7.1 Online Teachers Wear Four Hats

Online Teachers Wear Four Hats

Online Teachers wear four hats simultaneously.  To effectively teach online, one is required to wear the hats of program manager, social director, instructor and technical assistant.  The program manager is the director of the course agenda and since she controls where the course is going, she wears a charcoal driving cap.  Above the driving cap is the flamboyant red feathered hat of the social director, responsible for creating collaborative environments online.  Next in the stack is the Cat-in-the-Hat style striped top hat representing the Instructor role of consultant, guide and resource provider.  The fourth hat on the enormous stack is the geek squad ball cap of the technical assistant.  

The online teacher must be proficient in each of these roles.  But on a windy day . . . oops.  Online teachers are human and occasionally a hat gets blown from the top and goes rolling down the avenue.  

In order to keep my large stack of hats under control, I have developed the following plan:

What Skills Do I Need to Gain or Strengthen?

Program Manager ·         Time Management for myself and my students ·         Long-term course planning ·         Increase familiarity with designing content for various Course Management Systems

Social Director ·         Develop a toolbox of strategies and questioning techniques that can be used to help students build consensus about collaborative tasks.  ·         Build strength in interaction techniques via email, discussion forums, podcasts, etc.

Instructor: Skill Set: Fostering Learner-Centeredness ·         Discover which types of resources and strategies work best for certain student demographics (Gen-X, K-12, Professionals, Technophobics) ·         Integrate constructivist and Common Core based learning tasks

Instructor: Skill Set: Structuring Authentic Problem-Based Learning ·         Increase familiarity with PBL approaches and options for “learner-selected” activities.

Instructor: Skill Set: Providing Informative Feedback ·         Encourage learners to evaluate their own responses ·         Scheduling for timely feedback

Technical Assistant ·         Increase familiarity with all technical tools to be used by students so that technology becomes transparent. ·         Increase awareness of technical self-help tools that can be accessed easily by students

This plan identifies some of the challenges of keeping four hats firmly planted on an online teacher's head.  In order to prepare for the windy days ahead, I plan to:

How I Will Gain The Skills?

Program Manager ·         Make use of Web2.0 tools for organization (Springpad, etc.). ·         Collaborate with stakeholders on course design and content. ·         Research availability of free practice accounts on WebCT, Blackboard, HaikuLMS, MERLOT.org, etc.

Social Director ·         Research consensus building questioning strategies. ·         Research and watch for examples of effective and appropriate collaborative tasks. ·         Take note of interaction techniques used by my own professors.

Instructor Skill Set: Fostering Learner-Centeredness Research existing models for working with unique student groups. Review Common Core Standards and Constructivist techniques while structuring coursework and teaching courses. Skill Set: Structuring Authentic Problem-Based Learning  Research existing models Participate in Education Week Webinars to keep up with trends and best practices. Skill Set: Providing Informative Feedback Research and note questioning strategies for online inquiry Establish a flexible schedule for feedback

Technical Assistant ·         Gaining skills in this area will depend on course design and course components.