Evaluate 3.1.2

Being an educator requires continuous learning, improvement, introspection, and action.  Working with Ga Virtual, there are many ways for teachers to learn from their practice or to know what is working and what is not working.

Each month, teachers are evaluated by a Quality Assurance Specialist.  I appreciate these evaluations because they keep me focused.  Last November, I got an Evaluation the indicated I needed to be more attentive in the "Discussions" area of my course.

This was a wake-up call for me, and I worked hard to improve in that area.  I was excited to get an "Exceptional" rating in one of my subsequent Evaluations the following January! 

Another aspect of evaluation that teachers have is the end of semester survey given to students. Most often, I feel pleased with the evaluations but there are those semesters in which you are more distracted and students may notice! Below is an ePortfolio post that discusses an End of Course Survey. 

Lastly, Ga Virtual instructors are asked to complete an ePortfolio each year.  In this ePortfolio, we discuss the Professional Learning we participated in, how we differentiated our classroom, some of the best practices we used in our instruction, and how we analyzed Data to improve our students classroom experience.  Below are two additional ePortfolio pages where I look at some ways I differentiated my online classroom and how I use best teaching practices to help students learn.

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood.

Evaluate 3.1.1

This first image represents the question statistics from a quiz given in my GSE Advanced Algebra course:

I would use this data to inform how I would run my next synchronous session.  I would look at the questions that the least amount of students were successful on and review those types of questions.  For instance, only 18.18% of students got Random Question 23 correct - so that concept is one that definitely needs to be revisited with students!

These are the individual student grades for the students in the same course (from the same quiz above).

If time allowed, one idea to help those students who scored below 70% would be to "lock" their test until they went back and revisited specific content pages that covered this topic.  If the timeline was tight, that might not be the best plan but it is nice to know it can be done! When I am grading a quiz, I often categorize my feedback for students.  For those students who got a 70% and below I would include resources that they should go back and review and possibly even send an email home to let the parents know they need to do these things before taking the test for that unit.  For those students who scored 70%-85%, I would look at the specific questions they missed and give resources for those questions (i.e. if a student misses a question about factoring sum/difference of cubes, send them a link for that one idea).  If a student makes an 85% or above, then I would just give them some words of encouragement or include a fun stamp! 

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood

Evaluate 3.1.1

This first image represents the question statistics from a quiz given in my GSE Advanced Algebra course:

I would use this data to inform how I would run my next synchronous session.  I would look at the questions that the least amount of students were successful on and review those types of questions.  For instance, only 18.18% of students got Random Question 23 correct - so that concept is one that definitely needs to be revisited with students!

These are the individual student grades for the students in the same course (from the same quiz above).

If time allowed, one idea to help those students who scored below 70% would be to "lock" their test until they went back and revisited specific content pages that covered this topic.  If the timeline was tight, that might not be the best plan but it is nice to know it can be done! When I am grading a quiz, I often categorize my feedback for students.  For those students who got a 70% and below I would include resources that they should go back and review and possibly even send an email home to let the parents know they need to do these things before taking the test for that unit.  For those students who scored 70%-85%, I would look at the specific questions they missed and give resources for those questions (i.e. if a student misses a question about factoring sum/difference of cubes, send them a link for that one idea).  If a student makes an 85% or above, then I would just give them some words of encouragement or include a fun stamp! 

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood

Create 2.1.1

Web 2.0 tools have made online learning possible and exciting.  There are a plethora of tools available for student and teacher use, but at times that can be overwhelming! I have explored some essential Web 2.0 tools and organized them into three categories: presentation,

Presentation:

• Prezi: Prezi is a more exciting version of PowerPoint. Prezi gives students the opportunity to create a presentation that is more engaging and visually appealing.  One of my favorite features of Prezi is when you zoom in on a specific aspect of a presentation to go more in depth with that idea.  It really brings home the point in a visual manner!
• SlideShare: SlideShare may fall into two categories - not only is it a presentation tool but it is also a community/collaboration tool. SlideShare allows students to take their presentations made in PowerPoint or Keynote and export and share them.  It is like a hosting site for presentations

Community:

• Edmodo: Edmodo.com allows instructors and students to share a 'social media' space.  Students can upload and share work and comment on others work.  Instructors could pose questions to students and have an interactive conversation with them via edmodo.
• Twitter: While Twitter may be thought of as purely social (particularly for teens), instructors could use Twitter to engage students in a different manner.  At Ga Virtual we have had some "Twitter Meet-Ups" where an idea is posted and by using hashtags others can participate and share their thoughts.  As social media becomes more prevalent in all of our lives, it is nice to find ways to use it in the educational field! 

