Online Course Design - CEP 820
Over the course of CEP 820, Teaching K12 Students Online, I created an online course to be completed by primary grade students. Having never experienced creating an online course or even teaching an online course, let alone for primary grade students, I felt I had quite a challenge ahead of me.
The first major decision was, what would I teach primary students online? I wanted something that was going to be a huge bennefit for students. At first the course I was trying to set up included reading instruction for strategies and comprehension, but I soon figured out that was too broad of a topic. For this course I needed to narrow my focus so I split my idea into three segments:
1. Sight Words (Dolch Words)
2. Reading Strategies
3. Reading Comprehension.
I considered my options before settling on creating the course as an instruction on learning sight words (dolch words). The reason I chose this topic is because of the importance sight words play in reading and writing. Once a child knows their sight words, the most popular words in the english language an_d often ones that cannot be phonetically sounded out, reading becomes easier and words can be recalled for writing.
Once a topic was settled on, the next hurdle was choosing a Course Management System (CMS) After exploring strengths and weaknesses of various CMS's I decided on Moodle. Moodle seemed the appropriate choice for accessability in my school district, parents at the school are familiar with its set up, and it had all the features I was looking for.
A blank slate now lay before me. Descisions on goals, objectives, and paths to reach those through effective technology was the next step. I started by creating a method of online assessment through Moodle quizes so the student would recieve individualized instruction and begin the course at an appropriate level. I decided on a layout and pattern of activities that would be simple and consistent enough for students to follow along with ease, yet be technologically diverse.
I searched many online activites and articles, compiling research and possible activities. Some made the final cut... and some did not! Some activities I use in my classroom were not ideal for the online arena and some new activities that were not possible with my one classroom computer came to life in the online course.
After setting up the course I realized I needed a way to monitor activities and create a communication piece between myself and the students enrolled in the course. I added a journal activity to each activity for the student to reflect upon their work and be held accountable. I then went back and added a goals section where the students will set goals for themselves before they start each unit of work.
I feel that by adding these 2 elements to course, it became more personalized for the student. It will help the student feel more part of something and proactive about their learning instead of simply completing sets of activites.
Below I have included a few screen shots of the course.
The first major decision was, what would I teach primary students online? I wanted something that was going to be a huge bennefit for students. At first the course I was trying to set up included reading instruction for strategies and comprehension, but I soon figured out that was too broad of a topic. For this course I needed to narrow my focus so I split my idea into three segments:
1. Sight Words (Dolch Words)
2. Reading Strategies
3. Reading Comprehension.
I considered my options before settling on creating the course as an instruction on learning sight words (dolch words). The reason I chose this topic is because of the importance sight words play in reading and writing. Once a child knows their sight words, the most popular words in the english language an_d often ones that cannot be phonetically sounded out, reading becomes easier and words can be recalled for writing.
Once a topic was settled on, the next hurdle was choosing a Course Management System (CMS) After exploring strengths and weaknesses of various CMS's I decided on Moodle. Moodle seemed the appropriate choice for accessability in my school district, parents at the school are familiar with its set up, and it had all the features I was looking for.
A blank slate now lay before me. Descisions on goals, objectives, and paths to reach those through effective technology was the next step. I started by creating a method of online assessment through Moodle quizes so the student would recieve individualized instruction and begin the course at an appropriate level. I decided on a layout and pattern of activities that would be simple and consistent enough for students to follow along with ease, yet be technologically diverse.
I searched many online activites and articles, compiling research and possible activities. Some made the final cut... and some did not! Some activities I use in my classroom were not ideal for the online arena and some new activities that were not possible with my one classroom computer came to life in the online course.
After setting up the course I realized I needed a way to monitor activities and create a communication piece between myself and the students enrolled in the course. I added a journal activity to each activity for the student to reflect upon their work and be held accountable. I then went back and added a goals section where the students will set goals for themselves before they start each unit of work.
I feel that by adding these 2 elements to course, it became more personalized for the student. It will help the student feel more part of something and proactive about their learning instead of simply completing sets of activites.
Below I have included a few screen shots of the course.
Welcome and Directions (Further down in this section I have links to goals, GLCE's, materials, and rubrics for assessment.)
Here is a sample of each unit. The units are ordered from simple to difficult... Pre Primer, Primer, First Grade, Second Grade, and finally the Third Grade List.
Sample Goal Setting Journal with Sample Student Response
Sample Activity with Journal Response
