I am experienced as an online learner and as a professional online instructor and content developer. I began my online career as a corporate trainer and quickly found that there are a lot of cogs in the wheel of a successful online learning community. The roles are relatively straightforward for the students, designers, and administrators. The instructor, however, must wear many hats in an online community.

As the instructor, my role was clearly defined as a facilitator to learning. The information was readily available; it was my job to present it and cause students to be more engaged and invested in the learning, monitor their progress and report that in SIS.  Though my role was defined, it was also extremely adaptive. Sometimes I was simply a moderator, other times a technologist and always a subject matter specialist.  Salmon (2001) describes an online instructor as an e-moderator, the person who is responsible for responding to and building on the contributions of others to facilitate learning.

Some of the primary functions may include:

• pacing curriculum
• instructional methods
• establishing time parameters
• delivery and platform expertise
• responding to technical concerns
• assessing efficacy
• Maintaining records in the student information system (SIS)
• Navigation of the learning management system (LMS) to provide methods and gather resources
• establishing netiquette

The role of the learner is that of the participant in an on-line community. The learner is responsible for becoming part of the learning community and retains that autonomy throughout the course using the student information system (SIS). My experience has shown that time management is a significant factor for students new to an online learning model. Without face to face instruction, the instructor cannot read between the lines and gauge how the learner is fairing. Students have to assume the responsibility of registering, paying for, and actively working with the community to develop their understanding of the material. They essentially are responsible for their differentiated learning.

The administrator is like the conductor. They maintain that courses are offered, facilitate student scheduling, and ensure that learning and teaching are happening by enforcing policy and monitoring student progress. An administrator may also encourage professional development and see that instructors are utilizing the tools of the trade to their fullest potential. The administrator will work with the content development team to ensure that course offerings are available in the LMS and resources are in place to support the instructor’s facilitation of the material.

Virtual learning doesn’t just happen. It is a process that involves a team of people engineering a seamless experience for the learner. There are many overlapping concepts, and each person has a role to play.

 

Practicing wellness is something most of us do not think about. Wellness doesn’t usually come into play until we are either already ill or afraid of becoming ill for some reason. If we are lucky, the issue of wellness won’t present itself for discussion until we are faced with the reality of aging.

I include a personal practice daily for wellness that includes mindfulness, yoga, and healthy eating. Wellness like anything we do well takes practice.

Today’s student is much less likely to get in the movement that my generation did every day. I was always outside or in the pool playing at something. I rarely sat down to watch something. I rode my bike everywhere and obesity was not even a blip on the conversational radar. So what changed?

Technology. The great big world became so small that we don’t even need to leave our homes to experience it. The information revolution changed everything, including how we relate to physical health and wellness.

Life has become one big scheduling event for a lot of people, myself included. So I have developed my own method of prioritizing wellness and health.

Addiction is rampant in our society. Drugs, alcohol, food, and technology. The Help Guide offers support on-line for anyone seeking guidance for mental, emotional, and social health. I like the information presented in this guide because it is not to heady and can be utilized by anyone. You don’t need to have a degree in psychology to benefit from the articles.

I have recently engaged in a program called Mindful Schools. This organization works to offer solutions to the toxic stress that life demands consistently outpace a person’s ability to cope.

Toxic stress in students

• impairs attention
• effects emotion and mood regulation
• disrupts sleep
• interferes with learning readiness

Toxic stress in teachers

• decreases productivity and creativity
• increases the frequency of anxiety and depression
• leads to frustration and disassociation
• increases the turn-over rate

Organization can go a long way to helping avoid the pitfalls of over scheduling. I forget half of what I was going to do some days, simply because I failed to write it down. Taking time to care for me is often the first thing to suffer. So I schedule it into my daily life. Calendars can be wonderful tools, but if you have one for work, one for home, and one for whatever, things get left behind. For me having a central organization tool is imperative. I use Todoist. It’s an app right on my browser, phone, Outlook at work, iPad…you get the drift, it’s easy and offers me the down and dirty no excuses tool I need to stay on track. Here is a picture of my daily screen reminders.

