Distance learning has never been my favorite. It has its pros and cons, but overall, I have found that I enjoy in-person classes more. One thing I like about this distance learning class is that all of the assignments are posted on Monday. I can get all my weekly assignments out of the way early, so I don't have to worry about them affecting my downtime or weekend. One thing I dislike about distance learning is it makes it difficult to ask questions and have a connection with the instructor. I came from a very small school, and I had personal relationships with all of my teachers, and taking a class online can easily prevent that from happening. One thing I would do to improve the experience of distance learning is set up meetings with my students - not just office hours but a required meeting at the beginning of the year or semester to just chat and get to know each other, so my students could get a sense that I am a real person willing to help and talk.
OER resources are learning resources online that anyone, teachers or students, can access and use. These resources grant permission for others to change them and share them with others. OER can help low-funded schools in high poverty areas to update the material they are teaching, allowing better education for their students without spending lots of money that they don't have. Click HERE to view a website devoted to OER's for teachers and students. There are newsletters, blogs, contact information, and how-to pages on the site, all including lots of details about OER's and the impact they can make.
One of the new skills I acquired from working on my PowerPoint assignment was creating an outline and a SmartArt piece. Creating an "outline" as one of the first options when entering PowerPoint was never an option I clicked on before, just because I never knew what it was. However, it was extremely helpful and showed more options on my screen than I usually would have seen, almost providing me with resources and options instead of searching for them. Creating a SmartArt piece was enjoyable because using the outline on PowerPoint, I was walked through the steps of creating a data chart, breaking it down, and making it easier for me to design.
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| SmartArt |
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| The beginning process of forming an "outline" through PowerPoint |
Hi Chloe!
ReplyDeleteI also liked how our assignments were posted on Monday. It allowed me to plan out my work schedule and be able to make sure I had enough time to complete the work. I think you idea to set up meetings with your students is great. It will show the students your support and allow them to trust you better.