In the next 30 days, I am going to make a real effort to jump start some of my classes asynchronous discussions and when I do I want to be a better facilitator. I know I can't respond to every post, but I can give some recognition and work to summarize the key points of discussions. I think that by just doing these two things the quality could be improved.
Over the next year I would like to have more online materials, work, discussions, and submissions. Reduce the paper that gets pushed around my room. I would like to have my class go from 85-15 f2f-online to closer to 70-30. I think that is a better balance, and would allow some students to take the balance further, if they were comfortable in that arena.
What I would like to learn is, would my students be interested in a synchronous discussion that would take place outside of the school day and online. It would be a unique opportunity to discuss items that were tangents to in class discussions. I might also be a way to involve new groupings and some students who aren't comfortable in the in class environment. I think it would definitely have to be casual and enjoyable to be anything a 7th or 8th grader would be interested in, but it would be an interesting experiment.
Thoughtful reflection Jason - You have identified some very SMART goals, they are specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed learning with you over the past several weeks and wish you all the best,
Greg Mahaffey