Video:

• Animoto: This is a great site that allows students to create and edit videos. Students can customize their editing features and choose music to go along with their video.  Students can work on their video from anywhere as animoto hosts your video in the cloud and can be used on mobile devices.
• Clipgenerator: Clipgenerator is a free website that allows students to customize their clips by adding music.  The videos can be shared via social media, websites or file sharing.

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood.

Create 1.1.3

In an online learning environment, the aesthetics of a site can be paramount to the actual instruction.  Most students want to look at engaging content, but are wary of being overwhelmed.  Font and color choice can play a huge role in how effective and engaging a site is.  Too much color and students can be distracted and overly excited, too little color and students will be bored.  In my own teaching practice, and during synchronous sessions I do my best to "color coordinate" as I teach.  So if I am working a problem, the problem might be written in black, while the solving process (subtracting 2 from both sides) is written in red so students can clearly see what is changing each time.

Here are some sites that I find to be visually pleasing, not overly distracting and helpful for students:
http://patrickjmt.com/
https://www.khanacademy.org/
https://www.purplemath.com/
http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/math/algebra/math-ALGEBRA.htm
http://www.gavirtuallearning.org/Resources/SharedLandingPage.aspx

Here are some sites I find to be too distracting, to have a very poor layout or to have too many advertisements:

http://www.coolmath.com/
www.sosmath.com/algebra/fraction/frac1/frac1.html
http://www.mathplanet.com/education/algebra-1/exploring-real-numbers/integers-and-rational-numbers
http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol7/order_operations.html
http://math2.org/

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood

Create 1.1.2

Content Maps are great for outlining a project.  I find that outlines help me to know where I want to end up and they give cohesive-ness to the entire project.  I like to create "bullet point" content maps that contain the key elements with any ideas I'd like to remember "bulleted" underneath the big idea.

One aspect of online learning that can really benefit from a Concept Map is development.  This is my 2nd year working on a development project as an SME and before we begin, we are asked to create "Project Plan's".  In this project plan we decide how many modules there will be and what standards will be covered,  what the assessments will be in that module, and we go ahead and write the Introduction Paragraph.  Making all of these decisions at the beginning helps to do the following:

• Organize standards to be sure each standard is met
• Ensure assessments are consistent and cohesive throughout the course
• Keep the language similar throughout the course 

Here is an example of my Project Plan Overview (for the first two modules) 

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood.

Create 1.1.1

I have been fortunate enough to always have pretty good time management and I do not enjoy procrastination.  In fact, I have often said "I must get my work done before I can play!" However, there are some pretty amazing tech tools that could help me be more efficient with my time or help those who struggle with completing tasks in a timely manner.

Remember the Milk is an IOS app that you can use to ask Siri to help you remember to do certain tasks.  You can them import those tasks onto your calendar for the day.  This app would be helpful for online teachers to remember to turn in their progress reports on time - you could set up a specific time/date to get it done!

Ga Virtual has moved from Google to Microsoft and with that we have access to OneNote. OneNote is a great note-taking app that allows multiple users to compile ideas or research into one file.  An online instructor could use this to collaborate with others on News Items (copy and paste HTML codes), synchronous sessions and many other aspects of the online environment!

StayFocusd is a google extension that I think our students might find very helpful! We know that students often struggle with ignoring the plethora of online distractions and this google extension will block those for students during a certain time of day.  So if you a student decides to do his/her work between 5-7pm, then they can block Facebook, Twitter, etc for those hours.  We may need this for phones too!

