Visit my Diigo site for links to common tech issues, such as how to convert a Pages document to .pdf and how to view Flash websites on your iPhone: Diigo Student Tech Help List.
Textbooks and Resources
Online Open Textbooks
The following links provide access to my favorite open textbooks about writing.
Online Writing Resources
The following links provide access to my favorite online writing resources.
- The Online Writing Lab at Purdue (The Owl at Purdue)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center
- Towson University Online Writing Support
- University of Richmond Writing Center
Standard 9
The instructor participates in ongoing professional development.
- The instructor attends workshops and/or conferences to stay current in distance education trends, theories, and tools;
- The instructor belongs to professional organizations or groups to maintain subject-matter expertise.
Reflection
I thoroughly enjoy online teaching and the possibilities it offers participants. I have been teaching online courses since 2005. Prior to college teaching, I developed documentation and training materials for computer companies and took Educational Technology and Instructional Design workshops. I have also gone through the American River College Online Teaching Institute and the Sierra College Online Teaching training. When I attended one of the two-day “Innovate” Instructional Technology conferences through the Los Rios Community College District, I learned about the @ONE Online Teaching Certificate program, and I had to sign up. The @ONE program has provided specific instruction for the best practices in online teaching, and I will continue to take courses through @ONE and other programs.
Artifacts
The following artifacts are examples of how I have participated in the online teaching community.
The Center Google Community
I joined The Center @ONE Google community while going through the @ONE Online Teaching Certificate program and enjoy learning about teaching tools, best practices, and other issues related to online teaching. I collected all the great resources and links provided in the Online Teaching program and shared them with The Center community.
- Visit The Center Google Community
- Visit my Evernote Online Teaching folder that I shared with the community
Innovate Presentation
I presented “The Benefits and Drawbacks of a Student Wiki Project” at one of the Los Rios Community College District’s instructional technology conferences. I shared my experiences with using WikiSpaces for a collaborate class project. I hope to participate in this conference again and share my experiences in the @ONE program.
- Visit the Innovate Presentation link
After BOCSM Facebook Group
The Building Online Community with Social Media (BOCSM) class illustrated how social media enhanced the class community and student engagement. The instructor setup an After BOCSM Facebook group, and I enjoy keeping in touch with other online instructors who realize the benefits of using social media in their classes.
ePortfolio Menu
Standard 8
The instructor knows and understands methods for collecting data regarding student learning, and uses this data to modify teaching and course content.
- The instructor uses course tools and tracking data to monitor student participation and performance;
- The instructor uses feedback from quizzes and assignments to modify content delivery and/or activities.
Reflection
Collecting data on student participation and learning helps ensure that we are reaching students. I am constantly aware of student participation because my courses involve two deadlines each week. When a student misses a deadline, I check to see when the student has last logged in and what course pages the student has visited. I’ve also found it helpful to visit the course analytics when a student has a question about the course. I’ve been able to tell a student that she didn’t view the Course Tour or the Getting Started page that provided the answers to her questions. I also use the assessments as a source to help me revise the course content and activities.
Artifacts
The following artifacts show the ways in which I collect student data.
Desire2Learn Class Progress and Participation
In addition to checking the Class Progress area of D2L when my students miss a deadline, I also check the area throughout the week to get a sense of how early and how often students are visiting the course content pages. I also check the area when a student has a question about the course. If I see that the student did not visit a content page, then I let the student know. If the student did visit the content page, then I know that I need to revise the content for clarification.
NoRedInk Student Progress and Mastery
I use the NoRedInk.com website for grammar practice and assessments. In addition to displaying the scores, the site also shows how many attempts the student made. I can then make an inference as to how much the student studied the material before attempting the practice activities. I also like to see if any questions caused the majority of the students some difficulty, so that I can go over the concept in more depth.
Desire2Learn Gradebook
In addition to using the LMS gradebooks to enter grades, I also use the gradebooks to glance at the overall scores and participation. When I see that students have not participated or have received a low score, I then look at the analytics to learn how often the student has been checking in with the course. Also, if I see a pattern of low scores, I then realize that I need to revise the content and activities.