Online Class Development
Below are links to four of the online classes I developed: (1) A Unit for Middle School Students, (2) An Online College Course for Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers, (3) Foundations of Education: An Online College Course for Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers, and (4) a Hybrid (online and on-campus) Unit for Gifted Middle School and High School. I only included the instructional activities (not the grading and logistical functions). As these are meant as demonstrations, I also "opened" the entire class rather than posting it module by module as I would typically do in a regular class.
The Underground Railroad: An Online Class for Middle School Students
http://www.crteacher.com/course/view.php?id=450
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This unit introduces you to the Underground Railroad. There are many powerful messages to be learned from the study of the Underground Railroad. For example, the Underground Railroad demonstrates how regardless of the risks involved, people were willing to risk their lives in order to save others. You'll learn about the dangers that escaping slaves faced and the things the methods used (e.g. songs and quilts) to help them find their way.
Pedagogy and Learning:
An Online Teacher Preparation Course Demonstration
http://www.crteacher.com/course/view.php?id=1426
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This course asks pre-service and in-service teachers to examine the teaching and learning process and all of the facets that influence this process. Trainees explore how learning occurs—how students construct knowledge, acquire skills, and develop habits of mind and will apply instructional strategies that promote student learning. Trainees critically examine research-based methods and theories that enable teachers to become effective practitioners. Brain-based learning, multi-sensory instruction, developmentally appropriate practice, multiple intelligences, and learning styles are explored.
Foundations of Education:
An Online Teacher Preparation Course Demonstration
http://www.crteacher.com/course/view.php?id=487
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This course introduces you to the basics of the teaching profession. It includes societal expectations of teachers, social problems which impact students, essential knowledge needed for teaching, recent reforms in education, historical perspectives on education, and the role of schools in today’s society. You will explore your role as a critically reflective teacher and change agent in diverse educational settings as they engage in an ongoing commitment to the development and practice of self-directed reflection and leadership. Emphasis will be placed on defining how personal experiences as learners impact the choices teachers make and influence their teaching methodology, curricular decisions, development of the learning environment and their interactions with students.
Envisioning a More Perfect Future: A Hybrid Course for Gifted Middle and High School
http://www.crteacher.com/course/view.php?id=472
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This is a unit on envisioning a better future for you, for your peers, for your family – for the rest of the world. We are living in a global society and this unit will provide you with the opportunity to design your own perfect world. You will establish the habits, practices, and organizing social structures that citizens will follow in your utopian society – in your perfect world. In order to do so, you will research and study fictionalized dystopias, real-life utopias, and influential historical visionaries. You will create documents and artifacts for your utopia such as a Bill of Rights, Government Structure, Motto and Seal, Plan for the Outdoor Space, Totem Pole, Ceremonial Mask, Advertisement, and/or other projects you might propose.
