I have been taking and teaching/facilitating online courses since 2000 and working virtually since 2006. So one would think that I would have a handle on making the most of a virtual environment. This past month I participated in a virtual support system/game related to setting and achieving goals.  It was an amazing experience with participants from all over the US.  Through this virtual collaborative experience I was reminded that the key to virtual success is communication.  Communication has come a long way in the past 10 years. The constant contact and interactions with others reminded me of all the tools that are available to support virtual communication. Read more...

While reading Thor Prichard's post – Envisioning the Future of Mobile Learning I started thinking about what classrooms of the future would look like and did some web browsing.  Along the way I stumbled upon:Read more...

I finally took the plunge and joined the group of Smartphone users. Of course, I had been using a laptop when many were tied to their desktops. In January we got an ipad which made travelling with technology that much easier until I got my Smartphone.  Last week I purchased an iPhone 5 and it has revolutionized my life – not just because it is an iPhone – but because of all its capabilities as a smartphone. Read more...

As school starts across the country teachers and students alike are wondering what to expect this new year/semester.  Students think what will their teacher be like, what assignments will they complete, who will they know in their classes.  Teachers will want to know what kind of students will I get- are they self-directed learners? Do they respect themselves and others?  Both the teacher and the student will find answers to their questions within the first month of school.

As a teacher I plan and prepare for each new semester.  I review lessons learned from each previous group and I strive to make each new class the best they can be. I have found the more examples and grading criteria you can provide the happier most students are and I try to save work samples from the previous class.  Students have shared that they like when things are laid out and organized. Using a calendar or having a weekly schedule so they know what to expect and plan for each week is helpful.Read more...

Earlier this year I made a commitment to Twitter and I have stayed on top of it. I have found many great articles and resources and followed my share of random trivia.  Lately I have been following the Olympics. I had read in several locations that this was the first Olympics using social media.  I didn’t believe it – social media has been in place for several Olympics, why are they calling this year the first one.  The past few days it has all come together. Read more...

During the summer there seems to be a lot more face-to-face, blended and/or virtual professional development offerings. Over the years I have attended or presented at my share of professional development and some definitely can keep you more engaged than others. I wanted to refresh ideas and revisit best practices so I reached out to the Teachers Engaged community and asked their members how do they keep educators engaged and focused on quality learning.

Here are some of the answers that I received:Read more...

At first thought one would think that the iPad is just a companion between events at a track meet and although that is true this is about a different relationship.  Using the iPad to help with performance. Read more...

As noted in earlier blogs this year, I finally bit the bullet and jumped on board as an iPad user. Of course now they have released a newer version of this technology, but I am still happy with what I have and while traveling I was going to take full advantage of all that the iPad has to offer.

First priority – staying connected. While traveling I needed to be able to access my online course, especially to respond to student communications. To help accomplish this task I was given a wireless keyboard to help expedite the typing. I have to say when set-up and used in a virtual office this really is a time saver. I also made sure that I had the latest version of Skype for the iPad and FaceTime so I could connect with students or family and friends if needed. Finding good wireless connections free or paid, were a challenge and made me wish that I had gotten a 3G compatible device.Read more...

As technology advances one must remember to think if there a better way to achieve a goal. Even with a system or process that works as technology advances the process should be revisited. This week life provided this reminder.

Every spring yearbook sponsors around the country are frantically pulling together pictures, articles and other tidbits and facts for their published work. The coordinators and their student assistants work up until the deadline keeping everything under tight wraps. One of the largest tasks is correctly identifying students. One area that needs a lot of help is identifying an individual in a group photo, like drama, multimedia club, yearbook club, football, etc.  If the names are not spelled correctly or nicknames used the index of student images will not reflect correct information. 

 Read more...

It has been said that as you get older time moves faster, and this has started out as one of those ‘fast’ years.  I can’t believe it is February, so is time flying?Read more...

Finally after 15 months of debate we jumped in and added an iPad to our family of technological gadgets. I say “we” because it was a collective family effort. Every family member received a Best Buy gift card and when we went there none of us found anything that we had to have. So we agreed to keep looking. I started thinking that maybe I needed to get an iPad so I can be more up on the various educational Apps, or this would make a nice alternative to lugging a laptop when I go to Europe this spring; allowing me stay connected to my online class. My kids were an easy sell – they thought it was great. My husband was the one I had to work over – because he wanted to know why this would be different from the laptops, desktop, kindle, iPods and smartphones that we already have. The selling point for him was how the iPad could interface with Direct TV he could take the game outside with him when he grilled and it could act as a remote if he can’t find where the kids left it.Read more...

I like to think of myself as an early adapter, one of those people that as they learn about a new technology they figure it out and try it.  Well for me I just didn’t get the hang of Twitter, or rather what one could do with Twitter.  In 2008 I jumped in and shared my first tweet and that was it.  I was excited about learning a new technology but I didn’t really do anything with it.  In 2009 I said that I was going to give Twitter another shot.  I did and in 2009 there were a few more tweets, especially after meeting up with fellow educators that used Twitter all the time but still it wasn’t something that I fully embraced.  In 2010 I thought lets give Twitter another try – but still did not get into it.  In 2011 I didn’t even try to fool around and tweet anything – sure I logged in and looked around but that was it. To be honest- I never gave Twitter a chance. Read more...

Early on in my educational career I received some great advice “ teaching is not reinventing the wheel – it’s about owing what you teach”. In the beginning I didn’t listen enough to this advice – I spent a lot of time creating my own teaching materials when I would have been better off adapting materials from other educators or collaborating with colleagues to meet the needs of my students and the standards I needed to teach them.  Thank goodness I got wiser with experience.Read more...

I have been taking and teaching online courses since 2000. Over the past 11 years I have heard many questions regarding online learning and so I thought it would be a good idea to address some of those that are frequently asked.

What would you say the number one reason students are not successful in a virtual classroom or online course?

Time. Many students take online courses because they are drawn to taking a class that they can do anytime from anywhere.  But what they don’t do is schedule time into their schedule.  I tell all of my students to block calendar time for an online class every week.  It doesn’t have to be at the same time or from the same location each week – but they do need to include time to do course work and to go online each week.

How do you know how much time each student is spending online?  What is the minimum of they should spend online? Read more...

In January I shared Updating Assignments for a New Year with you. I shared my process how I reflect on the previous semester and how I make changes in my assignments and course structure for the new semesters. After the spring semester the area where students were looking for additional help and support was around managing time and keeping track of assignment due dates.Read more...