Canva: The Tool of Tomorrow, Today

So many tools compete for space on the Internet and that trend will never change. After all, it is a designer's world and if you have the next best idea, you simply must create it, right?

Well, one of the areas in which we have struggled for many years is finding actual online graphic design tools that were simple, logical, didn't lead to spam attacks, and didn't automatically install watermark images which destroyed the illusion you had done it yourself.

Canva has raised the bar. When I got the recommendation to try it out, I shook my head and thought, "yeah, sure" but twenty minutes later and I dumped my previous blog post idea and here I am. This free design tool will change the way you spotlight work and family pictures in social media, will allow you to build posters and business cards, and will quickly pump up presentation slides, email headers (yep!), Pinterest and blog posts. You can keep your designs private, share them with colleagues, family, and friends, or make them public and share with the world.

You will find easy-to follow tutorials, and teaching resources where the lesson plan is presented with templates for student completion. In fact, within a minute of signing up and in you are walked through the fastest training tutorial I have ever used successfully.

The one caveat (specific warning) is that while many elements are free and of course, your own photographs are always an option, you will see many wonderful graphics which are not free. All are listed for $1.00 each and you are not charged unless you publish your creation, but still, there is a cost.

Don't wait - check this out. While teachers will cheer, this one is for anyone who is online for any reason. So, that means you! This design took less than two minutes to create. Enjoy!

Spotlight on Tools

One of my goals in this blog is to assist in filtering information for best practices and quality tools which can hopefully make your jobs easier. Some really great tools can across my desk this time.

EduCanon

This online learning environment, created by and for teachers, allows you to use any video, your own or that of a third party, and annotate it, embed questions and directions, and pace it so students are accountable for the work. I especially like the ability to ask for reflection from students - you know, those thought-provoking moments we find hard to build into online work. Watching video content is often called passive learning. EduCanon creates active learners and best of all, this tool is free!

Check out the website, scroll through the many examples of work done by other teachers, and jump in! Sign-up and -in is simple and you are on your way. Create and share work, set up students to create content as well, and share successes with staff. You will not only find units to access and tools to freely use, but an informative blog attached to the website. I particularly enjoyed the January 5th entry about the "stayability" of the Flipped Classroom model. Curious about what a "bulb" is and how to share between colleagues, set up class sites, and connect to edmodo? Check it out - you'll thank me for this one!

Bibblio

I have to say that I am excited about this site as well. Never heard of it? Well, you have now and here is how the founders answer the question "How is Bibblio different from other similar sites on the web?"

"Bibblio indexes all of the great materials that are already on the web, across different formats and platforms. With a single home for curation like this, you are no longer forced down individual platforms such as YouTube, Soundcloud or SlideShare, but are free to browse the most inspiring content from the internet all in one place. There is a lot less clutter here too."

You can add your quality content, create your channel, use any of the content on the site and it will never cost you anything. Guaranteed free for life - now that's a promise educators like a lot. Look over this site and see that you think, and if you add content, let me know and I will happily link and promote through my blog and my Pinterest site, Online Educators Lounge.

Can't wait to share more winning 21st Century tech tools to enhance your teaching experience.

Spotlight: How Blended Learning and Gamification Increase Student Engagement

Let me introduce you to Rob Schwartz, a teacher at Sheridan Technical High School, a blended learning magnet school in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I came across this article when he was interviewed by Dan Gordon for T|H|E Journal (January 27, 2015) and brings us two decades of expertise teaching technology. This is a great read and reminds us what really engages students and develops the foundational skills for careers and life.

First of all, blended learning is a current positive trend which allows students to work in-person as well as virtually. Some feel it is the best of both worlds and Schwartz agrees, although he also admits

it is possible to create community and connections among online students; it is just more challenging to do so. I believe if an educator fails to master that ability to connect his or her students, a crucial marker is missing no matter the venue for the education.

