Best Practices for Delivering Effective Online Courses in Mathematics –OAME 2013

Dr. Robin KayUOIT – Oshawa, Canada

Introduction

UOIT – Faculty of Education at education.uoit.ca

Masters Program is Virtual

And you?

What would you like to get from today’s workshop?

Go to Padlet @ tinyurl.com/k12-kay-oll

Double-click to add a comment

One small request

If you have any concerns, questions, issuesplease jump in

Also, please comment in Today’s Meet Room @ todaysmeet.com/OnlineMath

Agenda

Context Why is demand increasing? Impact of Teaches and Students Problem Effective Strategies

What is happening in online learning?

K-12 Online Learning - Canada

2009 2010 2011 20120

50000100000150000200000250000300000

140,000162,500

207,096245,252

K-12 Participation

From State of the Nation – K-12 Online Learning in Canada – iNACOL (Oct, 2012)

75%

Reason 1 – K to 12

Necessary Face-to-face course not available Not enough time during the day Time table conflict Part time job Athletic commitment Health problem

Reason 2 – K to 12

Convenient Provided more flexibility Wanted afternoons off Wanted a spare

Reason 3 – K to 12

Interest Easier to do online – FTF courses are

boring Controlling pace of learning Sounds interesting and desire to

work independently

Why Take an Online Course?

68%

17%

17%

Reason GivenNecessary

Convenient

Interest

Impact

Instructors who are not trained having to teach in substantially different environment

Students who have to be more independent and responsible

Problem

How does one teach an effective online course?

What are the challenges of teaching math in this environment?

Strategies - Where

Strategies - Framework

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Starting Out

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Strategies

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Starting Out

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Technology

Synchronous Internet speed (5 Mb download + 1 Mb upload) Check with SpeedTest Good head phones with microphone Sound checks

Asynchronous Well organized website/wiki Reliable and easy to use LMS Audio/video capability Software checking

Technology - Tools

Located at: tinyurl.com/math-tech-tools-kay

Strategies

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Community

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Community

Introductory Video(s)1) About you2) About the course

Strategy 1 – Pre-Course Connections

Background Survey1) About student2) Prior knowledge

Remind 1011) Mobile Phone

Reminders

Wiki1) Enter a brief

introduction on the Course Wiki - Team

Community

Ice Breakers1) Ask questions on course

Blog• Favorite music• Best place you have

ever visited• Bucket list• Dream job• Cream car• 4 nouns that describe

you well• Things that drive you

crazy• Little things that mean

a lot to you

Strategy 2 – Week 1 (Introduction & Building Community)

Glogster1) Student create G

logster page about themselves (multimedia collage)

2) Build you own Glogster PageAnimoto

1) Students create short Animoto movie about themselves

See Engage the Online Learner

Community

Video Guidelines1) What it means to engage in

an effective online discussion – Setting the rules

2) Respectful challenge, asking questions and building challenge

Strategy 3 – First Learning –Based Discussion

Discussion 11) Post question that

engages students and brings about debate

2) Monitor closely, but do not dominate – try to stand back and offer the odd suggestions (modeling)

3) Post in small groups 5-7 4) Keep it safe and

professionalFormative Feedback1) Give lots of formative

feedback – no grades

Community Strategy 4 – Future Learning Discussions

Discussions1) Change up the groups

2) Continue formative feedback

3) Support students leading and summarizing there own discussion

4) Post summaries on Padlet

Community

Voice and Video Comments1) Post proof, solution, question on Voice

Thread and have students comment on it (text, audio, video) – see example

2) Fun, alternative way to discuss and addresses different learning styles

Strategy 5 – Multimedia Discussion

Google Hangout1) Video chat with up to 9 people2) Share screens, videos and chat3) Use after the other methods and

students are warmed up – see instructions here

Community Strategy 6 –Backchannel

TodaysMeet1) TodaysMeet allows students to comment on lessons, assignments,

learning problems2) Ask students to comment so you can maintain contact

Strategies

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Community

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Organizing a Class Strategy 1 – Course Website

Course Webpage• One central location – LMS can be

awkward• Weebly is very easy and looks great

Organizing a Class Strategy 2 – Online Lessons

Wiki or Web Page• Post lessons online – for example

Organizing a Class Strategy 3 – Course Wiki to Post Weekly Work

Course Wiki• Great for students to post work & share

ideas/solutions• Both students & teacher can edit website

Organizing a Class Strategy 4 – Big Picture

Big Picture Graphic• Course overview• Weekly overview• Lesson overview

Organizing a Class Strategy 5 – File Sharing

Dropbox• Common place to share large

files between teachers and students

• Student can also submit their work

Strategies

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Community

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Support Materials/ Tools Strategy 1 – Create Podcasts