List.ly is another cool collaborative tool that I could see Ga Virtual instructors using! You can create a list of extra resources for students and each instructor could add to it and comment on their favorites.  This list could be shared with students so then they have access to some excellent additional resources.

My last tool is a planner! I use a paper planner because writing things down is how I remember them.  If that is not your style, then I think using an online calendar is a great option as well.  As long as it is something you look at each day, scheduling really helps to get organized and get items done on the to do list!

*This post is the collaborative work between Alice Johnson, Heather McCormick and Cameron Wood.

Communicate 4.3.1

Synchronous sessions are of the utmost importance in the online environment.  It gives students a time to interact with their instructor and vice versa.  For my synchronous sessions, I usually like to start with questions students might have. I encourage students to send me their questions before hand so that I can have a "slide" prepared to review this topic.  Then I move on to what I want to cover that day.  I utilize an app called Air Sketch and my iPad to do problems.  Here is an example of a synchronous session.

Some items you can add to make your synchronous session more fun is a song when students come in.  I like to start the song about 2 minutes before students enter and then it gives me a "timeline" of when to begin.  I also like to post some sort of image welcoming students, giving them an idea of what topics will be covered, and asking them a random fact about themselves.

Having students share a fact about themselves helps to foster community with their classmates and myself! 

Communicate 4.2.3

Discussions serve many purposes in the online classroom, but most importantly they foster community amongst the students.  If the instructor does a good job of encouraging students to participate they can be effective.  In my course now, one discussion that I always enjoy is the "Uses of Math Discussion".  Essentially, students must explore a job that requires math and summarize the career, education needed and potential salary.  For high school students this is a very interesting discussion to read because their opinions can vary quite a bit on what seems like a "fun job" and a "boring job".  I also enjoy the responses from students who were surprised math was involved in certain fields.  

Some best practices to facilitate online forums are:

• PARTICIPATE! If students see their instructor participating and giving feedback they are more likely to do so.
• Give students some guidelines for discussion responses. Remind them that just saying "nice post" is not enough they need to give feedback and show they fully read their classmates post.
• Create good discussions that will actually require students to give feedback to one another.  

Communicate 4.2.2

When a student does not do their best on an assignment, I try to include information to help them.  In the feedback below, I've included links to Synchronous sessions that the student would find helpful:

Ming,
Here is a chat found in the Resources Newsletter that would have been helpful for this assignment:
2/29/16: Intro to Logarithms, Exponential Equations & Log Equations: http://gavirtualschool.adobeconnect.com/p8xkdc1kz1k/



I've never used Audio Feedback before, but I did try and record one and it was much easier than I thought it would be! Here is my audio feedback:

I love to use stickers when a student does well and needs no reinforcement of concepts. I think they are fun and encouraging! The stickers below have been shared with me by other GaVS teachers:

Communicate 4.2.1

In the course I teach, Advanced Algebra, I have quite a few assignments that students complete.

This is one of the assignment students complete: Rational Graphs and Radical Equations Handout

The standards it covers are:

Understand solving equations as a process of reasoning and explain the reasoning
MGSE9-12.A.REI.2 Solve simple rational and radical equations in one variable, and give examples showing how extraneous solutions may arise.

Represent and solve equations and inequalities graphically 
MGSE9-12.A.REI.11 Using graphs, tables, or successive approximations, show that the solution to the equation f(x) = g(x) is the x-value where the y-values of f(x) and g(x) are the same.

Interpret functions that arise in applications in terms of the context
MGSE9-12.F.IF.4 Using tables, graphs, and verbal descriptions, interpret the key characteristics of a function which models the relationship between two quantities. Sketch a graph showing key features including: intercepts; interval where the function is increasing, decreasing, positive, or negative; relative maximums and minimums; symmetries; end behavior; and periodicity.

MGSE9-12.F.IF.5 Relate the domain of a function to its graph and, where applicable, to the quantitative relationship it describes. For example, if the function h(n) gives the number of person-hours it takes to assemble n engines in a factory, then the positive integers would be an appropriate domain for the function.