The gist of his focus is the need to give assignments that encourage or require students to interact, problem-solve, and use the skills they are learning as opposed to testing for right and wrong answers. Face it, the world is all about the Internet in every way (when was it you last wrote a paper check or deposited one without scanning it on your smartphone, hmm?) and as the role models for how to use it to learn and grow, we need to do just that: use it! While I agree that hands-on problem-solving and gamified approaches are positive, I do disagree with his personal assessment that online course content looks more like a textbook rewrite and cannot adequately engage collaborative efforts. My feeling? It's about the strength of the educator as an online facilitator as I asserted before.

Check out BrainBuffet, a website developed by Schwartz's students based on assignments given. It is robust - scroll down past the blog area and the real meat of the site will jump out at you. There are linked resources, eye-popping graphics, evidence of their work, gamer scores, and free tutorials. Click into the visitors section (the link is on the top tabbed menu) and find more gold buried there. I suspect if traffic really picks up, maybe the number of hits might open new venues for this excellent educator and his students. If you have considered using Wordpress to build your own blog and click through their link, the program benefits. Consider it!

EdBlog alert: PBS Teacher Lounge

A relatively new blog has come onto the scene for education and is housed on a trusted site: PBS. It is the Teacher Lounge on the PBS NewsHour tab and is currently driven by educators who have important news or strong, fact-based opinions to share.

The most recent piece addresses "Separating Fact from Fiction: The Problems of Teaching North Korea," and is written by Christopher Mazura, a high school teacher from Guilderland Center, New York. Easily read with excellent points, I really like his voice and the varied voices of other writers. I think you will too.

As educators in this fast-paced world, we not only should but we need to stay abreast of all of the many voices whose expertise opens our eyes to the world. If we stay in our insular spaces with our heads down, we are doomed to not bring the best to our students no matter their age (or ours).

The places we seek these voices are as critical as the time we take to engage and read. For as much as I love Google and Yahoo and other such sites, educational blogs nested on such quality websites as PBS have earned our trust and connections, and beg us to accept our responsibility to share those things which are contemporary and educationally sound, and evoke our deeper learning and that of our students.

Let me know what you think. This blog is definitely growing.

Oh The Places You Should Go

From time to time, I would like to drop in blog posts which spotlight some really important online education sites and voices. This first site is one of the most robust and respected sites on the web and more often than not, whatever topic I have sought has been reflected there. The second is one I found when searching for quality and diverse development material for my teaching staff.

Edutopia

Fueled and backed by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, their vision and mission encompasses all initiatives that affect the K-12 education world. The site offers discussion boards and the option to create a conversation; video and article libraries; and topics divided by grade levels on such things as Project-based Learning, Maker Education, and Blended Learning. When you have limited time and a need for quality, contemporary, and up-to-date information, Edutopia should be at the top of your list.

SimpleK12

My second recommendation today is SimpleK12. I am an ambassador for this site (inactive because I am not in touch with a teaching staff currently) and if you want quality professional development opportunities, this needs to be your first click. It's a Teacher Learning Community and the basic membership is free. I quickly was hooked and bumped it up a notch, but there is plenty to access and do at the basic level. The webinars fit into your PD plans and into your already busy day by being available to you when you are free. Be sure to check out this one.

Let me know if you find these helpful and feel free to recommend professional sites where you hang out. I will gather those and start a growing list here on the site. Here to serve!

Netiquette Responsibility

Netiquette: Etiquette on the Internet. Familiar term for you? As an educator or parent, it should be. The second part of the definition is "a learned skill which does not come naturally but is taught." Finally, netiquette is a "needed skill as a result of the emergence of the Internet."

Each course syllabus on which I have worked has included a section on the instructor's expectations for behavior online, especially within the confines of the online classroom. The rules are always similar. Be aware of tone, word choice, and contribute a professional or educational response. Make sure humor is universal, unoffensive, and either related to the topic or placed within the designated "social lounge discussion area" for the course. Students need to know all postings will be seen by the instructor and, as happens on the open Internet, will remain indefinitely if appropriate (the Eternal Internet) or be removed if not (although we know that doesn't always take care of the issue. Again, the Eternal Internet).

Expand the instructor's communication expectations to include those of the school. Plagiarism, cheating in general, student, instructor or course bashing, and no use of harsh or unacceptable language are all universal expectations.

