The reasons I think these technologies would be harder to use are twofold: 1) Our schools filter blocks these technologies and 2) Even though we have learned about these technologies in this certificate program, I still am having a hard time coming up with a "focus" for student use of these technologies! This is one of my goals for the future.  I am a "work-in-progress." but at least I am in progress!  Dr. Plair's assertion that: "There is some rational thought to the saying – Rome was not built in a day.  And nor does an online learning experience have to be built in a day." really gives me hope!