I just completed a second MOOC, Georgia Virtual Learning’s TOOL. Many of my blog posts for this course can be searched for using the #eteacherTOOL hashtag in this blog.
I found this course interesting as new teachers to the state virtual school need to complete this course before they can be hired to teach. To learn, or in some cases learn what I did not know about, the skills an online instructor needs to have was eye-opening.
I definitely walked away with some new tricks and perspectives. I think my biggest aha moment was with the communication which an online teacher must organize and constantly be on top of. Many face-to-face teachers could benefit from a Communication Bootcamp put on by online teachers!
This differed greatly from my first completed MOOC -K-12 Blended & Online Learning. The delivery was not LMS dependent with just submission boxes and discussions presented to the student, a nice touch. And of course the content was different.
I started casually in December 2013 and just submitted my last capstone today. I did not apply for the paid, verified option, until March when I was sure I could finish. I would recommend taking it as an overview of what online teachers have to do. I benefitted by recovering a blogging pattern, as the assignments are submitted blog posts. I also renewed my Delicious account and have been utilizing it a great deal as of late. I do not plan on teaching for the state online school, but loved the look into their course design, structure, and the content was wonderful!
I am looking forward to picking right back up with my next MOOC – #BlendKit2014 by UCF and Educause offered through Canvas Network. See you there?
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