MEDT+7475

=MEDT 7475 The Distance Education Professional =

//**Project 3.1 Georgia Virtual School Course Review**//
The course review project was extremely valuable to me because I was able to see the online course development process. Working with the GA Virtual School courses allowed me to review very polished products created by professional development specialists. The rubric tool used to review the courses was very detailed and can be used to model my own modules for academic or professional development purposes.


 * **Phase 1:** Each member of the group reviews and scores online course using the Quality Matters Grades 6-12 Rubric (QM6-12)
 * [|Completed Review Rubric for Risk Management Class]


 * **Phase 2:** Group members met on Wimba Live Classroom to review and score online course using the Quality Matters Grades 6-12 Rubric (QM6-12). This final rubric will be used by the GA Virtual School development specialists to improve and make changes to the course.
 * Final Review Rubric for Risk Management Class


 * **Phase 3:** Each group member chose a focus area of the rubric to analyze. The GA Virtual development specialists will view the presentations to further understand the score given on the QM6-12 rubric and make improvements to the course.
 * Learning Objectives Analysis

**Introduction to Instructional Setting** During the virtual internship I was fortunate to shadow a GA Virtual School (GaVS) teacher and course development specialist. Professor Frayer is a Japanese teacher for GaVS and I was able to observe several Japanese classes for high school students. Frayer is also responsible for the instructional content of the Japanese course.

**Journal Reflections and Mentor Meeting Notes** Throughout the virtual mentorship experience I maintained a journal of reflections. I recorded my expectations of the experience as well as first impressions of the course, the instructor, and online teaching in general. [|Journal Reflections] [|Mentor Meeting Notes]

**Reflection and Value of the Experience** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The virtual mentorship gave me the opportunity to analyze the online learning environment from the teacher/instructor point of view. As a distance education student I am familiar with the instructional design methods of an online course but the teacher role is definitely a complex one.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Just like students, distance education teachers must employ superior time management and multi-tasking skills to be able to provide quality teaching. From this experience I have also learned that a successful online educator is most often a content expert and highly involved in the course development process. My mentor not only is a native speaker of Japanese, but she has created content for television networks, adult learners, and for Georgia Virtual School courses.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">I have been a supporter of online education for years and I believe that instructional technology is an integral part of the success of online education. However, I held a certain amount of skepticism about the success of online education for K-12 students. After this experience I am much more convinced that online education can be successful in the K-12 environment. The students’ superior performance in a foreign language course taught completely online amazed me. Learning and language growth was definitely taking place in the classes and it was evident through the student work posted in the course.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Online learning in K-12 education is expanding rapidly. While our state of Georgia has created a great and successful virtual school, much work remains. In the future, our state will need to focus on professional development of teachers that will make the transition into blended and fully online education. The state’s universities and colleges will also need to make changes and create new teacher preparation programs that combine instructional methodologies with online education principles.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Professional development is an opportunity for educators to find new and better ways of teaching. The best type of professional development is when the course is relevant to the educator and can be used immediately. The following items are part of a professional development module I created for elementary school teachers. It addresses the specific needs identified through a survey and was delivered at a distance.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Introduction **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">In order to develop a relevant and timely professional development module, the target audience was surveyed about teaching, student learning, and technology. The results of the survey were instrumental in determining the type of module to create and the best method of delivery.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Needs Survey **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Survey results revealed that teachers were in need of additional professional development in technology tools. Over 60% of the survey respondents stated that they have not received professional development in technology. Also the majority of the respondents were interested in learning about presentation tools other than PowerPoint. Almost all respondents indicated that they do believe in the effectiveness of professional development and demonstrated eagerness towards participating in future professional development opportunities. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Needs Assessment Survey

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**The Workshop** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The overall goal of the module was to introduce teachers to web 2.0 tools that could be easily and immediately integrated into everyday lessons. The module has three parts: Presentation Tools, Classroom Management Tools, and Assessment and Evaluations. Teachers will complete each part and post evidence of the finished product to the wiki.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The presentation tool chosen is Beeclip, an online scrapbook, poster, and diary maker. This is a very easy tool to use and both teachers and students can benefit from it. The classroom management is Class Dojo, a visual and interactive behavior tracking chart. Teachers can reward students and students will know how to manage their behavior. At the end, teachers will complete a short assessment created with PollEverywhere and as well as a feedback survey. Please feel free to visit the wiki and participate in the module below! <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Online Professional Development Module Wiki

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Reflection and Value of the Experience**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">I truly value this experience because I learned that teaching adults is by no means easier than teaching children. I assumed that since I was delivering this module to professional adults that my instructions and planned activities would be easily understood.The feedback survey revealed that participants thought that the objectives were not extremely clear. In the future, I will be sure to have someone preview the module before full deployment.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">A surprising fact is that a participant expressed a dislike for watching tutorials, but also cited issues completing an assignment. One solution could be to create the tutorial myself and make it more personal since teachers are familiar with my voice and style of teaching. I was also surprised that most participants took more than 30 minutes to complete the module. During planning and creation of the training I anticipated that it could be completed in under 30 minutes but I did not account for issues with logging in and account set up.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Overall, the online module experience was positive and I grew professionally throughout the development process. The feedback the participants provided is integral to the improvement of my skills as a trainer, online educator, and media specialist.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Journal Reflections for Development of Online Module

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**Formal Op-Ed about Distance Education** //
<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Often, leaders of instructional technology and distance education are asked to give their professional opinion on current issues and trends in the field. The key to a well-written op-ed statement is to state your opinion first and strongly. The link below contains my first attempt at writing an op-ed piece. Please take some time to read it and also check out the additional links provided at the end of the piece. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">[|My First Op-Ed]