Connections Part 4: Teacher Role

The teacher has 20 students in his online class. At the suggestion of the curriculum designer, he has
connected one discussion board to each chapter of the syllabus. He required three new postings per board per student and a minimum of three responses, one each to three different classmates. The postings need to contribute to the class discussions in a meaningful way ("I agree" doesn't count) and occur within the week the discussion first launches. In other words, Posting 6 entries per board at the end of the term just won't count. No one will be listening as the rest of the participants will have moved on.

This requirement is not about writing, but about group learning and the making of meaning based on the subject matter. Yes, do the math. One student times 6 entries minimum per discussion times 20 students in the course. Let's just assume a ten week term and each student needs to come up with 60 thoughtful entries plus read through the rest of the entries. Hmm.

Enlarge that mathematical equation to what the instructor needs to do, and it is read a minimum of 1200 entries, assuming every student is on task. This is the point at which the instructor says maybe online instruction isn't for me.

Connections Part 3: Environment

Open conversations and connections occur when the environment is welcoming. In a brick and mortar classroom, that open atmosphere doesn't have to be (and rarely is) fostered quickly. The trust level and spirit of the room develops more slowly. However, in an online learning experience, conversations need to happen right out of the gate and that openness is promoted on the first day of class. How the class is visually formatted online, what questions are waiting on the class discussion boards on opening day, how reasonable the class expectations are via the syllabus, and the writing tone of the teacher are the most important points for a vibrant learning environment.

Once those initial connections are established, I liken the next step to an image of herding sheep. Sheep know the direction in which they are supposed to go for all life's basics, but someone or something needs to prod them gently to keep them on track. So too do online students of every age need prodding and that prodding comes in the form of teacher and classmates.

Nothing promotes the online classroom better than the discussion area. Lest the colloquialism "out of sight, out of mind" comes true, regular and meaningful interaction is the best indicator of a classroom being alive and successful. Teacher syllabus instructions setting a minimum of responses per school day or week, combined with how many fellow students they need to respond to per discussion is the loom on which critical conversations are woven.

Connections Part 2: Other Learners

Brick and mortar classrooms are hotbeds for student connection. Just stand in an elementary or middle school hallway and listen to the chatter as students head to lunch or out to buses. That's the unmistakable sound of connecting. High school hallways? Slamming lockers and the rise and fall of laughter and taunts equal the adolescent form of connections. On college campuses the connection happens in the dining hall, the student union building, on the grassy or snowy commons area between buildings, and between dorm rooms. And, of course, all ages use the classroom as the academic connection place.

Switch to the growing trend to online education. People know how to connect outside of academic venues with text messaging being primary. But what about that all-important in-class connection? How is that made at all and more important, made in a meaningful way?

The answer? Well-crafted discussion areas. Some are built into learning management platforms and populated with course content by publishers and course designers. Others are the result of forward-thinking educators who have studied what is needed to engage students online and who have added grade level-appropriate discussion areas for interaction. The first order of business for students who are separated by distance is to introduce themselves. The teacher sets the tone with an initial posting and guidelines, and the students jump in. After all, the wise teacher has made this discussion worth participation credit and who wouldn't want credit for talking about himself?

In order to work together, students need to know with whom they are studying and with subsequent conversations, what others bring to the classroom. Online discussion transcends the in-person classroom because when truly virtual, students bring no preconceived ideas about each other to the table. The older the student, the more sophisticated the interaction, but even the youngest participants quickly learn that joining in is fun, acceptable, and non-threatening.

In tomorrow's post, we'll take a look at how the learning environment affects student connection. I hope you will stop back.

Check out "Mastering Online Discussion Boards" from Edutopia for a strong document on best practices and visit the website "ClassChatter" for a free tool for use in blended learning classrooms.

