Month: September 2018

Top 5 Tips 4 Online Facilitation

 

The readings of Unit 1 provided such a vast list of elements that selecting the top five was a hard task.  Dunlap and Lowenthal (2018) guided I my selection as I found combinations that made sense.  The link  LRNT528 U1 A1 5 TIPS Infographic shows the combined tips corresponding to Dunlap and Lowenthal’s themes.

1. Access and Motivation (Salmon, 2018) / Cheerleading (Bull, 2013).

Making sure the way in is trouble-free for all is a must.  Authentic enthusiasm should be the first motivator the audience perceive, which will foster students to look forward to the next session (Salmon, 2018).

A positive standpoint makes the teacher the searchlight for helping students maintain the right course of action (Bull, 2013).

These aspects align with the clarity and relevance Dunlap and Lowenthal refer to when designing effective online content (2018).

2. Be Present at the Course Site (Boettcher, 2013) / Suggestions for Improvement (Boettcher, 2013).

Setting clearly the teacher’s availability to the class is key, as well as making it happen (Boettcher, 2013).

An early feedback from learners helps ensure students are finding their way correctly (Boettcher, 2013).

Being present and supportive of the learning community coincides with Dunlap and Lowenthal (2018) fundamental aspects for achieving an effective online facilitation.

3. Team Building (Salmon, 2018) / Respect Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning (Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2018).

Acknowledging the variety of features poured into the learning community will enrich and benefit all participants (Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2018), and working in teams will allow them to learn from each other in every way (Salmon, 2018; Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2018).

Additionally, the mix of talents represents win-win characteristics Dunlap and Lowenthal (2018) cover in the theme of supporting student success.

4. Co-learner (Boettcher, 2013; Bull, 2013)/ Include Individual Experiences as well as Small Groups and Large Groups (Boettcher, 2013).

Students appreciate instructor’s transparency in learning along with them throughout the course (Bull, 2013) because this lets them know their teacher aims to be better, which motivates them to strive further.

Besides group collaboration, sharing work experiences can illustrate the theory with reality bringing teachings closer to daily life (Bull, 2013).

Improving continuously as an instructor is among the important factors regarding online course design and facilitation (Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2018).

5. Plan a Good Closing and Wrap-Up Activity for the Course (Boettcher, 2013).

A roadmap from the beginning allows students to know where they are making sure they progress along as well (Boettcher, 2013).

The closing stage represents an opportunity to make a lasting impression to support the students’ success (Dunlap & Lowenthal, 2018).

Conclusion

Motivated students trust their teacher sensing her/him near regardless of remote instruction, they eagerly make suggestions to ease starting the new class.  Furthermore, fostering diversity creates opportunities to share and learn including the teacher who, additionally, is learning along too.

References

All graphic material sourced from Creative Commons.

Boettcher, J. V. (2013). Ten best practices for teaching online. Retrieved from https://www.saddleback.edu/uploads        /goe/ten_best_practices_for_teaching_online.pdf

Bull, B. (2013). Eight roles of an effective online teacher. Retrieved from https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles        /online-education/eight-roles-of-an-effective-online-teacher/

Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2018). Online educators’ recommendations for teaching online: Crowdsourcing in action. Retrieved from https://scholar.google.com/scholar_url?url=https://www.learntechlib        .org/p/183573/article_183573.pdf&hl=en&sa=T&oi=gsb-gga&ct=res&cd=0&d=9495255957241473891        &ei=yjyfW5rOMs2xygSQsqeACA&scisig=AAGBfm0rFw4fV2pCc_r2MzSo6uFOrXHl8g

Salmon, G. (2018). The five-stage model. Retrieved from https://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html

Reflection along the way

Starting the LRNT528 course, Facilitating in Digital Learning Environments, made me weigh what we have gone through in the MALAT program so far.  Things are looking more complete as we come to the last two courses of the program’s schedule.

We have seen what is relevant to different learning environments and dealt with research and academic writing.  We have had interesting team works and discussions about foundations of learning, did some design and innovating in learning environments, explored the importance of being a change agent in digital learning, as well as inquired about contemporary issues to finally experienced the design and creation of digital learning resources.

Now it is time for us to learn and practice how to make the outcomes of the resources we gathered in our toolbox accessible to us and our learners.  There is an etymological relationship between the words “easy” and “fácil” (Spanish), which converge in the cognate word facilitate/facilitar.  The meaning of the word represents the challenge a good facilitator must accomplish: make things easy -for the learner.

Learning from the first team

The Core Four of Personalized Learning (Johns & Wolking, 2018) brought some old directives into a new perspective.  While in the public education system I was frequently asked to include differentiated instruction, as well as to allow the students to progress at their own pace.  Furthermore, the practice of centres was enforced since early stages even prior to the formal grades, thus my Pre-Kindergarten students and I had our share of the modality.

Setting the classroom for the core four elements can be beneficial given the school has the resources required.  This was the make or break component because the school district expected the directive to succeed without providing for it.  Each teacher had to look for ways to achieve the setup, and plan and prepare the lessons accordingly.  The extent to which I was able to experience the approach was fun and engaging for the students, while also fun and, at the same time,  demanding for the teachers.  The balance was positive for the students although a bit frustrating for the teachers because we knew we could have accomplished more.