I use Todoist. It’s free. It’s an app right on my browser, phone, Outlook at work, iPad…you get the drift, it’s easy and offers me the down and dirty no excuses tool I need to stay on track. Here is a picture of my daily screen reminders. I use the free version, it has plenty of options, more than I need for my daily wellness tasks. I love that I can schedule my tasks priority as a 1,2 or 3 and that I can create my own categories. It’s hard to see I know, but hey, free version. This list below shows my category of Wellness expanded with my daily mindfulness and yoga practices scheduled as a priority 1.

Wellness takes practice. It doesn’t just happen. Conscious choice leads us to have happy and productive lives. Digital health is a part of what that looks like in today’s society.

Knowledge is the key to understanding. That is true when it comes to internet safety as well. When considering how to keep ourselves and our students digitally safe, we must first consider the audience. I teach in a high school. Students routinely put themselves “out there” leaving their digital impressions hundreds of times a day without a second thought about how that can impact their present and future lives.

Our school adopted a 1 to 1 program through Common Sense Media. We began the school year with a five-day required program in which students and teachers participated by watching videos and joining in Kahoot games to answer a series of reflection questions about digital citizenship and safety. Throughout the lessons, I repeatedly heard students comment about how they had no idea “that” was even possible, or I never thought about “how” that might affect my ability to get into a good school.

I believe awareness is the most important thing when it comes to protecting ourselves and our students in this digital world. Some of the strategies I use in class include an introductory lesson on digital citizenship and internet safety. I monitor all the digital spaces my students have access to for inappropriate or  compromising material. If I do run across something questionable, I will address the post with the student directly and show them how such information can impact them.

Even if a student never posts a negative thing on the internet, they can still expose themselves to danger. According to Kasperski, a first step towards securing your devices and protecting yourself online is ensuring you have a good understanding of the major categories of malware and other threats.

What is Malware?

The name malware is short for ‘malicioussoftware’. Malware includes any software program that has been created to perform an unauthorized — and often harmful — action on a user’s device. Examples of malware include:

• Computer viruses
• Word and Excel macro viruses
• Boot sector viruses
• Script viruses — including batch, Windows shell, Java, and others
• Keyloggers
• Password stealers
• Backdoor Trojan viruses
• Other Trojan viruses
• Crimeware
• Spyware
• Adware… and many other types of malicious software programs

But, malware is not the only threat to our students. According to NoBullying.com, cyberbullying has become a hot topic in education. The bully is no longer restricted to the playground or the lunchroom or the bus stop. Cyber bullies can reek havoc in their victims’ life.

Once posted the damage is almost impossible to undo and can lead to public ridicule, and in tragic cases suicide. Creating an environment of positivity when involving students in a DLC is one way to ensure a safe space for students to learn and develop academically. Encourage other students to DoSomething if they witness cyberbullying. Involving young people in social change is the only way cyberspace will ever become self-regulating.

Talk to parents, and offer them direction for developing strategies at home. An example may be the development of a social media agreement. Setting expectations ahead of issues is a lot easier that trying to quiet an angry storm that’s raging. There are many tools available that allow you to put your rules in writing. LifeLock offers the smart talk which offers many options for parents including a smart talk guide.

Digital Safety is really everyone’s business. Katie Greer got a lot of attention in Massachusetts when she started talking about the connection to crimes against children and the internet. Today she travels the country giving talks on Stranger Danger and Cyberbullying.

“I think everybody is looking for a special tool that is going to combat all of these things, but I think education is the best tool,” Greer says. “The biggest thing is awareness and constant conversation around the topic.”

Establishing and maintaining a successful DLC where citizens understand, observe, and are inclined to willingly support and ultimately benefit from Digital Rights and Responsibilities takes planning. Knowing the word ethics and being able to apply the concept of ethical behavior is something that all human beings struggle with from time to time. The digital environment is often perceived as an anonymous platform and digital misbehavior is often perceived to be victimless

Knowing the word ethics and being able to apply the concept of ethical behavior is something that all human beings struggle with from time to time. The digital environment is often perceived as an anonymous platform. Digital misbehavior is often perceived to be victimless.