All About Connections Part 1: Online Course Content

How do you reach and motivate students you can't "see?" This question comes up repeatedly during both new teacher training and in conversation with veteran online kindergarten through postgraduate teachers. While the venue is different, the traditional expected outcome hasn't changed - educators want engaged students learning. What makes a student of any age want to get out of bed and attend school each day? What compels a student to feel sad when school is over for the weekend or the summer (yes, those students do still exist!)? The answer is both simple and complex. It's connection - connection to you, the teacher; to fellow learners; to the subject matter; and to the learning environment.

Let's take a look at each of these connections, and you - the experts - can weigh in on how you foster connectivity in your virtual students. Today I will reflect on students' connection to the subject matter. Nothing new that not all students rock out on mathematical equations or science experiments, However, even reluctant learners come around and engage when content is informative, pertinent, and delivered in a creative and contemporary fashion.

When first teaching in the virtual K-12 school, it was frustrating when students didn't complete their work but parents insisted their child was "always on the computer." I knew where they were spending time: chatrooms, games, search engines, websites, and scouring YouTube for current music videos. It was a competition and how were we going to win?

The formula was clear. Important content supported by strong technological advancements and delivered by trained, enthusiastic, and positive educators. Online content isn't simply scanning text, putting it into documents, and uploading those pdfs for student reading lists. If you have wandered around Khan Academy, Moodle courses, Udemy, Blackboard, and the thousands of YouTube teaching videos to name a few, you know where you stop and pay attention - where students stop and take notice.

Tomorrow, let's talk about connection to fellow virtual learners. Please follow my blog and stop back often. Looking forward to the conversation!

Origin of Pottermom

Gingerbread House Studios, circa 1957

Someone asked me why the name Pottermom. It's rooted in the generational art handed down from my mother, Margaret Leister. I grew up in a home that revolved around a pottery studio named the Gingerbread House in Trappe, Pennsylvania. Each day my mother would retreat to her clays and glazes while I sat on a stool and had free rein over every other manner of art supplies.

I never learned to throw pottery (the term for creating on a wheel), though, despite the availability. She kept that for herself. So, as an adult, I decided it was a skill I wanted to explore and spent three years working in the studios of the Toledo Museum of Art. The process clicked and I replicated Pennsylvania Dutch folk patterns from my mother in honor of her legacy. Setting up a small studio for myself is an unfulfilled bucket list item, but learning her craft, experiencing the personal centering she must have felt as she created beautiful things from a lump of clay have all made a profound difference in my life.

From this has come "Pottermom." She didn't live to share this as she passed away unexpectedly in 1984, but I am sure she knows.

PA Dutch Folk patterns, MLeister, circa 2003

Distilfink pattern, MLeister, circa 2003

In the Beginning

In the beginning, there were chalkboards, oil lamps, charcoal sticks, and story circles. Much has changed in education--or has it? No matter the tools we create and use, the purpose is the same: learn more than we already know, no matter what our age, upbringing, world location, or financial ability.

"Mom, Johnny knows more than I do. He lives in a larger cave, with more lamp oil and dry wood, and their walls are easier to write on than our old crumbling, moss-covered rocks."

"Now, Lena, those things don't matter. You can recite the stories of your great ancestors, you have plenty of skins to keep you warm, and your belly is full to give you strength. What you know in your heart you will always know and learning doesn't happen in only one way."

My desk is bigger than your desk. I have more books than you do. I live closer to a library than my friends. I have a desktop computer or a laptop, a PC or a Mac, an iPad or Kindle. I have high speed internet or cable. I have parents or a spouse who keep tabs on my computer surfing--or not.

Perhaps the distinctions have become more refined, but the intention in the new model of education is to bridge the gap for everyone so we can reach whatever level of learning we choose. If we can log onto a computer, any computer, we can reach people like ourselves around the world, in classrooms on every continent, receive live images and carry on real-time conversations with astronauts, farmers, shopkeepers, mothers...the list of opportunities is endless. This is the virtual education world in which I work...and learn...and play.

Johnny and Lena, the potential is infinite.