Analyze functions using different representations
MGSE9-12.F.IF.7d Graph rational functions, identifying zeros and asymptotes when suitable factorizations are available, and showing end behavior.


Here is an example of student work: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B60QLjf8TJQ9TTgxTXptUWpkN0E/view?usp=sharing

Finally, here is the feedback I left for the student. A few things I include:

• how many points they earned on a question they got wrong.  Instead of just saying you got 4/5 correct I try to give partial credit.
• an explanation of the correct answer or how to get to the correct answer.
• positive encouragemenyt

Communicate 4.2.1

Here is a rubric I created for a Development project last year. I worked as the SME for the GSE Algebra course.

Communicate 4.1.1

Effective communication practices correlate to thorough feedback because if an instructor is clear in the beginning on their expectations, then their feedback will mirror those expectations.  For instance, I require students to upload their work for any "handout" assignments and I communicate this during my Welcome Session.  However, every year I have students who do not follow instructions so I can refer them back to the Welcome Session and ask that they complete the assignment as requested.  I like to see their work so that I can give them thorough feedback on their understanding.

Authentic feedback is crucial for online learners because it is one of the main forms of interaction with the instructor.  If a student does poorly on a quiz, I want to include resources that will help them review the topics missed.  If a student does well on a quiz, I want him/her to know that I noticed (individually) and encourage the student to continue to do well.

An instructor can enrich a student's online experience by giving them feedback tailored to that student. If you notice a student continually missed a specific concept, then tell that student you will review that concept at the next help session and personally invite the student to attend.  If I notice a student fails the first or second quiz of the semester, I always write them a personal email stating that they still have plenty of time to turn it around, and here are the ways to do it! 

Communication 3.2.2

Differentiation in an online classroom is important and I want to reach as many students as possible.

For the visual learners, I try to create an infographic that contains vital information.  Here is an example of that:

I also will make short videos for students to review specific topics so that I know they might find challenging. I will either post these as a News Item or put them in my Resources Newsletter. Here is an example of a video:

Another method of differentiation I include is to allow students to complete the project from their module to replace their test score. This helps students to communicate their understanding in a different method.

Communicate 3.2.1

Effective communication with stakeholders is essential to the online learning environment.  One method of communication I utilize is a "Resources Newsletter" - this Smore holds a plethora of information for students.  I house old help sessions organized by Module along with resources I've made and that I have found on the internet.  This method of communication is mostly for students but it is helpful to tell parents about it too so they know that their student has the means of finding answers for their questions.

At times, a phone call is the best way to contact a stake holder - usually after I call (and especially if I do not get a response) I will follow up with an email to the parent and student.  Either way, it is an easy way to document the call to follow up with an email and just re-state everything that was said over the phone.  This way the student and parent can refer back to any advice I offer and I have the call documented.

Email is a vital aspect of online learning and usually the main method of communication.  Stakeholders should get "Course Update" emails as often as needed. Here is an example of one I sent this week to my summer school class.

Communicate 3.1.2

I use News Items to share important information with students, such as remediation opportunities or extra help sessions.  I also use News Items to remind students of important policies to follow.

Here is an example of a News Item used to give students some extra help on an assignment.



Here is a video I made on inverses of exponential functions, particularly those with "e"!

Communicate 3.1.1

This is an example Bulletin Board that I use at the end of the semester. I usually post this during week 16-17 (of an 18 week course) so that students know what to expect during the last (and vital) week of class.

Communicate 2.1.3

As discussed in my last two posts, ongoing communication with stakeholders is vital for student success in an online course.  In addition to Welcome Communication and communication regarding student progress I also do the following:

• After due dates I email those students with missing assignments and copy their parents. This helps stakeholders to know that they have a 0.  I always include when the deadline for submitting the assignment is so parents know how the late policy at Ga Virtual works.
• Prior to due dates, I send an email to all students and parents reminding them of the upcoming deadline and giving them tips on how to approach any challenging assignments that will be due. I also try to remind students to work continuously over the 2 week period rather than waiting until the day/night before the due date.
• When a student shows marked improvement I try to send the student and their parent a quick email just saying that I have noticed how hard he/she has been working and to keep it up - this type of communication can be the most effective in regards to student morale and rapport with students. 

