One of the first things I would consider is what are my objectives for presenting a class on-line and who would my target audience be. Would it be feasible to have high school students
participate in an Elluminate course? This may not be the best option for HS but I can definitely see it becoming the new "way to teach" for technical schools and post secondary. With the economy shakey at present, an elluminate course could prove to be an ideal option for working students. I could also see NTI expanding and creating more elluminate courses in the future. I for one would love to have a constuctive discipline course offered. I think more material can be covered at a quicker pace than in an open classroom setting.
But, as a Healthcare Science teacher if I did use elluminate I would use it primarily for group projects/work. I really like the power points (I am a visual learner) and the ability to download and print off. I like the idea of collaborative learning. I would also use elluminate and offer it to other Healthcare Science teachers for lesson planning and getting new ideas for the material we need to cover. Sometimes as teachers we really don't have the needed collaboration within our own field of teachers. Maybe I will suggest this to the CTAE people and see what their thoughts are!
I agree that one of the most important things to consider is objectives. It is always important to keep in mind the purpose of your class and what you need to do to fulfill that purpose. I think that it would be ideal for college and technical schools to offer classes through Elluminate. As you said, most adults have to work, and it would be very convenient to take a course on-line after work. I can see how using Elluminate for group work with your students would be an effective means of teaching. That would be the way that I would use Elluminate with my students. It is definitely nice to be able to collaborate with fellow teachers to get new ideas.It will be interesting to see what the CTAE people say at your school.
ReplyDeleteI also agree on objectives, however this is always our first consideration. I too like the self paced aspect with the ability to print and paste. The group work would be a favorite of mine as is most of my students, but the internet is wide open, available, and free. I would utilize this also in my lessons.
ReplyDeleteHi, Linda - very insightful post and I really like your idea of using Elluminate to share ideas and such with your fellow HealthCare teachers. You are correct that teachers in the same occupational area do not get enough time or opportunities to share and using Elluminate could be a great solution to that problem. Good thinking!
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