Developing an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is paramount in the process of defining what is deemed acceptable behavior from users of any electronic system being utilized in a digital learning environment. As an educator, the AUP is the first line of defense when it comes to keeping students safe and teaching them to respect themselves and others online.

An AUP should address personal safety and intellectual property in its scope and should comply with E-rate requirements. This E-rate toolkit from Common Sense Media is a great one. I especially like the family toolkit option for connecting families to the conversation of Digital Citizenship.

The enforcement of the AUP falls on the commitment of the entire learning community and is only as strong as the commitment to enforce it.

Digital etiquette, or netiquette as its sometimes called, is a basic set of rules you should follow in order to make the internet better for others, and better for you. It’s just as important to treat people with courtesy and respect online as it is in real life.

I have the Padlet I created and two additional links below that offer some ideas for incorporating Netiquette into your instruction. Having students research and develop their own Padlet or Poster is a great way to get them involved in creating the concept of Netiquette for their own social behavior.

Mrs. E’s Padlet on Netiquette

Brainpop also has a great program with teachable lessons on Netiquette 

Pinterest has some great reproducible posters and some ready-made programs for instructional use.

When we think of internet access, or wait do we actually think of that at all. Because I work in a low-income school district, I am more aware than I used to be regarding the disparity of access amongst my students.

The Broadband Availability Gap research is a real eye opener when we start to look beyond the advertisements for the next whammy dine service available. Though a heady piece of research, for those of us that are data-driven, it may just change previous assumptions.

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It is a site worth exploring and in my case, I will return often for updates and trends. Technology is only one of dozens of topics, check it out.

According to Digital Differences research conducted by Pew, differences in internet access still exist among various demographic groups, especially among high-speed broadband access at home.  1 in 5 Americans does not use the internet. Some of the factors that influence a lack  of internet use include:

• Lower Income – Below 30K
• Lower education rates
• Age – specifically senior citizens
• Citizens with disabilities

Cost and relevance are the primary reasons cited for nonuse.

Cord Cutters

More people are connecting via smartphone and cutting the cord to broadband commitment at home. Though this may result in lower bills, it comes at a price. According to Pew data, among smartphone owners, young adults, minorities, those with no college experience, and those with lower household income levels are more likely than other groups to say that their phone is their main source of internet access. Device only users are more likely than others to run up against:

• Data-cap limits
• Canceled or suspended service
• Challenge when filling out applications and other forms
• Limited visual quality

Those without home high-speed service face a major disadvantage when it comes to accessing government services, searching for employment, following the news, learning new things, or getting health information.

Suffice to say, the internet is important to everyone and some people are getting left behind.

How Can We Increase Digital Inclusion?

Technology and internet access strategies for individuals include (but are not limited to!):

• Public access computers.
• Computers accessible to defined populations (such as residents of a housing complex).
• Free wifi hotspots.
• Low-cost options for home computer purchasing.
• Partnering with broadband providers to offer low-cost broadband.
• Extending broadband service into rural areas lacking reasonable cost high-speed broadband.

Read our National Broadband Plan. Get involved, share ideas, don’t assume.

Doing a web-based walkabout for tools that can make online teaching more engaging and effective was an interesting experience. There were several key terms that continued to be present throughout my exploration.

Words like authority and accuracy really resonate with me as an educator. Anyone can create a website. So how are students to know which sites are reputable and trustworthy without guidance?

I found sites like the University of Maryland provided great information and spelling out what is important when selecting resources.

Understanding how DNS works is key to helping students sort out how the myriad of material that is at their fingertips gets there.

Though I am not a fan of Wikipedia for research, it can be a great place to get started when defining a new idea or topic. The List of Internet top-level Domains can also go a long way to becoming victim to internet scam artists. Sometimes simply knowing the extension can let you know the site is suspect!