To Blog or Not to Blog

The internet information tsunami in terms of blogs and bloggers alone is incredible. Not really anything new since it has been going on for more than a decade, maybe even two, but I still marvel at the exponential growth. I see so many blogs which have exploded in popularity and wonder how these writers or topics rise to the top. Oh, yes, there are so many tools for making your writing take the top spot. But who reads these blogs and why are some topics chosen over others? Is it a wise investment of time and thought to move our musings into a public venue if the main reason for posting is to make journal entries and share personal opinions? In the case of personal blogs, I believe that people identifying with the writer can lessen life’s burdens, offer support, and deliver direction and hope. At the very least, it makes people feel less alone.

This is even true for business blogs which are filled with information to undergird consumers’ choices and draw them into decisions. After all, we are happier when we have a product others swear by, products which have passed the ever-critical usage test. All manner of blogs exist and new ones spring up daily: health, happiness, arts, food (one of my personal favorites), life, shopping, education, finances, how-to, how-not-to – an endless list. Sometimes it is hard to get all that reading done so we bookmark and then bookmark some more. I have even acknowledged the information back-load by setting up a folder called "for later review." No surprise it is overflowing.

I have a wealth of experience in many fields, know cutting edge details and processes about online education, writing, cooking, bead weaving, creativity. Can writing a blog make a difference? I share for the sake of sharing, with no expectations I am delivering any earth-shaking news, but comfortable with my writing voice. I feel at home musing aloud and welcoming any audience who stops by. My goal is to offer an easily accessed setting in which we can exchange information and learn. The coffee pot’s on!

The Wisdom of Baby Steps

Technology is changing by the minute and even though I feel closer to that evolution than many educators by virtue of my decade and a half in virtual education, I can still experience a degree of sadness at how the good old days of education were just fine, supporting the likes of presidents and doctors and librarians and bus drivers...and me. So sayeth Maryalice as I write about this via a 21st Century blog on a cutting edge computer and blogsite.

Don't misunderstand: You won't catch me pining away for the "good old days" because some of those days sure had bumpy spots, but I also advise caution in moving forward at a breakneck speed. Advancement deserves - no, mandates - caution. Too much too fast and too soon will only end badly.

I worked in the virtual K through 12 teaching world and while at times, the changes we determined were needed in terms of systems and policies took forever, advancement decisions and the attendant processes begged to be based on feedback and sound practices. I do believe that approach will guarantee greater success over the long view than rushing pell-mell ahead. We have already seen the results of rash decisions in the virtual schools that have closed. It is too easy to grab onto every new technology flying by, only to then react later to destroyed potential and setbacks. Better we take those baby steps (thanks, Bill Murray) towards solid success.

The Tortoise Approach Does Work

Had a long conversation one evening with a very special friend--my daughter. Topic? How do you turn around a school which has dropping achievement, slipping discipline, and, well, generally needs help? My adamant response is all of two words: staff morale. Not test scores; not longer hours; not thousands of new textbooks or cutting edge technology equipment; not analytics or a long line of heavy-handed administrators. Simply staff morale.

The most talented team of workers, whether in education or any other profession, will work to the point of exhaustion for a cause (no matter how small) if they feel appreciated and supported. I have been around for a lot of years and it has been proven over and over again. A sinking situation can turn when the significant stakeholders feel empowered and supported. It isn't a quick fix and it can't be a one-time hit. Depending on how long the morale has been sinking, it may take an equally long time to shift the tide. But I say with 100% conviction, it can shift. And it can't be self-serving or superficial or showy....just sincere and directed and persistent.

I can read data, interpret data, add or subtract lessons or responsibilities or commitments, but the tortoise is the key. Huh? Hear me: slow and steady, committed no matter the obstacles, and once morale improves, all the other programs or initiatives or additions will slide into place and begin to make a difference. Feel free to ask if you want to know more.

Too Little Time?

"Time, time, time, see what's become of me, While I looked around, For my possibilities..."  (Thanks, Simon and Garfunkel.)

I work more hours of the day and week than I ever rest. I spend more time staring at a computer screen than I do my backyard gardens, my grandchildren's faces, or the pages of a favorite magazine. So, can the argument really be made that we have no time to slow down and finger the pages of a good book? I don't know. I can forget about my personal space and choices and feel I am only worthwhile if I am moving in triple time--constantly doing, doing, doing. It can't be good for anyone to see those things they might want to accomplish in life sitting undone.

