EdTech 521: Online Teaching Style + Strategies

Although I am not currently in a traditional teaching role, I believe my teaching style has been a combination of teacher- and student-centered for the majority of my career.  As much as possible, I have tried to stay away from lecture-driven lessons.  This is in part due to the age groups I have taught (elementary and middle school mostly) and the diverse subject matter.  Looking at a live meetings in an online classroom, I can see the efficiency and personalization that is possible with posting asynchronous "lectures" in advance of a communal, real-time discussion. This allows students to work in their own time and at their own pace in previewing information that will come up in the synchronous meeting.  Students will enter the discussion with greater confidence and understanding, as they have the background information that is required to take part in the online meeting.

To ensure that the lecture portion of an online course is effective and accessible to the students, I would consider a few important aspects.  These are the same strategies I would incorporate in a blended environment, particularly if flipped learning was the principle format.

1. The lecture should be like a polished performance -- it should have audiovisual components as well as written text.  This ensures that most learning styles are accommodated in the presentation of the material.  Along those lines, the text and graphics within the presentation (e.g. the slides) should be meaningful and easy-to-read/interpret.
2. The lecture should be filmed with high quality picture and sound, with thoughtful and purposeful editing.  It should paint a picture and set a proper tone through the use of background sounds, graphics, and teacher enthusiasm. At the end of the day, the lecture should be succinct and professional, or else it will detract from the focus of the content.
3. Provide opportunities for students to interact with the presentation if possible.  This could include screen-captured images uploaded to a collaborative whiteboard.  Drawing tools are a great way to incorporate kinesthetic learning and engagement. Other options are collaborative mindmapping or notepad bulletin boards. Throughout the synchronous lesson, students should also have the opportunity to interact with one another via backchanneling (such as through TodaysMeet) or by texting their ideas on a public message board.
4. It will be important to make sure all student participants understand the expectations for their participation in the synchronous component of the lesson. Not only that, but they must also know the etiquette that surrounds their involvement (such as when and how to ask questions, what to do it someone is very quite or very dominating, basic troubleshooting for technical glitches, etc.)
5. The teacher must also be sensitive to her students' schedules and the time required to devote to the course.  The instructional videos and reading resources he/she provides the students in advance should not be overwhelming, and the online discussion should not drag on or get off-topic. The teacher must be prepared to redirect and model throughout the entire live meeting.  This includes factoring in "thinking" time, trying out specific questioning techniques, and summarizing at the end of both the asynchronous lecture and the synchronous discussion.

Another valuable resource is the article "Tips for Synchronous Chat" from a Teaching with Technology wiki.  There are more specific reminders for a successful online class session.

A lesson introduced with by a lecture does not inherently need to come across as dull, dry, and antiquated. This meaningful skill- and fact-gathering step is a scaffold to a rich and transformative synchronous discussion.

EdTech 521: Asynchronous Lesson Self-Evaluation

I believe my asynchronous lesson "A Plant's Life: It's Not Easy Being Green" has been successful at meeting the expectations of both the Asynchronous Lesson Rubric as well as the Common Core Instructional Guides. The instructional strategies align with goals of the Common Core Standards for literacy, even though this is essentially a science lesson.

Reflecting on the tips from the relevant Common Core Guide tool 3-12 ELA / Literacy Instructional Practice Guide: Coaching, I believe my lesson has included the following:

• Includes high-quality texts of multiple texts. (Although the lesson isn't specifically text-based, but rather multimedia in nature, many of the websites are presenting at different reading levels to accommodate a variety of learners.)
• Lesson engages students in reading, speaking, or writing about text(s). (Students must read and respond to audio-visual texts in different mediums.)
• The text(s) are clear and build knowledge relevant to the content being studied. (The websites and activities were chosen because they included content specifically on topic and were of high quality (clear and organized).)
• Questions and tasks require students to cite evidence from the text to support analysis, inference, and claims. (The presentation formative assessment asks students to use information gained from the resource collection to present information in a new way.  Although they are not directly analyzing or claiming anything new in this lesson, their connections between the plant life steps as well as the "why" questions on their slides will incorporate informational text support.
• Students are required to appropriately use academic language (i.e., vocabulary and syntax) from the text. (Students will learn and use scientific vocabulary words.)
• Sequences of questions support students in delving deeper into text, data, or graphics to support inquiry analysis, and appropriate procedures. (By participating in the Scavenger Hunt students are following a sequence of questions to aid in comprehension and connection-making.)
• The teacher provides the conditions for all students to focus on text. (The lesson is designed to minimize distractions and direct students to appropriate "texts" that will captivate their interest.)
• The teacher creates the conditions for student conversations and plans tasks where students are encouraged to talk about each other’s thinking.  (The peer evaluation piece at the end of the lesson requires student conversations about the plant life cycle and the presentation process itself.)

