The instructor effectively uses a range of technologies tools–both within and outside of the Learning Management System–that support student learning and engagement.
- The instructor incorporates tools that meet the content demands of the course;
- The instructor uses a variety of tools for communicating with students, delivering content, assessing student learning, and analyzing effective teaching;
- The instructor incorporates a variety of tools that meet the various learning needs of his/her students.
Reflection
Knowing how to use a college’s chosen Learning Management System (LMS) is helpful when setting up courses, using them throughout the semester, and being able to help students use them as well. When American River College used Blackboard, I went through the college’s Online Teaching Institute that included instruction for how to use the platform. When the college replaced Blackboard with Desire2Learn (D2L), I took a training course for that platform. With each upgrade, I make sure to take the “upgrade” training courses to learn about new features and methods. When I began teaching at Sierra, I took their Online Training program that included instruction for using the Canvas LMS. I also took the @ONE Moodle class and learned how to develop a course using that LMS. In addition to using each LMS platform, I also use more tools to enhance the content and interaction.
Artifacts
The following artifacts provide examples for how I have applied each standard.
Moodle Learning Management System
I took the Introduction to Teaching with Moodle class and developed a Grammar course. The Grammar course included quizzes, discussions, surveys, and weekly outlines. The Moodle Books feature was my favorite component of the Moodle LMS. I realized the benefit of the Moodle Books feature while taking the @ONE courses. Being able to read instructor-created content, organized into a “book” helped me to learn and to “feel” the instructor’s presence in the course. I also enjoyed learning how easy Moodle Books are for an instructor to setup.
The following screencast provides an overview of my Moodle course:
- Visit the Moodle Course video on YouTube
Desire2Learn Learning Management System
I use the Desire2Learn LMS (D2L) at American River College. Because I wanted my courses to look and feel more like other programs that students probably use (Facebook, Yahoo, and so forth), I learned how to create custom Widgets and a custom Home Page. I use the D2L platform as the main course website, but I also have students use other tools that further enhance their educational experience.
The following video shows the Course Tour for a Plain English class in Desire2Learn:
- Visit the Course Tour video on YouTube
NoRedInk Tool
In addition to using the Learning Management System and other collaboration tools, I also used a website called NoRedInk for my Plain English class. Each week, I provided a mix of instructor-created content and links to other resources for the students to study the Plain English writing style and grammar. Then the students would go through grammar tutorials on NoRedInk for practice. The NoRedInk website provides easy-to-use and interactive tutorials that provide the students with immediate feedback. After studying and practicing, the students would then complete a Quiz on NoRedInk. I would then check the Quiz scores and enter them into the LMS Gradebook.
View the following screencast of the NoRedInk tool:
- View the NoRedInk Tool video on YouTube
- Visit the NoRedInk website and enter the following class code to view the practice activities and quizzes: xke9w7kv
Google Community and Facebook
After taking the Building Community with Social Media class, I realized the benefits of using social networks in online classes. I was skeptical at first because I had de-actived my Facebook account years ago. So I reluctantly re-actived my Facebook account for the class and began using it to communicate with the instructor and classmates. Using Facebook, combined with VoiceThread, really did help foster community. I had taken a few @ONE courses with the same classmates, but I didn’t get to know them until taking this class–hearing their voices on VoiceThread and seeing their personalities come through the tone of their writing in Facebook.
Padlet
I used Padlet as a course discussion tool because of the ease of use and visual way to communicate. The class and I enjoyed Padlet very much; but it wasn’t designed for threaded conversation, so I will use it differently in the future. The tool is great for posting brief ideas, images, and links. It’s easy to use and can be embedded in LMS pages.
- Visit the Grammar Padlet
WikiSpaces
I used WikiSpaces for one of my classes. I setup the site and added the course topics. The students needed to research the topics, using the textbook, course presentations, and other resources that they found. Then they wrote about the topics with the goal of helping other students in the future. Students needed to write original content for a few topics, as well as enhance and edit others. I found the process of writing for a wiki to be very beneficial for the students.
- Visit the WikiSpaces project