Discussion
of the iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (Version 2)
Do you think these
standards are all that different from good teaching standards in any
environment?
Yes, a solid understanding of content and pedagogy is
required to be an effective teacher.
Although the "pedagogy" piece will look different for online
instruction, there are best practices that are universally applicable to the
profession. There is also the shared
vision of keeping up to date with current trends and practices. The spirit of "pioneering" and
experimentation comes through in these standards, and I believe any good
teaching standards should incorporate that character trait. Standard J reiterates the
"professionalism" of the teaching profession. The practice of lifelong
learning (e.g. professional development and networking) as well as partnerships
with other adults in the community are both required to properly support
student success.
Whereas the modern teacher can get by (and in many cases be
very successful) with limited knowledge of technology and online tools, an
online teacher is expected to know and be able to use technology for
communication, productivity, collaboration, analysis, presentation, research,
and content delivery (Standard B). These
are selected based on both subject matter and student needs. Teachers in any realm should feel empowered
and be skilled at troubleshooting when things go wrong, however an online
teacher has a greater responsibility to be knowledgeable about the technology
being used so that he/she can serve as a go-to person when things go wrong or
need attention. An online teacher also
must be more familiar with the legal and ethical issues surrounding technology
use (Standard E) than an traditional classroom teacher might be, although both
should be familiar with basic rules and best practices.
Student-centeredness is at the heart of Standard C, and
should also be at the heart of any good teaching. To me, this is one of the most important
standards. A teacher should always be able to design and implement lessons that
foster "active learning, application, interaction, participation, and
collaboration". Differentiation
should be a feature in all teaching practices.
Accommodating students' physical disabilities, tailoring instruction to
suit students of diverse talents, and being culturally sensitive to student
backgrounds are all significant components of differentiation (Standard F). Students should be encouraged to indulge in
their own inquiry and goal-orientation.
The teacher-student relationship is important, but as in any good
teaching practice, so is student-student, teacher-parent, and teacher-mentor
interaction (Standard C).
The design of an online or traditional course should include
"clear expectations, prompt responses, and regular feedback". These are crucial to effective and efficient
communication which leads to increased student success. It's important to note
that in these standards as well as in any good teaching standards lies the idea
that a student is able to approach the teacher with questions and offer
feedback about the course as well. Defining objectives, establishing/communicating
assessment criteria from the outset, and offering constructive, personalized
feedback are all part of effective communication on the part of the instructor. Lesson design should always feature
standards-based objectives tied to assignments tied to assessments. The data from the assessments as well as
self-reflection should be used to modify the content as well (Standard I).
Which standards would
not apply in a traditional brick and mortar classroom?
Standards A, B, and C underscore the role of community-building
and collaboration in online learning to connect to a global community. Teachers must be able to interact with
various communication tools much more in an online setting than in a brick-and-mortar
one. In my experience, teaching methods
or styles are discussed more than the tools themselves when it comes to
traditional teaching practices. The
behavior and rationale is considered much more than the actual programs or tools,
which on the contrary seem to dominate many conversations about blended or
online teaching. (In reading Chapter 7 of our text (see below) I think it's
important that is discusses how "tools" should not define us as
teachers, however; They do not make
us good teachers. )
While all teachers should feel prepared to facilitate and
monitor communication and discussion in their class, online teachers need to be
highly skilled and attuned to promote dialogue-driven learning. This is an element of Standard C. Teachers
need to guide often asynchronous class conversations into focus and prompt with
questions that require critical thinking (or extend the questions of their
students).
Assessment is an important practice for all teachers, but it
can be particularly complicated for the online teacher. Ensuring security of student data and the
accuracy of measurement are components of this standard that are amplified for
an online instructor.
Standard K, although optional, speaks to the need for strong
instructional design skills. More often
than not (I would think), online teachers are responsible for the instructional
design of their course, which is significantly different in "digital"
format than it is in a brick and mortar setting. Multimedia, web resources, LMS
options, and project development in an online setting is much more involved for
the online teacher.
All in all, however, I believe the standards for effective
online teaching are really not that much different from those of good teaching
in any format. That's why I think it is
rewarding for a teacher to be able to try out face-to-face, blended, and online
teaching at various points in his/her career to see how learning best practices
in one format can improve one's craft in another format.
I believe Chapter 7 of our course textbook Making the Move to K-12 Online Teaching
summarizes many of these standards in its discussion of best practices for
quality lesson design. I can see its
value as a sort of "rubric" for self-reflection and analysis of our
course design and teaching practices.
I also found the comparison of the LMS to a physical
classroom space helpful. I am concerned
that I have limited experience working with LMS options at this point, but will
make a concerted effort to dabble in at least one to see what options it
provides.
Have you identified
any authentic activities, virtual activities, and/or simulations that you might
like to try with your students?
I am anxious to try Skype in the Classroom to connect
students with both field experts and other classrooms around the world. Our school has received fantastic
telepresence equipment through a local grant, and this is currently
underutilized. I would also like to learn more about virtual field trip options
to suggest to my elementary and middle school teacher colleagues, especially
museums (e.g. Smithsonian). A great resource
for quick and easy simulations, especially for math and science, can be found
here: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new. At this point I am guided tremendously by the
needs of my teacher colleagues, for whom I serve as a resource.
* * * * *
Side note: Here is the initial development of my asynchronous lesson plan for this week's assignment.
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