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Quotes from Readings and Class Tasks and Activities Table 1.

2 (Rice, pg 6)

Thoughts/Learning/Questions It is fun to be reading about the school that you teach for. That is the case as I work for Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) In the online environment those first 24 to 48 hours are always important to get the students involved and immediately feel successful. I could have posted all the icebreakers. They are fun and easy for the students to do and allows them to feel comfortable getting used to the technology and getting used to those participating in the class with them. What can teachers do for those students that are not taking responsibility for their learning while in the online environment?

It is important for teachers to establish a nurturing environment, where students feel connected and empowered to participate and take risks (Rice, pg. 31). An icebreaker should not require anything more than the ability to express knowledge of self (Conrad and Donaldson, pg. 877).

In an online course, it is imperative that they (students) be active knowledgegenerators who assume responsibility for constructing and managing their own learning experience (Conrad and Donaldson, pg. 253) ...the most important role of the instructor in online classes is to ensure a high degree of interactivity and participation (Conrad and Donaldson, pg. 253). Although there are many similarities between online and face-to-face teaching, one major difference is apparent: the teachers inability to assume center stage. Rice chapter 5, pg. 99-134

This is one of the hardest things for teachers to transition from the face to face (instructor led) to the online (student led). This is something hard to learn but once the teacher realizes what their role is in the online setting then life is better for both student and teacher. There are many great collaboration ideas and examples given throughout the chapter. I want to try to integrate some of them into my classes. This report truly sets up teachers for where they should be and what they should be working towards in regards to technology in the classroom. Some of the tools that I have had the chance to use are:

2011 Horizon Report: http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2011/

Tools for Teaching Online (Rice, pg. 4670)

Elluminate (now Blackboard Collaborate) 3D Game Lab Second Life Blackboard Activities that lack an instructional goal and purpose will fail to create a deeper level of community and knowledge acquisition even if they are fun and interactive (Conrad and Donaldson, pg. 404). We believe, however, that collaborative activity can also help to develop that sense of community, thus enabling the creation of an environment on which further collaborative work can happen (Palloff and Pratt, pg. 4-5). http://www.edutopia.org/multipleintelligences-learning-styles-quiz http://idea.ed.gov/ Individuals with disabilities I need to remember that not all activities are geared towards the desired outcome I want and that too much overload can burn a student out no matter how much fun it is.

Why does this type of cycle work? I have noticed that those students that find something in common with one another during the introductions are more likely to reply to each others posts later on in the class then to post on other students posts. After taking the quiz from this site, I found that it was very accurate to who I am and how I learn and what I do for a living. I love that there are laws and a system in place to help and offer resources to those students that have various disabilities (no matter how small or severe). In the state of Idaho right now, online teachers are looked down upon and are given a hard time being told that We are not real teachers. I love this quote because it is so true. There are great teachers faceto-face and online as well as crappy teachers in the face-to-face and online classrooms. One of the newest and most intriguing role playing is in Second Life. This allows the students to truly delve into character and participate in new roles. These activities really help the students feel as though they have truly mastered a concept and allow them to focus on one part of the whole unit instead of trying to master everything all at once. I also feel that students learn a lot from their peers whether in the face-to-face setting or online.

Good teaching is good teaching, regardless of the medium by which it is delivered (Rice, pg. 170).

Role Playing (Palloff and Pratt, pg 57)

Jigsaw Activities (Palloff and Pratt, pg. 79)

I truly enjoyed reading these books and got so much out of them. They are full of ideas and a sound foundation that proves to work in various environments. The amount of ideas and activities that are given in detail and quantity are just wonderful.

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