Communication in an online environment is vital because many students find online learning to be challenging and need the lifeline of open communication in order to adjust.  

Here is an example of ongoing communication I might share with stakeholders: https://www.smore.com/gvyc

Communicate 2.1.2

Communication is very important in the online environment.  Below are the different forms of communication needed to be an effective online instructor:

Welcome Email: I use the template provided by Ga Virtual to welcome students and provide vital information for the course.  I usually attach the Ga Virtual provided template to the email and use bullet points in the body of the email to advise stakeholders of the key information.  In the welcome email, the important information includes: completing the Student Orientation Course, creating a Parent Auditor Account, and advising students when their Synchronous Sessions will be held.

Personal Notes vs. Mass Communication: I regularly use mass communication to send emails to students and parents.  I also use DialMyCalls to "phone blast" parents with important information.  Some examples of personal notes are that I like to email students/parents personally if the student fails the first quiz.  If a student fails the first quiz they are likely to feel discouraged and that may show they do not know how to find the important information in the course.  In this case, it is important that students/parents get a personalized email that shows I am monitoring their students progress.

Stakeholders: I always include parents on student emails! Even though students are advised to check their email daily, I still think it is important for parents to remind students of important announcements that have been sent out.  If I send an email regarding a students progress then I include the facilitator so that the student's school is aware of their progress.  Lastly, if a student has violated school policy, or if the student may have issue with school policy, I include online school administration.

School Policies Regarding Communication: I read and adhere to Ga Virtual school policy regarding communication. Two of the most important guidelines are to never include specific student grades and to only communicate with the students parent/guardian.   In addition, documentation is an important aspect of GaVS policy so that all stakeholders can be on the same page regarding when/how students are being communicated with.

Tools for Effective Online Communication: Email is my main form of online communication, but in addition I use News Announcements, Bulletin Boards, and DialMyCalls.

Communicate 2.1.1

The descriptions of each stakeholder (instructor, student, parent, school admin) do correlate to my previous understandings and perceptions.

The instructor can be expanded upon as the additional role of facilitator of student learning.  Instructors must provide students with the resources to access information and be there to help guide them in the right direction when lost.   In addition, it cannot be stated enough that instructors are there to monitor and encourage student progress and contact other stakeholders when the student is not progressing as desired.

The other roles are very well described! One other stakeholder not mentioned is the online school administration who are involved in student communication if needed.  The online school administration is there to help intervene if the instructor needs additional information on policy or how to implement school policy.  Online school administrators can help communicate information to other stakeholders so that all parties are clear on school policy and how instructors are advised to run their courses.

Communicate 1.1.2

When it comes to students, protecting their privacy and rights is important! Teachers can be sure not to violate FERPA by avoiding sending specific grade information in emails, rather teachers can say "your students grade is below a 70%" and then wait to have a phone conversation with parents if they would like more specific information.  Another area to pay attention to, in regards to FERPA, is to ensure when you get an email or phone call regarding a student be sure to check that students records to ensure the person is authorized to share in the personal information of the student.  I have had to tell un-authorized persons that they must contact the students guardian for information and while that may be an awkward conversation, it is best to respect the student's privacy.

In order to avoid copyright violations, I would be sure not to send articles or newsletters to those outside of the network in which I accessed the information.  Copyright does not require that all work be original, just that if you are using a copyrighted material that you have permission!

Communicate 1.1.1

Innovations in technology have caused many changes in the way people communicate daily.  One issue I see with students often is their knowledge of email etiquette and being able to communicate effectively using technology.  Students must know how to give an appropriate greeting in an email and give enough information so that their problem can get solved.  I often find students emails are limited in the amount of information they give and lacking an introduction.  I try to remedy this by modeling good email etiquette for students and responding to them appropriately even when I get an email from them that could have been a text!

Advancements in technology have improved classroom communication tremendously.  I love being able to email students' parents easily and send students messages quickly.  There are also cool apps to help make communication with students even easier.  Remind 101 is a site that allows you to "blast text" students without them having your actual phone number.  Students can also communicate with teachers via Twitter and other social media tools as well!

