If a computer can replace a teacher it should. If a teacher can replace a computer - they should... hmmm

If a computer can replace a teacher it should. If a teacher can replace a computer - they should... hmmm
And hmm...thinking about second session. To give honest feedback - of course it was lovely, of course ideas stayed with me all week. But to be honest it felt more like a teacher centred lesson - With the interactive pen and paper activity Session one was sooo engaging...and MAYBE that explains the drop in online engagement..or just we need time to absorb, out into practice, and asynchronous feature is very seductive...can comment later...
Along with the tips I am "observing" this as a "demonstration"of online teaching and learning...a field still in its infancy. Joining class now for session 3!

Comments

  1. Scott GrayNovember 19, 2017 at 6:09 AM

    I think some things take more time to go around us and week two had more of that than in the first session. Also the first anything is always easier to remember, too. I know my trying to play with the stuff from week one in my classes quickly led me to not being as on my game as usual. Hope today was as fun as week one.

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  2. Penny UrNovember 19, 2017 at 7:52 AM

    Good point about participant activation in online sessions, Claudie, thanks! I try to intersperse the talk with questions for people to answer in the chat box, and to respond as much as I can rather than just going on with my prepared talk ... but maybe that isn't enough, the pencil-and-paper one certainly added something. Need to think of more ways of activation ... it's much more difficult to keep people's attention online than it is in a f2f situation.

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  3. Claudie GNovember 21, 2017 at 4:43 AM

    Penny Ur It is fascinating watching the development of online teaching and learning. I have been taking online courses for a few years - two university credit courses (Mount Royal University, Calgary ); an OER course; FutureLearn courses (Dutch); SOOC (SETSIG -UDL) and lots of webinars for PD presented by volunteers - like workshops at conferences. The only ones I felt I truly participated in and really learned as much as I would have F2F were the credit courses - because they involved money!!). Also they were Language Learning and Technology courses - so fit the delivery mode perfectly - handson practice. So I have had exposure to and some experience with different delivery systems.
    A comment. It is possible also to have too much engagement and razzamatzz!! At the end of the day - just like F2F - there has to be some chemistry involved. And expectations may need to be adjusted. Online promised some very unrealistic expectations! We need to be realistic.

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  4. Penny UrNovember 21, 2017 at 4:56 AM

    A really interesting post, Claudie, with all your experience of online courses behind you! I found this phrase of yours particularly significant: 'The only ones I felt I truly participated in and really learned as much as I would have F2F were ....' .... in other words, you're implying that f2f courses are in general more learning rich, and the way you judge an online course is whether or not it measures up to the same quality you'd get from f2f. I tend to agree, though my experience is not as rich as yours. An online course can rarely, if ever, produce the same feeling of excitement and learning that a f2f one does. What, in your opinion, contributes to the (relative) success of online courses? And what makes them fail? (other than how much money you've paid for them!!)
    Steve, Barb, what's your take on this?
    And any of the rest of you want to come in on this discussion?

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  5. Claudie GNovember 24, 2017 at 5:06 AM

    Penny Ur Crucial question. Maybe we need to think in other terms than "success" and "failure" - and need to compare apples with apples. For example I am "learning" lots from this experience - but obviously not as much content as from the full blown credit courses I took. But I see this as a "workshop" more than a course. So I should compare this to a conference workshop (say an all day workshop) and so far I have learned a lot, enjoyed a lot, and used a lot - pretty much the same as a good conference workshop. Maybe more than some. I'm excited to "reply" to people in the course and feel a connection with them. In some ways MORE than the casual connection to the person sitting next to me in a conference that I might be asked to think-pair-share (The Introductions help to personalize the connection). What contributes to success of either experience? Paramount are my own motivations for registering...and then the presenter has to be well prepared and the workshop well delivered!! I did sign up for the premium premium - although the "badge" is not important to me and I have never put "badges" I earned from webinars on my profile. But I did want to give myself one extra push to complete. However I don't think it was the few extra dollars that has kept me here...

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  6. Katarina BrezaniNovember 26, 2017 at 3:16 AM

    I found your point very interesting Claudie, made me think. I liked how Penny was then trying to get us involved with the tasks and questions during the session.
    We run some skype lessons in our company for business students in the field and for this particular group of students computer is the only way to get some good and regular English lessons.

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