Reflection Assignment

Online Learning Unit: Multiplying & Dividing Decimals

https://sites.google.com/georgiasouthern.edu/onlineunit-frit7235-loweryk/home

Karmen Lowery

FRIT 7235

November 24, 2021

 Developing an online learning unit seemed daunting at first, but I was looking forward to

the learning experience. I chose to use the provided example with multiplying and dividing

decimals for 5th grade because I didn’t think my original ISD would still be relevant to our

school’s needs. In the beginning, I couldn’t fully wrap my mind around how I would incorporate

the various sections we were creating each week. However, I appreciated working on each piece

step by step. I quickly came to realize that there was a lot more that went into planning an online

learning unit versus preparing online lessons like we did during the pandemic. I found the Harris

and Hofer online course videos about the LAT approach and taxonomies to be very helpful in

planning technology integration. Also, I especially enjoyed learning about the diversity and

accessibility rules, compliance, and tools. In contemplating the layout of the course, my goal was

to make it as easy as possible for students to follow and complete the lessons in order. I chose to

have students begin on the homepage with a couple of activities, then move to the next module

by clicking on an arrow at the bottom of the page. I decided to divide the module in sections and

use numbers to show the order to complete the activities.

Feedback from my peer evaluation reassured me that the course flowed smoothly and

was appropriate for students. I was also given a suggestion on how to improve the links on my

wrap-it up project. Setting the correct permissions when sharing anything with Google is always

a tricky piece for me so I appreciated my colleague’s feedback. However, it turned out that I still

missed a permission setting when it got to the students but I think that was because they were

accessing from a different domain. In addition, having the opportunity to evaluate a colleague’s

course was beneficial for me too. I was able to compare our courses to see if I was on the right

track or if I was missing anything. I also learned about two new social media platforms that were

made for educational purposes.

 The students were able to work on the online course in thirty minute sessions, three times

a week for two weeks. Initially, this sounded like a good plan as I was happy to get what I could

with the 5th grade students. As they began working, I realized that we were not going to have

enough time to complete the full online course. Therefore, the students were instructed to skip

the “Share what you learned” sections and the culminating “Wrap-it up” module. I also limited

the math game choices and the amount of time students were allowed to play them. The students

enjoyed practicing their math skills through games, putting what they were learning to use and

competing with one another. The online assessment results proved mastery of the objectives for

each student, with all students achieving perfect scores on the practice activities and tests. This

sounds great but in retrospect, I wish I would have included a shorter activity for students to

show me their work since I omitted the “Share what you learned” activity. This way I could have

better assessed their full understanding of multiplying and dividing decimals. Only having short

practice activities and tests limited my understanding of their capabilities.

There are several other improvements that I would make to my online learning module.

First, although there are many good online videos already made, I would have liked to have

recorded myself giving the math instruction to give more of a personal touch and familiarity for

the students. Second, I would add “go back” arrows at the bottom of each module next to the “go

to next lesson” arrows to make it easier to navigate between the homepage and other modules.

Lastly, I would replace the discussion board site I chose to use, YoTeach, which was more like a

chatroom, with one like Twiducate, which I learned about from our peer evaluation, that allows

students to interact in an environment that looks and feels more like existing social media sites

they are familiar with. I think students would have been more engaged in this type of platform

and I would have gotten more participation.

 Overall, developing an online learning unit was a challenge filled with many learning

opportunities from start to finish, including the implementation and evaluation. In comparison to

face to face instruction, I think online instruction requires even more meticulous planning and

attention to detail. Due to time limitations out of my control, I found the implementation part of

this course to be the most difficult. However, I felt that being pressed for time to cover all the

standards that need to be covered is reality in the classroom. I was able to make modifications as

needed and afterwards, had good take-aways of what would have worked better if I had to do it

again. This experience has definitely improved integrating technology into my classroom as well

as providing more digital learning opportunities for my students.