ETAD 804 - Distance Education Theory & Practice
ETAD 804 was my very first class. The first formal university class in 16 years. I was nervous about writing papers and completing assignments... how much had I forgotten about the academic world in 16 years. Learning about Distance Education in my very first online class was an interesting combination. This class served to reinforce that good teaching is good teaching and it's important to employ a variety of strategies to meet the needs of your learners. It was also my first opportunity to learn from Dr. Dirk Morrison and I truly appreciated his support and encouragement throughout my Master's program.
I was amazed at the costs associated with designing and developing an online course. In the world of public education online classes are what get designed when a teacher is assigned an online class as part of their teaching load. It's more like next year we've decided you will teach online Science. Have a great summer! Fortunately, we have two ETAD alum as our Digital Learning Consultants and they have worked hard establish a process of supporting new teachers and experienced teachers in designing an online course.
The First Class...
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I participated in discussion forums and moderated one week's discussion. The video below was what I used to get people thinking about our topic that week.
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We reviewed a few resources that were helpful.
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We wrote a group paper that explained the tools and set-up we would use to design our very own online course. It's where I met Roxy and Sarah and I'm forever grateful for their support and encouragment. I appreciated the time and feedback they shared about APA formating and reminders I'd forgotten about academic writing. We met in person as a group only once but it was exciting to actually meet my online friends in person!
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We designed a blue print for a Video Editing & the iPad course that could potentially be offered through a regional college to interested adults in the community.
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What's 804.3 about?
Distance Education Theory
and Practice
(Online option)
Examines the historical and theoretical foundations of distance education from a provincial, national and international perspective. Surveys the development, organization and practice of distance education for various educational endeavours. Focuses specifically on distance education in Saskatchewan and compares the Saskatchewan situation with similar situations across Canada.
Class Info from:
http://www.usask.ca/education/ecur/etad/courses-requirements.php
Thinking About Assessment
This video served to introduce the weeks discussion about assessment. I suggested that assessing a student is an ever changing movie that grows and develops everytime we learn something more about the learner. So I asked my classmates to view the video and try to guess who the learner was based on the items I pulled out of their school bag.
Connections....
General:
I remember my first venture into the online discussion forums. I was nervous but met the most amazing people. They were kind and offered very supportive feedback. It's truly one of the best parts of the program, meeting other people who are passionate about learning more about technology.
Color By Amber:
This course gave me the first opportunity to experince an online course and consider how I might be able to develop an online training site to support sustained growth and training of my growing Color By Amber team. The challenge was and still is how do I unite people I've never met before (i.e. 90 people from across the country) in a common space. Our cross country team exists in every time zone in the country, so live training coming out of Saskatchewan in the evening doesn't work for my team in Newfoudland. It was timely in that Color By Amber started in Canada the same time I took my first Masters class. As crazy as it's been, my classes have provided me with a different perspective on how best to support my team and grow my business.
Education:
Everything that applies to my Color By Amber connections really relates back to education. It's all about getting to know your learners and find a way to best support their needs. This course helped me better understand all of the ins and outs of distance ed and taking in an online format really enhanced my appreciation for the online classes that our NESD students take.