About Teaching Online
Innovations in ICT and the possibilities opened up by teaching online, are enabling exciting classroom activities to be developed at all levels of children's education (elementary to grade 12). They have also enabled a revolution in the delivery of distance education in universities and colleges.
The ICT revolution and education
With the social appropriation of computers, the creation of the Internet, the advent of Web 2.0, and now the beginnings of the Semantic Web, the range of technologies available to the user is bewildering. Children in the US and Canada are being brought up surrounded by these Internet technologies, and using them is as natural to them as using a spoon. These users are called "Generation Y".
So what happens when these Generation Y children get into school? They probably expect their learning to be delivered using the same technologies that they use everyday. This is one important reason for teachers to learn more about online education. But there are other, pedagogical reasons, for learning about it. It is important for teachers to consider all modalities and technologies for learning and use the most appropriate ones for the subject matter and the particular learners. This is especially true in those all-important areas of math (especially middle school math), reading comprehension and writing.
Teaching online in universities and colleges
The new computer and Internet technologies are also revolutionising educational programs at university and college level. In university and college courses, it is now possible for course content, seminars, discussions and other approaches to learning to be delivered electronically.
These information and communication technologies enable distance courses to be delivered using innovative ways to interact with instructors and other students. They have raised the status of distance education and now whole universities have been created that conduct all their education online.
Many traditional campus-based universities now also offer programs online - either totally or partially. Some insist that all students should experience learning online.
Internet technologies for teaching online
The following are just a few of the technologies in use for teaching online:
- Electronic Portfolios (ePortfolios)
- MP3 Players
- Web sites
- Web 2.0 online tools
- Discussion and bulletin boards
- Social Media (Blogs, Chats, Wikis, Podcasts, etc)
- Social Networking
- Educational animation, simulation, and games
- Learning Management Systems (LMS)
- Infographics for Learning
Distance education for teacher training - a free resource
The free e-book "Distance Education for Teacher Training: Modes, Models, and Methods" builds on EDC’s extensive international and domestic experience in the field of distance education and gathers research and lessons learned from numerous programs in over 100 nations and territories to help distance education policymakers, planners and designers develop distance education systems focused on producing high-quality teachers.
The book focuses on the following areas:
- Modes of distance education - types of distance-based delivery systems and their strengths and weaknesses from print to digital gaming to online learning to mobile technologies;
- Models of distance education for teacher training programs;
- Methods or best practices necessary to develop a high-quality distance education program.
"Distance Education for Teacher Training: Modes, Models, and Methods" has over 200 web references to existing programs and technology tools; an annotated reference section of distance-based resources; and an extensive glossary of terms and bibliography. It is a valuable resource for those interested in not just distance education but technology and professional development.
Download a free PDF copy now: Distance Education for Teacher Training: Modes, Models, and Methods
For more information
Download the free Online Learning Theory and Practice eBook.
Great Ideas for Teaching Online
By Sophia Peters
By including a variety of interactive strategies and maintaining communication, instructors can create an online learning environment that encourages students to learn and to explore. The tips in this article include the key elements for success in teaching and learning in an online course.
Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011
View more presentations from Jane Hart
Online Learning More Effective
A report released in June 2009 by the U.S. Department of Education, which analyzed 46 studies comparing online learning to face-to-face education, concludes that the former is more effective - at least at university level.
Academics and administrators involved in online education welcomed this report as vindication of what they have known (or believed) for many years. Anaheim University's Chancellor Dr. Garnet Birch said,
"I'm so excited that the Department of Education and the Secretary of Education have confirmed what we have been aware of at Anaheim University for over a decade. If you hire expert professors to teach online and recruit highly qualified students from around the world, you can expect to see results that are not only equal to what you might find in a regional on-campus based program, but superior. America needs a 21st Century approach towards higher education that matches the lifestyles of young homemakers, teachers and business people who are pursuing their education while working and fulfilling their family responsibilities at the same time. We are ecstatic to see that the U.S. Dept. of Education has found that online education is every bit as effective as on-campus education. We have seen first-hand our graduates out-perform their peers in the workplace and this report is in line with what we have experienced."
Download the Department of Education Report "Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning" here:
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf
About Anaheim University
Anaheim University is a nationally accredited online institution of higher learning headquartered in Anaheim, California. The University offers online Masters and Certificate programs in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), online MBA programs and Online Certificate, Diploma and MBA (Online Green MBA) programs in Sustainable Management.
