Professional Learning - Online Teaching

Accessing Digital Learning Communities The research into my access was enlightening. My internet speed was not nearly as fast as I thought it should be based on my internet subscription. I do not typically have difficulty using the internet, so the low speeds surprised me. I did learn that certain times of day are typically slower because more people are online. There were only 2 broadband providers in my area. One had significantly higher advertised speeds than the other. One hundred percent of my state had access to at least 1 broadband provider, and my county had almost 95% with access to 2 or more broadband providers. Although most of the US has good access, students from other countries may have more difficulty in accessing the internet. If teaching internationally, consideration would have to be given to those students by providing them with extra time or meeting with them during specific times when they can access the internet in a public location, such as a library. I t...

Ideal Learning Communities 1. What would be needed to bring an ideal learning community to fruition? First of all, there needs to be some regulation in the community. There should be communication standards to eliminate excessive or irresponsible commenting. Typically, DLCs are limited access to those who are associated with the community (for example, only teachers can join). There should be a large variety of reliable resources. For an ideal DLC to come to fruition, you would need a large community of educators or students who are committed to uploading good resources or providing content. It is important to also have reviewers that help to regulate the resources available, so that there isn't much overlap or excessive information on the site. 2. What can one do to make an existing DLC more attractive to and welcoming for students and teachers? Continually adding new, exciting content makes a DLC more attractive. For teachers, offering professional development opportuniti...

Joining a DLC https://www.diigo.com/user/alynelson4 The DLC I joined is called STEM Learning: Full STEAM Ahead by edWeb.net. I chose to join this DLC because of the opportunity to attend edWebinars and communicate with other STEM teachers. Although I am a science teacher, I have been part of the development of a STEM school and I appreciate the ideas that other STEM teachers are exploring. I want to use this DLC to extend my knowledge on STEM education and gain insight on how to connect subject matter. The DLCs that are free to join were definitely more accessible than the others that required membership fees. Another thing I looked for were DLCs specific to my interest areas - science, STEM, technology integration, online/virtual learning, etc. Sharing with students how I use a DLC to gain knowledge would make it more appealing to them. It would be helpful to show the students some of the DLCs available to them and how to access them. A DLC such as Brainly would be a great one t...

Collecting Reputable Digital Resources https://www.diigo.com/user/alynelson4 The walkabout took me back to some digital resources that I used in my classroom years ago, and introduced me to some new resources that I was not aware of. I enjoy incorporating current research into my classroom and found a couple of resources containing science research that is more simplified for students to understand. I enjoy reading about incorporating technology into traditional classrooms, as well as the use of technology in virtual education, since I studied this during my Masters program. I found some new articles that I enjoyed reading on these topics. One thing I noticed is that some of the resources and articles were from fellow teachers. These particular resources would require more evaluation to ensure the content was accurate, or would need to be used with extreme care. Top 3 Tools/Resources: 1. https://www.khanacademy.org/science - Khan Academy is an amazing resource for videos and...

What are the 3 most impressive character traits of a good digital citizen? Trait Examples How does this look? Why is this trait important? Literacy ·   Understanding the appropriate use of technology ·   Using technology in a variety of different ways ·   Making good decisions about information and its validity ·   Protecting oneself and others while online Digital literacy is essential to understanding the appropriate uses of technology. It is also important to be able to read information online and assess the accuracy and validity of the information. The more knowledge one has, the more that person can protect themselves and others in a digital environment. Etiquette ·   Knowing your audience and speaking appropriately ·   See something, say something to protect yourself and others ·   Demonstrate respect · ...