The Framework for Online Instruction Program Endorsement Guidelines
iNACOL (International Association for K-12 Online Learning)
Design & Development: The online teacher knows the primary concepts and structures of effective online instruction and is able to create learning experiences to enable student success (iNACOL Standard A)
In an effort to effectively design online instruction, I have created units based on the Understanding by Design (UbD) or backward design. In order to figure out what the students will do and how they will do it, I have started with the end piece in order to move students through the learning toward the end goal. For example, in my The Things They Carried Unit, the end goal is for students to write a compare/contrast essay about 20th century and 21st century warfare. In order to get to that piece, I designed a WebQuest that leads students through the learning of the pros and cons of war. Through their research, students develop knowledge and synthesize that into a compare/contrast essay with a personal reflection about their thoughts about war in general.
Delivery: The online teacher plans, designs, and incorporates strategies to encourage active learning, application, interaction, participation, and collaboration in the online learning environment (iNACOL Standard C)
Research is a hard thing for high school students. It may seem easy; everything is on the Internet. However, students have difficulties sorting through all of the possibilities. Thus, I have created a Diigo account in order to provide a place to house resources and enable collaboration among my students and me. This type of Web 2.0 tool will encourage more active learning on my students end, as well as provide a place for them to interact more with the sources they find for the research project. The collaboration part of sharing resources and highlighting important information will assist all students as they work through the research portion of the project.
Assessment: The online teacher develops and delivers assessments, projects, and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals and assesses learning progress by measuring student achievement of the learning goals (iNACOL Standard H)
In order to provide my students with more authentic assessments, I have created a collaborative summative assessment for the Hamlet unit. The students will create a children’s book entitled Hamlet for Kids - An easy abridged version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. My students will need to read Shakespeare’s Hamlet, create small projects, and narrow down the readings into the most important information in order to collaborate on the end product of a 24-page children’s book. While each student will be assigned pages in the book, all students will be expected to review their peers’ work and mesh their own information into the book, so it is informational, engaging, cohesive, and accurate. The Web 2.0 tools that the students will use is Bookemon [collaborative book creator] and Digibody [caricature creator]. Students will complete a self-assessment, as well as an overall assessment of the project.
Emerging Trends and Professional Responsibilities: The online teacher models, guides, and encourages legal, ethical, and safe behavior related to technology use (iNACOL Standard E)
This is one area in which I have put a lot of focus in the last few years. I made a professional goal to “model what I preach” in regards to using online materials and sourcing information, photos, graphics, etc. correctly in order to demonstrate correct use of materials. Thus, I have created a video using the Web 2.0 tool PowToon that addresses copyright infringement and the use of Creative Commons search engine to find materials that are labeled for reuse. This video will be used in professional development sessions for my colleagues, as well as in lesson activities for my students in all my classes.