Week 4 Reflection

This week I saw in action one of the principles that we have read so much about--good online instructional design is largely good f2f instructional design.  When reading the INACOL standards, I was struck by how many of their recommendations apply to f2f instruction as well.  In reviewing the various examples, however, I did see that some practices that might work in a f2f setting just don't cut it online.  For example, a particularly dynamic instructor can deliver a fifteen- to twenty-minute lecture and maintain student engagement.  Yet, if that same lecture is simply transcribed and placed online, student engagement will wane much more quickly.  So, I suppose I now really see how it is more than just taking good instructional design and placing it online.  This is a lesson that I certainly will keep in mind as we design our online unit plans.


In reviewing the excellent examples of instructional design, I was inspired and impressed by what online schooling can offer.  Looking at, for instance, FVS's online history program (this amazing virtual game), I realize that online schooling can offer students learning opportunities that f2f instruction cannot.  I entered this course believing that online schooling would deprive students of certain opportunities and benefits associated with f2f schooling without realizing that online schooling had something to offer that f2f did not.  This week opened my eyes to the flaws in this assumption.

Week 3 Reflection

Online schools are much further along than expected, especially the for-profits.  Advocates of public schooling beware!

Week 2 Reflection

I want my child to be treated like a person and actually interact with lots of other persons.  Will being a virtual student render my child less of a person? 

Week 1 Reflections

I feel a little silly admitting this, but the biggest surprise for me this week was Christensen, Horn and Johnson's (2008) assertion that by 2019 approximately half of all high school courses will be online.  I suppose I just did not realize how rapidly online schooling was evolving and that it really was beginning to supplant so many f2f courses.  At my current school, online courses are present but not a huge presence.  I guess I had just never contemplated the idea that they would replace traditional classes.  And, now I feel so naive writing this!  However, I am quite happy that I am taking this course and started to really consider what online courses in my content area would look like. 

I think the biggest question I now have is, "What does teacher prep need to look like given this changing tide in education?"  Teacher preparation and professional development are special interests of mine, so this is a pretty typical question for me to jump to.  It does seem to be a hugely important question to address now, and teacher prep is so slow to adapt to changes that occur in our schools.  I worry that we could be headed straight for a major iceberg if we don't address this question now...or maybe yesterday!

About Me

Hi! My name is Melinda Sloan. I am a student in the In-Step Social Studies program. In-Step is a Masters program that meets only during the summer months and leads to an MA in Teaching of Social Studies. During the rest of the year, I teach AP US Government (12th grade) and World History II (10th grade) in a suburban school in Yorktown, VA. However, all of this is changing literally as I write! Due to my husband's work, I will be relocating to Houston, TX, where I am not yet sure what I'll be teaching. I have my BA in History from Rice University and have been teaching for nine years.

My informal observations of our school district's efforts at online schooling sparked my interest in this course. Currently, my division uses online schooling as a means of credit recovery for struggling students and enrichment for high-achieving students. My AP students who have taken some of these online courses have reported very mixed feelings about them; the school division reports remarkable success. This has made me curious about what makes such programs succeed or fail, particularly from the student's perspective.

I have taken one online course as part of my studies at TC. While I very much liked the format and idea of taking an online course, it was not a very pleasant experience. The professor often openly ridiculed and mocked students in the course. Perhaps these comments would not have stung so much if said face-to-face; but, in writing, they were harsh. It certainly was a powerful lesson in the importance of choosing one's words careful when they are the only impression one will make.