Everyone should know what WOT is. Sorry couldn’t resist! It’s free, it’s easy, and can go a long way in providing a simple and safe browsing experience.

Students come to class with various levels of preparedness for research. Teaching students to be responsible digital citizens goes beyond just getting it done. Establishing parameters for Internet Research Ethics is important. Showing students how to use tools like Grammarly can help them become more accountable for their own success and skill development and sets the bar higher.

Tools are tools. Left in the toolbox unopened, they do not provide any advantage. Using the wrong tool for the job not only affects the outcome but can ultimately cause damage. Teaching students that they should take the time it takes to do it right the first time sets them up for success all the time.

Here is the link to the list of sites that I have added thus far to my toolbox. This will continue to grow, but not be overgrown. I am being selective and only booking those tools I know I will use. Having tools for havings’ sake only crowds the box!

Symbaloo Bookmarks

Why should I be a part of A Digital Learning Community?

I have heard the term Digital Learning Community over and over again, I had a vague idea of how they worked. In reality, I really had no idea how broad and rich these communities could be. My exposure has really been limited to my immediate community; school, classroom, district and state. Once I started wandering around in the wide open space of the ever expanding digital pasture, I was of course, drawn to find communities that will enhance and benefit my students learning experience in and out of the classroom.

The traits that made the DLCs I chose to explore most attractive included the following:

1. It has to be free.
2. A user friendly platform that all of my learners can benefit from, even if they do not have access to a computer at home.
3. Multimedia options for differentiation of delivery.
4. Ease of navigation. 
5. Clean pages with clear and engaging and interactive material that is appropriate in its scope.
6. Provides for feedback

I joined Kahn Academy and Northshore Technical Community College

Kahn Academy really offers interactive support for students developing in a subject and practice for those who are achieving at a higher level. 

In addition to introductory science courses, speaking to my subject area, Northshore tackles grammar, writing, reading , and college mathematics readiness courses that all students need to be successful. We are all reading, writing and arithmetic teachers to some degree.

As a Digital Citizen it is my responsibility to make the process of joining a DLC more appealing to and easier for students? I can do this by simply letting them know what their options are and provide time for them in class early on to develop the skills they need to feel confident in seeking out those communities that will enhance their learning experience now and forever. I can created and develop a DLC for my own classes and direct them to other sites that they may find beneficial. I can encourage communities in the classroom by offering opportunities for students to discuss and share their finds and personal experiences with DLC’s.

It takes a village. This concept holds true even, or especially, in an online community.  Digital Citizenship is a concept where teacher, parents and community members work together to create and talk about what a safe and appropriate digital community is and how its members behave.

There is an info graphic from ISTE.org listing primary traits of a good digital citizen. I have chosen the ones most important to me along with some links to cites you may find interesting as you learn more about becoming a Digital Citizen.

I love the approach that Common Sense Media takes with their three pronged strategy to “Rate, Educate, and Advocate”.

Three things I find most important are:

1. Educational Value – Does the media I employ actually have value and relate to the subject standards I am aiming for? Being an educator AND a digital citizen implies that I am utilizing technologies and pedagogies that will enhance the learning and provide an appropriate level of challenge relative to students performance and the intended learning outcomes. That means I am constantly reviewing, evaluating and rating those curricula  for efficacy in the classroom, not just utilizing technology to convey a message, but to truly engage, motivate and develop a life long learner that understands how technology fits into their learning.
2. Digital Citizenship Curriculum – Students must be educated in what it means to be a digital citizen. They need to be responsible, respectful, and safe. (Common Sense Media) Focusing on digital ethics and responsibility is a community responsibility. Activities should emphasize what it means to be a responsible digital citizen and clearly spell out the consequences of not doing so.
3. Universal Access – As we move further into the digital age with regard to education, the question of access becomes more relevant. In July the White House addressed the idea that all Americans should have digital opportunities at home. Programs like ConnectHome will be vital as the virtual classroom becomes more of a mainstay in our society.