Learning Theories
Behaviorism - Is a theory in which the student relies on the reward system. They will complete an assignment or extra credit because of the grade they will receive or the anticipation of receiving their degree.
Constructivism - Allows the student to learn based on their past experience. This type of learning is useful for students to collaborate and and gain useful ideas from one another.
Cognitivism - Allows students to practice what is learned. It focuses the learning on rehearsing or practicing a concept. This learning theory is important for kinesthetic learners who learn by completing a task and practicing it repeatedly.
Instructional Concepts
There are many different instructional concepts that are beneficial to both facilitator and student. Some of these are below:Learner contract - Allows both teacher and student outline their goals and objectives for the course. It gives the student responsibility for his or her on learning and expectations in the class.
Self-directed learner - This concept puts the bulk of the responsibility on the student. They are responsible for their own learning and they tend to retain more information than passive learners do. A self-directed learner is supported by online learning because it allows the student to learn at their pace while in front of a computer without the constant interruption of other students.
Small Group Work - Small group work is sometimes difficult for an online student because they have the obligation of working collaborative with other people online through means of online, telephone, or email. They are often not able to see their other group members face-to-face, but given the opportunity group work can be a very useful instructional concept. It forces a student to explore other students ideas on projects and course work.
Forum - This is an open discussion board in which students are provided a question and given an opportunity to express their thoughts, previous experience, or new found knowledge on a particular subject. They are also able to comment on other students posts and provide their feedback.
Online Pedagogy
Five Online Pedagogy Practices
Vary the Learning Experience - Students should feel as though they never stop learning in your online class. As an instructor you should be able to adapt to all different types of learning styles and offer an experience in your class which analyze, evaluate, and understand the material presented in your class.Have Successful Discussions - When developing discussions make sure that the discussion will promote dialogue and makes students think. We should not expect every student in an online class to offer new information to the same question.
Plan a Closing or Wrap up Session - Have your students reflect on what they have learned to close out the session. This will refresh the beginning information as well as the closing.
Provide Personal Feedback - Let your student's know how they did in the class and throughout the semester. It is important for student's to know what is expected of them throughout the course and what they can change to accomplish their ultimate goals.
Ask Students for Feedback - Ask students what they liked about the course and what they would change. The information they provide can be very useful in future classes.
7 Principles
Every Online Teacher Should Follow
- Encourage contact between students and faculty.
- Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students.
- Encourage active learning.
- Give prompt feedback.
- Emphasize time on task.
- Communicate high expectations
- Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
Online Technologies
There are a multitude of technologies available for online teachers to use. Below are a few websites which explain some of these online resources for teachers. All of these websites provide a multitude of information for new online teachers to learn about technologies that will help them successfully teach an online class.http://www.edudemic.com/best-web-tools/
http://elearningindustry.com/321-free-tools-for-teachers-free-educational-technology
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/
Content Resources
Open Educational Resources (OER) is a form of content resources which can be used for educational or teaching purposes at little or no cost to the user. This can include textbooks, reading materials, quizzes, lectures, and/or electronic resources. These resources can be released under Creative Commons which is a license agreement which enables users to use the content with little restrictions.Please see the link for more information regarding Creative Common http://creativecommons.org/.
