INTRODUCTION

     I am an Algebra 1 and 2 teacher. The course that I decided to create was from one of the major topics of Algebra 1 which is linear functions. It was built as an online course like what we have at Lamar where all the tasks are online, but we have weekly Zoom meetings to discuss what needs to be done that week and answer any questions that may come up. Videos were used for teaching the concepts, but I chose a variety of activities to use as practice and assessment. Students get to provide evidence of their learning by creating how to guides and instructional videos for the concepts learned. Students would be able to collaborate with each other in response to discussions posts and critique each other’s Flipgrid projects.

 

Instructional Design Theories

     There are a few different instructional design theories that we have looked at. ADDIE is a very detail-oriented model that focuses more on content and design than how effective it would be when considering the students and instructor (Bates, 2015). Bates said that it works best with large, complex projects because the cost for doing the same amount of work for a small class would be too expensive. TPACK is another model to help with developing online courses. According to Archambault and Crippen (2009), TPACK brings together technological knowledge with pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge to create a course. Basically, it brings together what is known about technology in general, what you know about the content area, and what you know about teaching and puts it all together. In a way, I may have used TPACK some because I had to consider all of those areas and how they would intermix amongst each other in the course.

The instructional design theory that I used without really knowing of its existence at the time was SECTIONS (Bates, 2015). I was considering what would be the best sites and such for my students to use that wouldn’t cost much or anything at all. I wanted there to be teaching similar to my own in the videos that I didn’t create as well as plenty of interaction between the students. The interaction is key so that students will learn the material in a deeper way. I had to come up with a way to organize my course so that my students will know where to start and how to work their way through it. All the sites chosen could safely be accessed using their school email accounts along with Google Classroom.

 

UbD Plan Implementation

     I used elements from my previously made UbD plan for my linear functions course. I couldn’t use it exactly as written due to the fact it was written for a flipped classroom whereas this course was written to be fully online without a physical classroom component that was necessary for some of the activities that were previously chosen. The UbD plan is very useful in helping instructors to identify key understandings needed for a course and the essential questions that need to be answered by the end of the course. After identifying those important elements, I was able to find videos and activities that would help students achieve those goals and demonstrate their learning.

 

Importance of Online Learning

     Through the years that I have been teaching, there has been an increase to the amount of technology that is in our students’ lives. Some of the technology has been helpful, and some it has been a hindrance. One place where technology hasn’t grown in the same proportion is education. I believe that a lot of that has to do with the teachers and how they aren’t as experienced with technology. Teachers also need to be trained more in how to effectively use technology in the classroom. Once all the pieces start coming together though, I believe that education will improve. Online learning can give students opportunities to learn at their own pace. This allows for the differentiation that is needed so that all students are learning to their capability. Students could possibly be able to take different courses that can be found online that their schools don’t offer. This in particular would be helpful in my school’s situation where we are a small district with limited numbers of classes.

 

Enduring Understanding

     I have learned that there are lots of different things that go into building an online course. It is particularly difficult with math, but math is what I know so I chose to make my course around it. It is important to keep in mind who you are building the course for and what types of resources will be needed along the way. You must make sure that you keep in mind how easy the materials are to use and if they have any charges associated with using them. I do know that as I get into planning for my new school year, I will be looking to add in more online components and building towards being more blended in my approach to teaching. Some of my ideas I found in creating my linear functions course for this class will be added into my lesson plans when I get to that section of my Algebra 1 course.

 

References:

Archambault, L., & Crippen, K. (2009). Examining TPACK among K-12 online distance educators in

     the United States Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1). 

 

Bates, A.W. (2015) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning.

     Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage