My Teaching Presence
Establishing a teaching presence in an online environment begins with designing an effective and safe learning environment for all students. My course uses a variety of tools that do just that.
Splash Page
My Splash Page is the ultimate guide to my class and is the first thing students see, so I want to grab their attention with a good first impression. This page provides a variety of resource buttons and a video to help students navigate easily through the class portal. This page has the ability to put students at ease by laying out the syllabus, online etiquette, major assignments, instructor contact information, rubrics, meet the teacher, and all the skills they will need to succeed, all in one place. Learning environments with effective ID and organization, students report higher levels of community and retention rates (Shea, P., Sau Li, C., & Pickett, A. 2006).
Tellagami
I use Tellagami to introduce myself and tell my students how excited I am to have them in my class. Students are always so curious about the teacher but are too afraid to ask questions. If I just put it out there, I feel like it breaks the, “I'm the adult and you are the kid” stigma and opens a path for building trust and relationships. Research shows that when teachers adopt a high-performance style of relating to students, the students have better attitudes about school, and they achieve better results (E. 2019).
Check out my Tellagami
Getting to Know You
This is the first assignment the students will complete for this class. I want to get to know my students and how they best like to express their learning. With this assignment, students must create a biography to share with the rest of the class community using one of the tech tools of their choice. Some of the students may be new to online learning, so I have listed links to a variety of tools they may like. Students are asked through a discussion board, to respond to other community members biographies. This assignment integrates the social and emotional component of teaching presence through building comradery and trust among the students and instructor. I am always an active participant in discussion boards, guiding students, providing feedback, and creating a positive learning environment for everyone.
E-learners, just like face-to-face students, learn through interactions and discussions with others. Humanizing an online course through professor engagement and a strong online presence, studies find has a higher success rate than those that do not (Oregan, E., McCoy, L., & Carmon-Johnson, L. 2018).
Resources:
E. (2019). Teacher Student Relationships Crucial to Results. Retrieved February 15, 2019, from http://www.evidencebasedteaching.org.au/crash-course-evidence-based-teaching/teacher-student-relationships/
Oregan, E., McCoy, L., & Carmon-Johnson, L. (2018). Case Analysis: Exploring the Application of Using Rich Media Technologies and Social Presence to Decrease Attrition in an Online Graduate Program. Journal of Educators Online,15(2).Journal of Educators Online,15(2). doi:10.9743/jeo2018.15.1
Shea, P., Sau Li, C., & Pickett, A. (2006). A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses. Internet & Higher Education, 9(3), 175-190. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.06.005
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteFantastic splash page! Because your students are drawn in and you remain engaged with them they learn. I agree with your closing statement that E-learners desire interactions and discussion just like the F2F student. And why would they not? Every learner wants to know they are recognized and appreciated for showing up to class and wanting to learn. Thanks Elizabeth for your inspiration. :)
Pamela
Your splash page looks great! What do you use to create the multicolored buttons? They add nice color but aren't too over the top. I had a getting to know my students discussion last summer in my class. However, it was standard discussion based. What tools do you recommend to students who have never taken an online class before?
ReplyDeleteI used buttonoptimizer.com it is free and user friendly. You just download and upload them into Canvas. I use the Discussion Board, but I give them a tool box with a variety of tech tools to choose from. I also give them a list of things I would like them to include in their Bio, my students need that guidance. It is not only a creative way to get to know your students, but you also get a glimpse of how they prefer transferring their knowledge. I give a tutorial for each tech tool I offer them. Most are simple, easy to use and the students catch on quick.
Deletehttps://www.draw.io/ Links to an external site.
https://www.canva.com/ Links to an external site.
https://tellagami.com/edu/ Links to an external site.
https://www.storyboardthat.com/storyboard-creator Links to an external site.
https://www.flipsnack.com/digital-book Links to an external site.
https://screencast-o-matic.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
https://venngage.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Thanks for the feedback.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteIn this post you gave some great information related to online presence. I love your last paragraph where you said, "E-learners, just like face-to-face students, learn through interactions and discussion with other" This is so very true and important to remember when designing an online course.
Your splashpage does an amazing way of telling the student all aspects of what they need to know for the course. Your splash page is fun and engaging and will provide your students with a great first impression!
Thanks Shelby!
DeleteElizabeth,
ReplyDeleteGreat Splash Page!! I really like your inclusion of the bitmoji as it personalizes your page as well as brings in humor!
I have not used Tellagami, but I am definitetl going to look into it. I am always trying to find new tools that my per-service teacher can use.
Amy
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteGreat splash page - it is so inviting and just the right amount of color, white space, etc.! I agree with your use of Tellagami to break the ice with your students. Building the community of learners as soon as possible really strengthens a class whether or not it is online. I also appreciate you sharing your methods for the buttons - I have not heard of that program before.
Awesome blog!
Great splash page! Yes, first impressions immediately create the environment, hopefully one of presence :-) Have you considered asking students their thoughts on a splash page?
ReplyDelete