OLTD 504- Learning Systems
Power My Learning
Learning goal met:
- Critically assess and evaluate resources for best practice in online learning
Power My Learning contains high-quality educational activities for grades K-12. Teachers make play lists of learning activities for students to enjoy. A search menu allows you to find activities by grade, subject and type of activity (games, videos, content, creative tools). The website acts as an aggregator to search educational website to provide the learner and educator with great resources.
The evaluation of this resource was best done by making a list using pros and cons. Power My Learning promised to deliver high quality educational resources and this was mainly true. But after a complete evaluation, there were some problems with accessing the resources.
Having the opportunity to use a group of grade 3 and 4 students to test this resource was critical. Setting up a play list was easy to do, but I was not able to link an assignment to check on learning. The playlist activities worked at home, but not at school. The computers at school needed various plug-ins and the i-pad minis needed flash. Students were encouraged by the activities, but were frustrated by the technological problems.
Teachers can be limited by the resources that they use, so it is critical that an online teacher has good resources at their ready. Properly evaluating resources would insure that the student has a good learning environment. Not only do we as educators need to evaluate the resource for educational merit, but it also must be technologically sound. Since I was using this resource face to face and was able to quickly move to another activity. The online student would have been frustrated.
The evaluation of this resource was best done by making a list using pros and cons. Power My Learning promised to deliver high quality educational resources and this was mainly true. But after a complete evaluation, there were some problems with accessing the resources.
Having the opportunity to use a group of grade 3 and 4 students to test this resource was critical. Setting up a play list was easy to do, but I was not able to link an assignment to check on learning. The playlist activities worked at home, but not at school. The computers at school needed various plug-ins and the i-pad minis needed flash. Students were encouraged by the activities, but were frustrated by the technological problems.
Teachers can be limited by the resources that they use, so it is critical that an online teacher has good resources at their ready. Properly evaluating resources would insure that the student has a good learning environment. Not only do we as educators need to evaluate the resource for educational merit, but it also must be technologically sound. Since I was using this resource face to face and was able to quickly move to another activity. The online student would have been frustrated.
Power My Learning was critically reviewed as a non-LMS resource for 504. This first piece of evidence is to show a detailed review and potential worth of this website.
By evaluating and using this website I was able to gain valuable insight to how the online learner might engage in learning. Being able to witness the excitement and frustration of an online learner has made me more critical of available resources and the technology behind their use. Being an online teacher is more than just providing resources for learning. The presentation of these resources must be both technically and educationally sound for the learner to fully engage in learning.
For me, education must be fun and engaging. As a classroom teacher, if students are having fun and are engaged in their learning, then there are no behavioural problems in the classroom. If there is a behavioural problem, it is most likely due to a frustration in learning. The classroom teacher will know very quickly to intervene. As an online teacher, “behaviour problems” may not present themselves, and, therefore, frustrations in learning may not be noticed until assignments are not completed by due dates.
Power My Learning was critically reviewed as a non-LMS resource for 504. This first piece of evidence is to show a detailed review and potential worth of this website.
By evaluating and using this website I was able to gain valuable insight to how the online learner might engage in learning. Being able to witness the excitement and frustration of an online learner has made me more critical of available resources and the technology behind their use. Being an online teacher is more than just providing resources for learning. The presentation of these resources must be both technically and educationally sound for the learner to fully engage in learning.
For me, education must be fun and engaging. As a classroom teacher, if students are having fun and are engaged in their learning, then there are no behavioural problems in the classroom. If there is a behavioural problem, it is most likely due to a frustration in learning. The classroom teacher will know very quickly to intervene. As an online teacher, “behaviour problems” may not present themselves, and, therefore, frustrations in learning may not be noticed until assignments are not completed by due dates.
Non-LMS toolkit Build
Learning Goal met:
The non-LMS toolkit Build will aid in design and implementation of online courses. The tools have the ability to be used in a wide variety of online environments. To create this toolkit I had to consider what is important in designing an online course and what tools I would need to accomplish that. The toolkit has a dashboard to deliver content to students, methods for collaboration and communication, and to provide assessment and feedback to students and parents. It is important to have a toolkit to support a variety of online learning environments and serve the teacher well. Being familiar with supportive tools will enable the teacher to better design the learning environment as well as support the learner directly. The toolkit helps the teacher be more competent in teaching. These tools are as important to an online teacher as whiteboards, pens, and paper would be to a classroom teacher.
The Non-LMS Toolkit Build was chosen to show the necessary tools necessary to be successful teaching online. The selection of tools is based on recommendations from my cohorts in 504, and what I would feel competent using. I look forward to using these tools to design and facilitate an online course.
- Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of online learning environments and tools
The non-LMS toolkit Build will aid in design and implementation of online courses. The tools have the ability to be used in a wide variety of online environments. To create this toolkit I had to consider what is important in designing an online course and what tools I would need to accomplish that. The toolkit has a dashboard to deliver content to students, methods for collaboration and communication, and to provide assessment and feedback to students and parents. It is important to have a toolkit to support a variety of online learning environments and serve the teacher well. Being familiar with supportive tools will enable the teacher to better design the learning environment as well as support the learner directly. The toolkit helps the teacher be more competent in teaching. These tools are as important to an online teacher as whiteboards, pens, and paper would be to a classroom teacher.
The Non-LMS Toolkit Build was chosen to show the necessary tools necessary to be successful teaching online. The selection of tools is based on recommendations from my cohorts in 504, and what I would feel competent using. I look forward to using these tools to design and facilitate an online course.
Using these tools together makes for an excellent resource for any online teacher. To prepare this toolkit, I had to think from both the teachers’ point of view and the students too. As a classroom teacher, I just needed a material source and a photocopier to stand and deliver a course to students. Online needs to be well organized (dashboard/weebly), provide content (Power My Learning, Screen-o-Matic), access and collect assignments (weebly, google forms), support learners (google docs, google hangout, google+), and needs to communicate effectively to parents (classdojo) and with each other (google+). Using these tools will enable me to be an effective online teacher.
Being able to “stand and deliver” online content will require all of these tools. This toolkit can adapt to any learning style and any subject. Online learning is a very competitive field. Being well organized, supportive, and flexible is key for teaching online.
Being able to “stand and deliver” online content will require all of these tools. This toolkit can adapt to any learning style and any subject. Online learning is a very competitive field. Being well organized, supportive, and flexible is key for teaching online.