Let me set up this scenario for you… you enroll in my online class unsure of what to expect and scared that you may be unsuccessful. There are many steps that I am going to take to make you as the learner comfortable. First of all my site will have a clear set of rules that you and I follow within the syllabus. This will be present 24 hours a day to review. You will always be able to contact me and should expect a response within 24 hours if not sooner. My response will guide you to the answers that you seek whether they be technology or content based. There will be time for you to get to know myself and the other learners through activities, blogging and e-mail contact. I expect for each student to gain content knowledge from this course.
The articles listed below gave me some ideas about how to accomplish this wonderful online classroom persona. “It is up to the online facilitator to set the tone for the online course so that learners are comfortable enough to interact and build relationships with other learners, including the facilitator” (Vasquez, 2003) As I mentioned before, it is important to have consistency in the classroom and it is meaningful to propose a set of rules. These rules lay the basis for any classroom. Secondly it is important for the students to feel emotionally attached and to be involved educationally. Ice breakers can be used to involve all students from day one to ensure relationships pursue throughout the course. (Virgil, 2002) Last it is important to show students who you are. You can do this through e-mail, blogging, and in person. As you would in a face-to-face classroom it is important to include all students and give detailed answers when responding to each and every student.
These articles are helpful to any teacher who is starting out in a classroom and/or online. They would be helpful to returning teachers as well because they set up a sense that the environment of your ‘classroom’ is just as important as the content material. From personal experience a student who favors a specific teacher or subject is more likely to succeed in that classroom. I would like to have read more material about how to conduct ice breakers in an online format. This article was particularly unhelpful. However, I would recommend each of the three articles to anyone who has never taught an online course before. They can easily be used to set the stage for the teacher and learners in an online environment.
Bibliography:
Holman, Janice. Bridging the Divide: From Outsider to Insider in Online Learning. 2007.
http://www.cvc.edu/2007/03/bridging-the-divide-from-outsider-to-insider-in-online-learning/
Varvel, Virgil Jr. Icebreakers. 2002. http://www.ion.illinois.edu/resources/pointersclickers/2002_01/index.asp
Vasquez, Martha. Your Online Voice: How can you set the tone? 2003.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2003/11/01/your-online-voice-how-can-you-set-the-tone/
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