Week 1 Blog Post-Introduction

I'm Kristin and am an Ed.D. student in Instructional Technology and Media. I am interested in studying literacies and technology, particularly helping students to write better, to become more media literate, and to utilize their social media practices for academic enrichment. I am also a research assistant on the STEPS to Literacy project, which is currently developing a web-based space to help emergent bilingual middle schoolers become better academic writers in English. I am a former teacher who is currently an occasional freelance writer and editor (time permitting).

While at TC, I have completed three online classes. Each time, I have learned an extensive amount. During my first online class, I was surprised at the depth of discussions held over days and open for contribution to at any time. I also liked the opportunities it provided for students to continually write and participate in class.

The popularity of online schooling will continue to increase. I would like to learn more about the online class structure in other settings in order to discover how best to create online classes that maximize learning for students. Do certain subjects lend themselves to an online course setting better than others? Can middle and high schoolers learn core subjects and become proficient in them through taking online classes? From what elements of online classes do students learn best? I have many questions.