Reflecting On Online Courses

As I have been building my online course these five weeks, I have also been getting ready for a new school to begin. I know that I will probably change things in the course as I usually do with my new group of students. The students in this master class were asked to reflect on these guiding questions:
 

• What Instructional Design theories lend themselves to the development of online learning environments? Which one did you lean toward in developing your course?

 
As I built an "Intro to Makerspace" online course for teachers and administration, I thought about how they can learn about makerspace and also get to do hands-on things. Bates (2015) says that a constructivism teacher should be teaching thinking skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and originality. That is how I strive to teach each day. And that is how I wanted to form my online class. I will have the participants make things and then upload pictures in the fifth module. They will be building their knowledge by doing and then get to reflect and collaborate with their hands-on learning (Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism & Learning and Instructional Theory, n.d.) This will allow the participants to guide their thinking as they develop their Makerspace for either their classroom or school.  
 

• How did you implement the UbD plan for your learning environment in creating learning opportunities for students?

 
As I worked on this online course, I thought about the end result- the teachers would be so excited to start a Makerspace in their classroom. Wiggins & McTighe (2005) has teachers designing curriculum with beginning with the desired results, then thinking of the evidence and last planning the learning experiences and instructions. I first thought about what was my goal for each module and then evidence of that goal that ended up going into a portfolio in Google Slides. Last was the planning of the learning, in which I found different videos and sites that would teach the participants.  
When we learned about the UbD plan in EDLD 5313 (Creating Significant Environments), we also went over Fink's (2003) 3-column table. This has been the guiding force of most of the courses for "Digital Learning and Leading." I used this as a guide for my online class.

1. Foundational- Basics of Makerspace
2. Application- Makerspace with Growth Mindset 
3. Integration- Materials in Makerspace
4. Human Dimension- Guidelines in Makerspace
5. Learning How to Learn- Exploring different Makerspace activities (coding & low tech)

Each week for our master's classes, we are asked questions in which we have to reflect and even comment over our classmates' comments. Then we are asked to do an assignment in which we think about what we have read or heard and put it into the task. This has allowed me (and the other students to feel that we have ownership in what we are doing throughout our masters.) As I have researched Makerspace more and more, I have realized that it is what you or your students make it. I have designed this course to have participants know what Makerspace is.  They will know that "in the end, it can be pretty much anything."
 

• With regard to what you have learned in this course, discuss the relevance and importance of providing online learning for our students. What is the enduring understanding you can take from this course and apply in your teaching?

 
All teaching should hit on different learning styles for students- auditory, visual, kinesthetic, and reading/ writing preferences. For this said, UDL (Universal Design for Learning) has action and expression, representation and engagement being the standards for this learning (UDL at a Glance, 2010.) Online learning can provide all of this:

1. Representation- multiple media, graphics
2. Engagement- gives a choice, lets participants take risks
3. Action and Expression- able to model and provide feedback in different ways

Bates (2015) suggests that online learning allows them to use text, give their voice on audio, make a video, or even computing in coding. Sometimes, these courses can have students get out of their comfort zones, and they work on challenges that would hard to do with the actual class.  
As I teach first graders, I have set up my classroom with direct teaching with different technology options to find out if the students understand what they are learning. I know that all children learn differently and also a different speed. This course has let me think about how I should design online courses to guide some of the teachings of my students. As I watched UDL at a Glance (2010), I thought about what goals and barriers are going to be for students and that I should be flexible along the way.
 
References
 
Bates, A. W. (2015). Teaching in a digital age.
 
Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism & Learning and Instructional Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://amara.org/en/videos/EGp9AZspE8hl/info/behaviorism-cognitivism-constructivism-learning-and-instructional-theory/
 
Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
 
UDL at a Glance. (2010). Retrieved from https://amara.org/en/videos/8Aygby4OcIcF/info/udl-at-a-glance/
 
Wiggins, G., Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Ascd.