Adding an online component to the curriculum.

Virtual programs can offer a more efficient and cost effective means of providing education but sometimes the potential is not achieved when trying to fit funding into a traditional mold. Online learning can provide alternative ways to accomplish academic tasks. Electronic learning environments comprising of materials to be read, videos to watch, activities to do, assignments to complete, discussions to join, tests to take and more can really help students improve especially websites and resources that can be viewed on the mobile phone.

For an online course to be accessible, all of the online learning activities must be accessible. Teachers and students should locate material specific to each student's needs. In addition to making the content and technical components of a website or online course accessible, we must also consider students' access to the technology requirements. While many students have access to technology, some that have technology available do not have high speed processors or high speed internet.

Differentiated instruction has become a popular approach to teaching and learning, that takes in to consideration the diversity of students in, in school today.

Rather than the more typical pattern of teaching the class as though all individuals in it are basically alike. The goal of a differentiated classroom is maximum student growth and individual success. This is accomplished by instructional and management strategies that allow for students to work at different levels and achieve varying levels of mastery. Examples include teaching to multiple intelligences. Individualized questioning strategies, alternative grouping methods, and supplemental materials based on student needs and interests.

All of this is helped via adding an online component to the curriculum.

Reflection on Mentoring

Technology is transforming education. Technology has the potential to teach our students to work collaboratively, think critically, gain skills, and work in groups. Many of our students leave school lacking the abilities to solve problems, work in groups, act as leaders, and think critically. Technology can help us as teachers enhance these skills.

Your professional development session for teachers on using technology needs to get all educators to understand that the process and meaning a student gets from making the utmost with technology. As a trainer focus on process, hands-on learning,  documentation, and reflection. Reflection is detrimental to enhancing the learning process. Follow up is also important as people tend to forget and discard ideas they feel unpractical. So, communicate and let your mentees ask and ask them to hold on new sessions where they become mentors.

This is what I learned in E-teacher Alumni and I am trying to apply.  

Online Learning

As online learning becomes more widely recognized, and the success stories spread, more and more students are taking advantage of the opportunity, making the online student population more diverse. Guiding and individualizing learning. Communication, assessing, grading and promoting, and developing the online course content and structure. Online learning can provide alternative ways to accomplish academic tasks. electronic learning environments comprising of materials to be read, videos to watch. Activities to do, assignments to complete, discussions to join, tests to take and more. For an online course to be accessible, all of the online learning activities must be accessible.

Differentiated instruction has become a popular approach to teaching and learning, that takes in to consideration the diversity of students in, in school today. Thomas in and Allen 2000 describe differentiation as, quote, simply attending to the learning needs, of a particular student or small group of students. Rather than the more typical pattern of teaching the class as though all individuals in it are basically alike. The goal of a differentiated classroom is maximum student growth and individual success. This is accomplished by instructional and management strategies that allow for students to work at different levels and achieve varying levels of mastery.

Examples include teaching to multiple intelligences.

Individualized questioning strategies, alternative grouping methods, and supplemental materials based on student needs and interests.

According to Cavanaugh Bluemeyer one way to incorporate differentiated instruction into virtual instruction is to adopt the principles of Universal Design for Learning, UDL. A concept introduced by CAST, which I mentioned earlier, but it is the center for applied special technology.

UDL recommends educators design learning environments characterized by three types of flexibility and alternatives, multiple ways in which content is presented. Multiple way, multiple modes for student expression. And multiple means for engaging student interest. The goal of UDL is to create learning opportunities that provide the greatest possible accommodation to the greatest number of students. So again, that's multiple ways of content presentation. Multiple modes for student expression and multiple means for engaging student interest. These are the three components of the Universal Design for Learning, UDL. Most existing online courses are designed for students who are competent readers and proficient at working independently, but many learners fall outside competency and proficiency levels. One way to support exceptional learners is to design courses online that match their specific learning profiles and maximize their opportunities for success. Students with learning disabilities need learning options that are not dependent on reading skills to accommodate students who do not read well. Audio files can be included with the digitized readings of all text contained on each page. Short, narrated video clips can provide overviews of lessons, illustrate steps for strategies and remind students how to perform required skills. All audio and video files for any given page can be available as options to be accessed, paused, replayed, enlarged and otherwise controlled by the learner as needed.

Social Media and Education

It really important to think about your students' needs, when you're selecting a technology. Make sure the technology aligns directly to the learning objective, and that it actually helps you accomplish that learning objective. Gear your technology choices to the kind of audience that you have.

Use social technologies and you can, that you think about them as tools to drive community but also, as tools for learning.    Social media class accounts can be used to create a contained space where students can present ideas, collections, or even work, and then get feedback from other students. Class blogs and students' blogs can be more about reflection, more about collection and development of a project, or getting feedback.

Teachers are challenged when trying to make a social community with using a social technology as parents and administration see them playing rather than engaging students.

 
Still, social media can play a role in enhancing education as it builds rapport. A teacher can make learning fun through uploading class photos. It can also be an extension of the real and the online class.

Gamfication

Gamification is a hot topic. Can games enhance education? Definitely, they can. Use games and apps that are out there, freely available over the Internet, on your mobile devices, depending on what kinds of access your students have. There are lots of free great games.  Check websites that review games. Parents can get engaged in those kinds of games as well too, because they can really help students focus on skills that they may need to build when they are at home. So that is one strand of ways to use games or to gamify.  The second strand is to do it yourself via applying the rules of gamification to lessons. Like using leaderboards in  your class to create healthy competition,  or creating levels and giving badges.  The third way to use games is introducing students to games like Minecraft and Scratch. They allow students to not only play a game in those environments, but then to also build, be creative, and to get real great exposure to technology and even programming.