Thursday, December 25, 2008

Student Teaching Online Courses

(Merry Christmas everyone!)

In Online Student Teaching? Karl Fisch asks,“What do you think? Should teacher candidates be required to “student teach” an online course?”

This made me wonder if there is even a course for anyone on how to teach an online course. Maybe there is and if there is, would you let me know? I know of a few people who teach an online course but it seems like they have learned by trial and error. What strategies work? What doesn’t? I would like to know how to set one up and what you require? How are assignments given and graded? How are discussions handled? How does learning take place? As we move into more online opportunities, I think that teacher candidates need to take at least one class on this. As more and more people offer these online courses, there needs to be a way to learn from them so others don’t have to “reinvent the wheel.” I would love to hear what works and what doesn’t, so if you teach an online course, please leave a comment with your thoughts.

Original image: 'Classroom'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10225724@N00/454191001
by: Iria Flavia Spanish Courses

2 comments:

Gary Kidd said...

In 1994, I was the superintendent of schools in a small, rural Colorado district. We were invited to help create the Virtual High School, working through the Concord Consortium in Concord, MA. We created the Teachers Learning Conference to train teachers to teach in an online environment. The Virtual High School is still rocking and rolling. I am now the curriculum director for a district outside Bozeman, MT. Through the VHS we are training several teachers through a 5 course sequence offered through Plymouth State Univ on how to use web 2.0 tools in their classrooms, etc. They will earn a "Certificate of Online Instruction" once they have completed the course sequence. You can access information about these programs at www.govhs.org and clicking on the professional development tab.

loonyhiker said...

Gary Kidd: Thank you so much for this information. It was wonderful! I will definitely check it out!