A: After reviewing what I included on the Google spreadsheet, I realize that I didn't need to change anything. The original facts that I included still stand.
I do have a new appreciation, however, for how difficult it can be to foster s-s interaction in online courses that either have students enrolling/ending at different times or just have one student as a member. (Based on the info from their website and from the research I did, the K12 system seems to have many of these students.)
Also, I think that the discussion forum is an incredibly important part of online learning. For many of the online charter schools that cater to self-paced learners, I cannot see how they can get online discussion as part of the curriculum, even though it could be very enriching to students. These schools have a quandry to deal with: How do they provide the benefits on s-s online discussion, which can do the following--
- hone writing skills
- provide time and space for thoughtful reflection
- acts as an equalizer for in-class participation
- be a space for multimodal expression and additional learning (through links)
- give students practice analyzing/considering other students' writing and then responding to it
In addition, I think ensuring that curriculum is created specifically for online schooling and that teachers are trained for online instruction are both significant components of successful online schooling. As I learn more throughout the semester, I'm seeing its unique characteristics more clearly; they require those knowledgeable about them to make sure that the schools are teaching at their best.
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