Week+4+Online+Learning+Presentation

Online Learning Presentation Week 4


 * Rich Vleck's Summary:**

The teachers that I presented to are also in physical education and because of this; their focus was on that subject area, where interaction with technology, particularly computers, is limited. They each agreed that this would be possible to implement as it does not disrupt or inhibit the amount of time spent being physically active, which is the primary focus of the subject area. The teacher I sat down with became engaged in a conversation regarding some ways an online learning platform could be used in physical education and among the ideas was posting videos before a new unit, especially for activities more foreign to the majority of students. The other great idea he had involved having teams that had been created collaborate in a learning community to build camaraderie, discuss strategy, and help one another to increase engagement and passion for the class, the unit as a whole, and take stock in their physical well-being. The administrator I presented to did not provide a ton of feedback, however was extremely receptive to such implementation and effectively gave me the go-ahead to use such online learning suites to enhance student learning.

In order to effectively implement online learning into my instruction, the focus will be on working with my colleagues, two of which are now aware of my intentions. It will take time for the entire school to be utilizing such a platform so by starting within my subject area the feasibility and concerns of this implementation will come to light and hopefully manifest themselves to allow for an improvement learning experience for each student going forward.


 * Malissa Sauciunas's Summary:**

I presented my presentation to a veteran teacher, a digital age teacher, and my administrator. All three has knowledge of technology but not the new and emerging technologies. I shared the use of using Moodle which is a course management system (CMS). I created an account and showed them my page and how user friendly it is to use. This site is very comparable to Blackboard and how our classroom works. The veteran teacher was very interested in the website and suggested that I could use it in a group. Each teacher at my school has at least 3-5 student computers in our rooms for students to use. She said the students could rotate using the computers in a group setting. The other teacher was excited to use and thought if the grade level or each team could use one. My administrator was excited that I took the initiative to share this with her and would like for me to share with other teachers during pre-planning.

In order for me to effectively share with the other teachers, the other two teachers I shared with along with myself will create a committee to share with others. We will get together to fully learn the use of Moodle and its effectiveness in the classroom. It will take a little time but the outcome will be worth it. My school is thirsty for new and emerging technologies and I can't wait to spread the word and see the effects of online learning to improve student learning.

I presented the concept of online learning to a small group of teachers that I knew were technology proficient, and would possibly be interested in piloting Moodle in their classroom. I explained the benefits of using an online learning management system, and they were excited to begin. They especially liked the idea of using online portfolios, and providing a means for the students to upload, share and store their digital work. Using a portfolio also would facilitate greater parent involvement because they could log on at any time and view their child’s work. They also liked the collaborative nature of the learning management system, which encouraged the students to communicate with each other through forums and discussions. It also encourages a greater level of teacher-parent communications. I need to discuss Moodle with the technology department and see if there are any known conflicts between the software and our own county resources. If we get the green light from technology, then I plan to roll out the learning management system with a couple teachers. If the endeavor is successful, then hopefully other teachers will begin to implement the technology as well.
 * Chris Stewart’s Summary**:


 * Chris to Malissa**: I hope everything goes well with your teachers and schools. I know that my teachers have used Blackboard in past college classes, so they were familiar with the concept. However, they didn’t know that similar classroom management systems were available for k12 classrooms. My schools also have between 3-5 computers in the classrooms and would probably have to utilize them, along with the labs, in order for the students to have adequate access to Moodle’s resources. Forming a committee is a great idea to help spread the word about using Moodle in the classroom. I could probably put Moodle on the technology committee’s agenda for discussion. I would like for at least a couple teachers to try it out first, so their input could possibly encourage other teachers to use it.


 * Rich to Chris:** Sounds like you have things in order with your plan of attack. After interacting with Moodle this week that it is a tool that can not only be beneficial, but is emerging in such a way that it can transform what defines the "typical classroom". I would be interested to hear if you have any software issues though; I have ran into some problems with various software depending on the computer and the Internet browser being utilized. Technology is great, but there are always some hurdles that must be cleared in order to be successful to be fully implemented.


 * Marisa Roberts' Summary:**

==== I presented Rcampus, an online Education Management System, to two technology proficient teachers and an administrative designee (we currently do not have a principal). One of the teachers was very excited to see Rcampus and what it offered. She thought that it would be particularly beneficial for students who go on independent study for reasons such as illness, health problems, or extended vacations. She did mention that it would be challenging to get her and students used to doing, but she was interested. ====

==== The other person was our technology leader from the last school year. He really liked many of the features that Rcampus offered. He mentioned that he was concerned that many of the teachers would not use this program. He pointed out that we have a school website and only a handful of the forty teachers use it. Furthermore, he stated that in order for a program like Rcampus to work, there would need to be numerous trainings. New technologies have slowly made their way into our school. By the end of last year, every classroom had a SMARTboard and a SMART response system installed. Unfortunately, many of those technologies are not widely used by everyone. ====

==== The administrative designee was very interested and mentioned having a few people pilot the program. After the pilot and if the program was successful, she would like to have that shared with the school board. Hopefully the school board would be interested in implementing it district wide. ====

**Malissa to Marisa:** The issue presented by your technology leader seems to be common among schools. Many teachers are excited to learn something new; however, it will take time and training to do so. That is also a good idea by your administrative designee to have a few teachers pilot the program. This would be a great way for a small group to learn the program and put it to use within the classroom. This would be a good stepping stone that can lead into your technology leader's opinion. With more teachers knowing how to use the program, training could be easier with smaller break out groups with the teachers piloting the program to lead the training. This could easily be done over time during designated planning periods or during a teacher workday. We had something similar to this last school year where we broke out into small sessions presented by our fellow teachers to present and train the others on current issues such as technology. I hope all goes well with your implementation.

**Marisa to Rich**: I think that you are off to a great start. My site is currently without an administrator. I am hoping that I will be able to pilot the LMS with a small group of teachers. Hopefully we can present what we are doing and how it is going to the rest of the staff by December and then again at the end of the year. I am hoping that we will be able to get more teachers involved or interested. Training and support, I think, are going to be key in getting something like this set up school wide. There are several veteran teachers at my site that are not too keen on technology. On the other hand, there are just as many younger teachers that would probably be very interested in doing the LMS. Hopefully you and your two other colleagues can help you pilot this at your site. At least you were able to get the green light from your administrator! Good luck!