This has been a very interesting assignment for me especially since I view this area of face to face teaching as one of the areas for self-improvement. In a face to face environment, I pride myself on knowing the students; knowing their strengths and weaknesses, knowing their abilities, knowing their triggers and knowing how to 'hook' them. In this way, I struggle to document this on paper as I have a very good understanding of next steps for each of my students. I am working on this! The need for effective, clear and concise formative and summative assessments makes much more sense to me in an online environment. In most cases, face to face conferencing is not going to happen in a blended or online course so therefore it is of paramount importance to share feedback, allow time - and a means - for reflection and guidelines for evaluation and assessment. Below I have listed several factors that I believe would need to be considered when implementing formative and summative assessments: AccessibilityLanguage: Instructions can be challenging at the best of times so there's a need to simplify the instructions as much as possible. have to be clear - and accessible - for all learners no matter their language, special need(s) and/or intellectual ability. Using captions and transcripts can help with this.
Expectations: In an online and blended environment, different learners from a variety of backgrounds may expect less or more. Setting clear expectations from the outset is extremely important, especially with regard to quality of work produced, due dates and priorities. Tech Ability: there will always be a wide range of abilities so instructions and tasks need to be carefully worded to be just as applicable to the weakest, non-techy individual as well as avoiding being too patronising for the self-confessed geeks. Connectivity: Internet speed and country/state/school restrictions need to be taken into consideration as some districts block certain tools and certain tools require high bandwidth... Flexibility: All Web2.0 tools need to be viewed as temporary - especially the free ones. As creators get bored, add new features and possibilities, move onto other projects or change the conditions and costs, other similar online tools may need to be used instead. The assessments need to be flexible enough to allow for changes and individual student preferences. Timing: Online and blended students require flexibility in when and how assignments can be assessed. The ability to get asynchronous as well as synchronous feedback means that students and teachers can access assignments and communicate across time zones and around other commitments such as family and work. Confidence: Many different learners with varying needs and abilities means that confidence - or lack of -could be a factor. Providing a support network or buddy system is a great way to alleviate these issues.
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Contents1. Resume/Bio
2. Online vs. face to face Venn Diagram 3. Collaborative Presentation of Web2.0 Tools 4. Designing an online discussion 5. Establishing an Accessible Social Presence 6. Designing a comprehensive Assessment Plan 7. Online Course Syllabus 8. Reflection: iNACOL Standards for Quality Online Teaching About MeHello, I am Tony Potts, the Director of Digital Learning, PK-12 ICT Coordinator, ICT teacher and technology integration specialist at GEMS World Academy, Dubai. Please feel free to ask me ANY questions...
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