Navigate 4.1.1

I think the trend that will make the most impact on learning over the next 5 years is Mobile Learning.  At GaVS, students have the option to view the content and take quizzes on their phones/tablets but the quality is not always optimal and students may not feel as though they are getting the best product through their phones.   Through my face-to-face experience, I think there are some challenges with mobile apps keeping logins up to date via the phone/computer.  Students will say they completed something on their phone, but that will not show up in their accounts because they did not do it on the computer.  Students are on their phones all the time, and if they cannot use them to do their fullest capabilities, they may just not do the assignment or watch the video they need to watch.  Therefore, it is important that tech companies focus on this trend to help educators reach all students!

Navigate 3.2.1

Deciding on an LMS can be very challenging for a school system, especially with so many choices out there! After reviewing the different vendors, I think Canvas might be the best option for a secondary face-to-face school.  For an online school, I think Blackboard or D2L (Brightspace) might be the best options because of the content organization.  Because Ga Virtual already has the infrastructure of a development team, Brightspace is a good option.

Navigate 3.1.4

I was exploring the Canvas website and found that there are four main sections of the Course Analytics:
1. Activity allows instructors to see how much each student is participating with the LMS
2. Submissions allows instructors to see if students have done a particular assignment and if they turned it in on time or late.
3. Grades uses a box-and-whisker plot to show the grades in a course
4.  Then there are student analytics for each student in the course that can show each of the above mentioned items.

((Source)

Navigate 3.1.3

As a reminder, I chose Canvas as my Learning Management System to explore.  Canvas has almost all of the tools listed for communication, like an email/inbox/messaging system as well as a Calendar.  In addition, students can participate in Discussions on Canvas.  As far as assessments go, Canvas has all of the listed components: dropbox, quizzes, integrated rubrics, gradebook and user progress. These features are similar to those of BrightSpace.  Canvas has a gradebook, but I could not find a report feature (that may be because I didn't have any students/grades) but there is an option to leave open-ended feedback as well as integrate a rubric, and instructors can weigh different grades differently!

Navigate 3.1.2

I decided to try out using Canvas because my face-to-face school is moving to Canvas soon.  So I created a course called Algebra I and I had a zip file of videos I made for my development project this year.  It was not totally user-friendly to figure out how to upload the content, it took me about 5 minutes to figure it out! Then I had to create a Page and import one of the videos to the page.  I like how you can organize the units by Sections and give students specific instructions, like 'watch this video' then download this worksheet and try these problems.  My media loaded easily and I especially appreciate the option to create media within the LMS!

Here is a link to my Canvas course: https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/1036930

Navigate 3.1.1

The most vital elements of a Learning Management System, in my opinion are:

• Course Content - this is how students learn! It is vital because this is the delivery of the material students are expected to master.
• Course Assessments - being able to integrate this to allow teachers to assess students is vital! Students can take quizzes/tests, upload their own work in their dropbox and participate in discussions with other students.
• Reporting/Analytics - I love this feature because I can see how students are doing as a whole with certain questions and topics.  Effective online teachers should be using analytics regularly to monitor whole class progress and look for areas of weakness in the instruction

Navigate 2.1.4

Lecture Capturing resources are valuable in both the face-to-face and online classroom.  Many times, I have posted a video on a specific problem I have noticed my students struggling with as their News Announcement for the week.  I usually use an app called Explain Everything because I have found it to be the most user-friendly and you can rewind if you make a mistake! I have also used screen capturing tools like Screen-Cast-O-Matic to record how to use an online calculator for students.  As I've said, I have flipped my face-to-face classroom and this has helped to enhance my teaching methods tremendously!