Looking more deeply at the CC Standards Guide, I could have incorporated more peer interaction in this lesson.  For example, in my lesson, students do not use evidence to build on each other’s observations or insights during discussion or collaboration.  This is a relatively private and individual learning task.  I could look for extension opportunities for peer teaching or collaborative knowledge-building.  I could also have included one or two resources that were strictly text-based passages as to encourage more critical analysis and interpretation of writing.

The Lesson Rubric itself speaks more to the multi-faceted design of the lesson, and I believe I have been successful in the areas of content, learning styles, engagement, adaptive/assistive technologies, and assessment.

• I have included all required content components (with the exception of associated assignments).  It wouldn't hurt to add the original lesson plan to this website to tie the two together.  It might also be a good idea to list the resources used in the video (including Scavenger Hunt resources) on the written lesson plan.
• The learning styles supported in my lesson, I believe, as varied.  Visual and audio learners will be engaged by the scavenger hunt activity and video tutorials.  Tactile learners will hopefully respond well to the drawing and presentation construction.
• Engagement should be high with the interactive (but hopefully not-too-overwhelming) nature of the webpages.  I have no chat or discussion board in this particular lesson, but the comments feature in Google Docs is a good alternative.
• The content of my website is accessible to many learners.  I'm sure I could find ways to improve the variety of presentation modes and input methods for students with disabilities, and it may be worth adding one or two.  In the meantime, I've tried to accommodate ELL learners who are native Spanish speakers.  I have also accommodated ELL learners and students with reading challenges by including written directions as well as step-by-step videos for each part of the lesson.  The resources I've selected are also of various reading and complexity levels.
• The assessment tools are both formative and summative.  They are interwoven with the lesson in a seamless, natural way.  They are also directly aligned with the lesson objectives.

A few minor additions could improve this lesson and its accompanying website, however I think it is quite solid in its current form.

EdTech 521: Universal Design for Learning (Accessibility)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) calls for incorporating multiple methods of representation, engagement, and expression in our lessons (National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2014).  Robust planning and flexible execution of lessons allows for all students to be successful in each activity.  As online schools and classrooms should also aim to consider the guiding principles of UDL, the following adaptations would be beneficial to technology-integrated lessons.

I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation

Guideline	Description	Suggested Adaptations
Perception	Customizing visual and auditory information by adjusting placement, contrast, size, volume, rate, style, or emphasis.	1. Using good design principles in creating or seeking out websites for students to use 2. Create and turn on captions with YouTube videos 3. Use libraries of described or captioned media titles (www.dcmp.org or signed stories www.signedstories.com) 4. Instructing students how to customize their computer experience with accessibility features (www.microsoft.com/enable/products/windows8 or www.apple.com/accessibility/osx) 5. Posting only focused, relevant information to websites or documents that students are working with (e.g. www.readability.com (viewing stripped down webpages)) 6. Incorporating instructional materials from the National Center on Accessible Materials (AIM) 7. Access and use of text-to-speech generators (such as Voki) 8. Access to Screen Readers
Language, expressions, and symbols	Provides options for diverse languages spoken, and clarity with graphic representations and cultural symbols.	1. Offer embedded translators, dictionaries, glossaries, or thesauruses (e.g. www.dictionary.com, www.ronblond.com/MathGlossary, www.word2word.com, Google Translate) 2. Include a graphic or pictorial equivalent when possible (e.g. Google Image search or http://blachan.com/shahi) 3. Use concept webs and charts to show relationships (to break down complex ideas) (e.g. www.visuwords.com) 4. Add supplementary web links to support understanding of new terminology. 5. Pre-teach domain-specific vocabulary/symbols 6. Add visual structure to a document with a formal outline note-taking format. 7. Suggest note-taking tactics and idea organizers to all students. 8. Direct students to the Simple English Wikipedia for clarity of ideas. 9. Aid students in using text-to-speak software and finding books with associated audio files. 10. Present potentially complicated or new information in multiple forms (videos, comics, artwork, charts, etc.)
Comprehension	Helps students actively retrieve and make use of their knowledge.	1. Create and utilize anchor charts to activate prior knowledge. Keep them in a common and easy-to-access location. 2. Use wikis, concept maps, and KWL charts (http://bubbl.us, www.exploratree.org.uk, mywebspiration.com) 3. Model and provide analogies to build to more complex understanding. 4. Connect to the “real world” context (look for current event connections with primary sources or news outlets)

II. Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

Guideline	Description	Suggested Adaptations
Physical action	Allow for customized response “input methods” and navigation, such as rate, timing, and range of motion.	1. Provide alternatives to mouse control, such as interactions with fingers, voice control, adaptive keyboards, switches, or joysticks. (e.g. www.cameramouse.org, Virtual Keyboard, (see accessibility options in the “perception” guideline). 2. Teach students keyboard commands and other “quick” strategies for accessing information in alternative ways. 3. Visit techmatrix.org for specific product tailored for specific needs.
Expression and communication	Allow students express knowledge, ideas and concepts in the way that is most natural and successful for them.	1. Create multimedia learning artifacts using text, speech, illustrations, music, film, art, etc. (e.g. Animoto, VoiceThread, PowToon, Scratch, Glogster, Exploratorium) 2. Use simulations in the place of manipulatives. (or alternatively something such as playosmo.com) 3. Incorporate social media 4. Allow word-prediction software and/or text-to-speech software (e.g. Dragon Dictation) 5. Scaffold with calculators, outlining tools, concept maps, etc. 6. Encourage students to use spell- and grammar-check 7. Provide feedback from teachers and peers (with collaborative document creation (e.g. Google Docs)) 8. Provide open-ended problems (PBL learning)
Executive function	Manage mental functions such as planning, setting goals, and monitoring by controlling short-term or lower-level responses, so that processing skills are more efficient.	1. Set goals with students in an explicit way.  Use tools such as shared calendars to organize timelines and stay on track. 2. Post syllabus, rubrics, checklists, schedules, and important documents for students to easily access when they need to 3. Use portfolios (or student-created websites) as assessment measures. 4. Suggest study guides to improve student strategies (e.g. www.studygs.net/timman.htm or coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/index.html) 5. Show how students can organize resources with bookmarking programs, such as Evernote or Diigo 6. Ask students to reflect on the learning process through blogging, self-assessment, and reflection. 7. Help students see their progress over time with graphed results.

III. Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Guideline	Description	Suggested Adaptations
Recruiting interest	Engage and sustain student interest through choice, relevance, authenticity, and autonomy.	1. Allow students to make a lot of decisions about their learning products and activities 2. Design curriculum to incorporate Project-Based Learning. 3. Help students stay current with authentic real-world connections through RSS feeds. 4. Plan for virtual field trips, role playing, and simulation activities 5. Create class routines so students can manage expectations, but also incorporate novel or surprising situations at times to avoid excess repetition. 6. Teach students study skills that help them focus and filter out distractions.
Sustaining effort and persistence	Foster student motivation in an extrinsic way.	1. State goals and guidelines in a clear way, and remind students of the benefits of the outcome 2. Create rubrics (e.g Rubistar) to guide student productivity and application. 3. Assign group tasks with clear goals and roles,  and otherwise encourage peer interactions 4. Establish an incentive program for positive behavior or performance. 5. Consider a more "global" collaboration option such as Skype or ePals. 6. Provide constant, focuses, and personalized feedback
Self-regulation	Empower students to self-regulate their motivation (intrinsically) by teaching strategies explicitly.	1. Ask students to set personal goals in a structured way. 2. Increase the frequency of self-reflection activities 3. Teach coping and conflict resolution strategies (e.g. www.copingskills4kids.net) 4. Ask students to chart their own progress to increase personal motivation

Consider checking out this great interactive and informational tool: http://udlwheel.mdonlinegrants.org for further discussion and examples.

At the end of the day, these accommodations are essentially just good educational design practices.  They reduce barriers of varying types and degrees, whether physical, emotional, cognitive, or even attitudinal. They take into consideration the diverse learning styles and preferences of all students.  All of the guidelines above offer scaffolding, in different forms, to meet learners “where they are at” and help them progress or access information accordingly. UDL accommodations also set up students to take greater accountability for their own learning by advocating for themselves, troubleshooting to find a better alternative, or better understanding how they personally learn in the most efficient and effective way.  

Resources

National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2014). UDL Guidelines - Version 2.0: Examples and Resources. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/examples

CAST. (n.d.) Learning Tools.  Retrieved from http://cast.org/learningtools/index.html

CAST. (n.d.) Lesson Builder. Retrieved from http://lessonbuilder.cast.org