Tony Bates shares in Teaching in a Digital Age there is no ‘one-way’ for teaching. Teachers will use their own approach based on their desired outcomes and priorities. Teachers teach based on their beliefs of how students learn and their values on what’s important in education. I thought it was interesting how he referred to teaching as a’ mix of art and science’; there’s the emotional side of building relationships, but there is also research and theories about education as well. Designing a course of my own while reading through this book allows me to reflect on what my priorities and values are in education and how that affects my classroom instruction.
COURSE DESIGN:
In my classroom, I am constantly focused on making sure the content flows. I want to make sure the lessons build on each other and are structured in a way that makes the most sense. I am excited to be able to create a course and design instruction in this way!
My course will be fully online and related to my Innovation Plan: Creating ePortfolios in the Classroom. This will be a course for teachers to be able to create an ePortfolio of their own. I can make a few changes in the future and potentially use this same course design for students creating their ePs as well. Since my LMS is currently Google Classroom, I will continue to utilize this resource. The course will be self-paced over a five-week period.
When I am designing my course, I need to make sure continue the use of COVA, which will allow for true ownership and extended use of the ePortfolios for personal and professional use. I will also design the course as outcome-based learning, where there will not be one-size-fits-all assessments. Learners will have full control over their learning and evaluate themselves throughout the course. I will make sure to have an open discussion for learners to collaborate with their peers and bounce ideas around. I will also make sure there is continuous support from myself, the facilitator of the course, and from others who have successfully implemented ePortfolios.