Navigate 2.1.3

Many prominent universities are now offering free open courses, for instance you can learn Multi-Variable Calculus through MIT! While some are offering commercial classrooms, like Johns Hopkins University.  The benefit of the open courses are obviously the cost and access to information for all people.  However, a drawback might be that they are not updated as regularly.  Another issue with open courses is that there is no facilitator for students to be held accountable to.  For a person who wants to continue learning this might be an awesome option, but if you are trying to get course or school credit, this could raise an issue.  Because these sites post all of their assessments with keys, how can schools accurately assess if a student has learned what they should have?  So while open courses are great for continuing learning for one's leisure, they may not be the best option for students attempting to earn credit!

Navigate 2.1.2

I've created many recorded synchronous sessions using Adobe Connect.  I don't find the WhiteBoard tool to be totally user-friendly so I usually use a WhiteBoard app on my iPad and then screen share to show students how to do problems.  Here is a link to one of my recorded sessions:
1/25/16 - Inverse Functions: http://gavirtualschool.adobeconnect.com/p5q0a21z8wd/

Another issue I have run into with Adobe Connect is remembering to press Record - but I guess that is a user error!

Navigate 2.1.1

Synchronous learning is critical to student success in an online learning environment.  Currently, Ga Virtual utilizes Adobe Connect to manage synchronous learning sessions with students.  However, there are many delivery methods available out there.  Blackboard Collaborate and Adobe Connect are fairly similar.  They offer a White Board feature and allow teachers to share documents and pictures with students.  Both have polling features, but Blackboard does require students to download a file to their computers in order to be able to participate in the session.  To me, Google Hangouts is more of a social media tool rather than a learning system because it does not have a whiteboard feature built in. From what I've learned through exploring the sites, Cisco WebEx and GoTo Meeting seem to be similar in that they might be best used for business collaborations rather than student learning.

Navigate 1.1.3

Our Learning Management System, BrightSpace, does many important things for us! Our LMS does the following:

• houses the content for students to access
• allows students to be assessed through quizzes and tests
• gives students the opportunity to participate in discussions
• upload assignments to the dropbox
• email the teacher and ask questions
• and many more..! 

Through researching the difference between a LMS and a LCMS does the same things, but allows the content to be shared and updated easily between courses.  This would be helpful for instructors when they find a mistake in a course because then the mistake could be updated once and fixed for everyone right away! Hopefully, BrightSpace, will find a way to make the content sharing more fluid in the future! 

Navigate 1.1.2

As I have worked with Ga Virtual, it has been nice to explore different roles within the GaVS environment.  I have worked as an instructor, a reviewer and also a developer.  Developing has been the most challenging, but rewarding role I've held.  I like development because I enjoy creating content and thinking about how students will best learn new topics.  However, it can also be challenging because you don't get to "test" it out on students prior to them starting the course and the content being finalized! This insight into development gave me more understanding of the inner workings of Ga Virtual.

Online teachers utilize the SIS to access student information, records and keep track of important communication.  Teachers use the LMS to access the pre-made content, grade student work and facilitate student learning.

Administrators use the SIS to monitor student progress and teacher communication, as well as accessing student information and records.  Administrators also monitor teacher instruction via the LMS by looking at things like News Announcements and management of grading policies.

Facilitators use the SIS to monitor students progress and check in with students at their face-to-face school to help monitor their progress and encourage them to work hard!

The Development Department is built of the SME who writes the content and the development expert who puts it into BrightSpace and makes it look awesome!

All of these people are there to help students succeed and learn!

Navigate 1.1.1

This past school year, in my face-to-face classroom I "flipped" the classroom.  So my students watched videos I made for homework and answered questions embedded (use EdPuzzle.com) and then we spent our entire class period practicing those skills.  The videos I made would be an example of asynchronous learning since students could do them at any time, while our class time might be seen as synchronous learning since we were all together (although not necessarily online!).  It would be very cool to do synchronous sessions rather than recorded videos but I believe that scheduling that would be challenging for me (because I want to go home and relax!) and for my students who are highly committed after school.  I have considered offering some sort of synchronous review session time for students but have not found the right forum to make it work!

The great thing about asynchronous learning is that students are able to access it at their own pace and at their own time.  The awesome thing about synchronous time is that students are able to ask the instructor questions! Ga Virtual offers students a nice blend by giving them a self-paced course but then also offering weekly synchronous sessions!