Preparing Teachers to Teach
in Online and Blended
Learning Environments
DR. PAUL RESTA, U. OF TEXAS,
AUSTIN
JARL JONAS, BLACKBOARD INC
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011
Welcome and Introductions
Jarl Jonas
jarl.jonas@blackboard.com
Sr. Program Manager
CourseSites
My Lifelong Learning Journey
-
K12 Teacher, FL & NJ
Faculty Dev. Coord., NYU
Dir. Virtual College & Corp. Learning , NYU
Consulting Manager, Bb
Program Manger, CourseSites by Bb
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Agenda
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A Call to Action
The Need to Keep Up
What is CourseSites?
CourseSites Demonstration
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Create an Account
Create a Course
Invite Students
Set-up Home Page
Resources
CourseSites is a fully hosted,
online course creation and
facilitation service for high school
teachers and higher education
instructors.
• Questions
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A Call to Action
http://www.redefineteachered.org
Prepare teachers to teach in
online and blended learning
environments.
Virtual schools, online courses,
and blended learning
environments (face-to-face and
online) have grown exponentially
across the country in recent
years and this trend will
continue well into the future.
Few, however, are learning to
teach online classes. Twentyfirst Century educators must get
training and experience in
online and blended learning
environments as part of their
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educator development programs so
The Need to Keep Up
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Supplemental or full-time online learning opportunities are
available to at least some students in 48 of the 50 states plus
Washington, DC.
•
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27 states, as well as Washington, DC, have statewide full-time
online schools.
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38 states have state virtual schools or state-led online
initiatives, and Alaska is planning to open a statewide online
learning network in 2011.
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Many virtual schools show annual growth rates between 20% and
45%„
.
• 75% of school districts had one or
more students enrolled in an online
or blended learning course.
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•
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72% of school districts with distance education programs
Need for Free Resources
“School budgets are
under pressure—and
many teachers are
opening their own
wallets as well as
turning to free
resources.”
Source: Deepening Connections: Teachers Increasingly Rely on Media and Technology
PBS and GRUNWALD ASSOCIATES LLC, 2011
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What is CourseSites?
CourseSites is a free, fully hosted online course creation and
facilitation service, specifically designed for individual instructors.
Presentation Tools
Distribution Tools
• Online Environment
• Email
• Text Chat
• VoIP/Whiteboard
• 24/7 Access
• Email
• Social Sharing
• Virtual Classroom
• Blogs
Communication Tools
Productivity Tools
• Text & Voice Discussions
• Email
• Text Chat
• VoIP/Whiteboard
• Journals
Content-Based Tools
• WSYWIG Editor
• Mash-ups (YouTube)
• Wikis
• VoIP/Whiteboard
• Podcasts
• Lesson Planning
• Efficient Grading
• Progress Reports
• Performance Dashboard
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What’s In It For Me?
Interactive course websites at no
cost for:
• Teacher Education Faculty
• Pre-service Teachers
• In-service Teachers
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Creating an Account
http://www.coursesites.com
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Quick, Easy Registration
Instructors can sign up using popular web service credentials
to lessen # of online accounts and reduce login errors
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SETTING UP COURSES
How do we make sure students do not feel like this?
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Course Structures
Choice of 32 pedagogically-driven course structures
w/ sample content helps expedite the course building process
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Course Themes
Choice of 50 themes creates aesthetic learning environment
and enhances student engagement
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Initial Guidance
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Instructor Home Page
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Getting Started with CourseSites
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Student Orientation
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Accessibility & Universal Design
Request enrollment at accessible.coursesites.com
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Instructor Community
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Lesson Planning
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Learning Modules
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Notifications
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Wikis, Blogs, Journals
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CourseSites Live
Tools
Participant Window
Whiteboard tools
Activity Window
(optional)
Text chat
Audio controls
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CourseSites IM
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CourseSites Voice
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Multi-media Resources
Images
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www.cooltext.com (course banners)
www.flamingtext.com course banners)
www.pics4learning.com
www.loc.gov (Library of Congress)
www.gettyone.com (royalty free)
www.flickr.com (now from w/in CourseSites)
Video
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www.youtube.com (now from w/in CourseSites)
www.teachertube.com
Web Content
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www.slideshare.com (now from w/in CourseSites)
www.merlot.org (Advanced K12, HE)
www.eduhound.com (K12)
Programs
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www.techsmith.com/Jing (create recorded overviews)
www.ispringsolutions.com (Creates Flash-based resources from
PPT)
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Partner Capabilities
Partner Capabilities – also at no cost!
• Respondus
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Assessment Creation
LockDown Browser
StudyMate Class
Free versions for use on CourseSites only
• SoftChalk
• Free version for use on CourseSites only
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Testimonials and Showcases
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Get Started Today!
http://www.coursesites.com
jarl.jonas@blackboard.com
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Stay Connected!
• CourseSites Blog (Coming Soon)
community.coursesites.com
• YouTube
www.youtube.com/coursesites
• Facebook
www.facebook.com/coursesites
• Twitter
@coursesites
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