Jing or SnagIt• Mini-lectures (5-7 min)• Instructions for problem sets,

assignments• Worked-examples• Go to Jing for instructions

Support Materials/ Tools Strategy 2 – Premade Podcasts

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel• Khan• Teacher Tube• Math TV• Google Videos• See Math Podcasts for other

lists

Organize in Wiki• Search and find the best

ones to match the concepts you are going to teach

• Place them in Wiki• See

Podcasts for Ontario Math

Support Materials/ Tools Strategy 3 – Reminders

Remind 101• Use Remind 101 to send reminder texts to students using the

web• They sign up and you don’t know their phone numbers

Support Materials/ Tools Strategy 4 – Extra Help

Google Hangout• Use Hangout to provide virtual support for students who are

struggling

Support Materials/ Tools Strategy 5 – Cool Tools Resource

Math Tech Tool Wiki• Refer to a Wiki for students to get help with using a new Web

2.0 tool

Strategies

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Community

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Engaging Activities Strategy 1 – Hangout Rooms with Specific Tasks

Google Hangout• Assign groups to go to Google Hangout to complete assigned

TasksPost Solutions on Course Wiki• Scan, take photos of solutions and post on course Wiki under

appropriate locations

Engaging Activities Strategy 2 – Polling for Understanding

Quizlet to Check• Understanding check• Progress check• Who is tuning in?• Fun questions?

Student created Quizlets• Student create Quizlets

for themselves or others• Could be created in

teams• See example

Engaging Activities Strategy 3 – Creating Multimedia Presentations – Short & Sweet

Create Artefacts• Video Podcasts with Jing• Short presentations with Prezi• Visual summaries with Glogster or

Padlet• Photo story with Animoto• Mind maps with Bubbl.us

Engaging Activities Strategy 4 – Individual Tasks -> Sharing / Discussion

Promoting Discussion• Individual do a task (math problems), then post answers on

Blog or VoiceThread for discussion• Create smaller learning teams to do this (4-6 students)

Engaging Activities Strategy 5 – Expert Teams

A

AA

B

BB

C

CC

A

CB

A

CB

A

CB

Jigsaw Set Up• Expert teams get together, discuss a key concept (on a Blog,

Google Hangout)• Re-organize teams so that students teach each other

Engaging Activities Strategy 6 – Web-Based Learning Tools

Interactive Online Learning Tools• Gizmos (free for Grades 7 to

12)• Math Tools• nrich• NCTM Illuminations• Browse Interactives• Nat Libr of Virtual

Manipulatives• Interactivate (Shodor)• Online Math Manipulatives

Tips• Have a clear set of learning

goals that match what the WBLT does

• Ask good questions to guide learning with the WBLT

• Have student work in teams to solve problems

• Have students share/submit solutions after they have worked with WBLT

Engaging Activities Strategy 7 – TEDEd Lessons

Videos + Lessons• Create a video based lesson

using TEDEd

Engaging Activities Strategy 7 – Authentic Activities

Google Earth• Real World Math offer a number of math

activities based on using Google Earth • You can also have students use the Rule Tool

Engaging Activities Strategy 8 – Dynamic Calculators

Desmos• Desmos allows you to create

dynamic representations of graphs

• Create cool picture using functions

Geogebra• Geogebra is a comprehensive

graphing calculator with lots of really goo premade applets

Strategies

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Community

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

Evaluation Strategy 1 – Assignment Video Clips

Instructions for Tasks

Student Clips of Solutions

Evaluation Strategy 2 – Feedback Video Clips

Video Presentation:http://faculty.uoit.ca/kay/vf/

• More detailed• More personal• Clearer message• Tone of voice builds connection

Evaluation Strategy 3 – Regular Feedback from Students

Formative Feedback for Teacher• Get feedback early to make sure you are on the right track• Seek regular feedback to make sure teaching strategies

are effective• Seek feedback on whether learning goals are being

achieved

Evaluation Strategy 4 – Formative Assessment for Students

Agree & Disagree Statements

Survey or Padlet

Always, Sometimes, Never True

Survey or Padlet

Concept Attainment Cards

Voice Thread

Example– Non Example MP & Wiki

Frayer Model MP, Pdf, Wiki

Conclusion

Online Classroo

m

Technology

Starting Out

Organization

Support Materials

Engaging Activities

Evaluation

And you?

Specific questions? Your experience? Your worries?

Contact Information

Email: robin.kay@uoit.ca Homepage: faculty.uoit.ca/kay/home

Dr. Robin KayAssociate Professor