It isn't a good example for our students either. How can they learn "down time" and stress relief and balanced choices if they are witnessing teachers, parents, significant others always on the move. Trite, I know, but it isn't quantity but quality.

Discussion on the pros and cons of the reading and search capabilities of the Internet, and the implications of general computer use have given way to a renewed belief I don't need to do everything in the shortest amount of time. I have written some exhaustively comprehensive academic research papers in my time, worthy of the "A" I received. My "A" papers today will look different perhaps, having more far-reaching references than I could have found in years past. But will the "doing" of the search be as satisfying? Will the discovery and conclusions be as profoundly rewarding?

If I take my time. Yes, if I take my time. No, if I make the time via priorities.

Devil's Advocate I Am Not

Playing the devil's advocate after reading an article is not always the easiest thing. I know it can be a thought-provoking activity, one which forces a reader to examine both sides of an issue, but for some articles, there is no "other side" to consider. That's not arrogant, but rather, an honest assessment on the advancement and usage of the Internet as a learning and teaching tool. My deep involvement in virtual education shows I fall squarely on the side of pushing it forward despite issues that arise. After all, education before the internet had quite a few warts of its own. What reservations I might have are continuously allayed by new findings, new methodology, and greater attention by greater minds to the niggling details that could prevent security, usability, and functionality. Any ethical misgivings are limited by a dedicated effort to align with those who want to "grow it right."

Online learning and the connectivity of and to the world are here to stay and that is a positive. I can type in 9 letters in a search engine and see maps and photographs of the birthplace of my maternal grandfather. I may never travel to Altemonte, Italy, but I know from where he came. I long ago lost contact with childhood friends, but through the vastness and speed of the internet, we are once again in touch. I may need a long list of articles for research, but have neither the time nor the resources to travel to the Library of Congress. Via my laptop and online connections, I will have more than I need. Some say the older we are, the less likely we will be to adapt to this "newfangled technology," but I don't believe that’s true. Given an inquisitive mind and unrestrained exposure to "all things Internet,” I can make the same advances as someone younger. Afraid of it? No way! We are a people who traveled across plains in wagons and steered canoes down isolated African rivers, walked two miles to school barefoot in snow – uphill – and more! Cruising the Internet highway is not much of a challenge at all.

So, off to read some articles, "The Brain, Technology, and Education: An Interview with Robert Sylwester" (http://technologysource.org/article/brain_technology_and_education/) and "Campfires in Cyberspace: Primordial Metaphors for Learning in the 21st Century" (http://www.tcpd.org/thornburg/Handouts/Campfires.pdf) and see if the devil is somewhere in the details.

Servant Leadership in an Expanding Field

I hit the home office at 6 AM after a restless night, freshly-brewed coffee in hand. Mondays are always chock full of "needs" for a virtual teaching staff. Loading students into classes behind the scenes, discovering tech systems are slowed by weekend uploads, usernames that are lost or twisted, cries for Excel spreadsheets and data banks that help teachers see how classrooms and students are doing. A normal day in the virtual school.

Now, it is 12 hours later and I am just winding down, having kept the upward-rising email stack at least even, but wishing I had made a dent in other important things on my "to do" list. At this point in my career, nothing is more important than the ability of my teams to make a difference. That means using my expertise to troubleshoot just about everything imaginable in a virtual school. No two days, no two hours, are ever alike and as long as I keep questions aligned with the people who ask them -it is a productive and fulfilling place to be.

I liken this role to the Wizard of Oz at times. Since the opening day of the charter virtual school, I have been troubleshooting the systems, creatively imparting sound educational standards using ever-improving and futuristic online tools. I respect the system; I respect academia; but most of all, I respect the pioneering teachers who have stepped out to embrace a teaching approach that still meets resistance. Respect has been slow in coming, but these teachers have had my respect from day one. I am privileged to stand beside them, ever and always.

We are Only as Good as Our Technology

After two solid days of troubleshooting a live online training system and channeling a myriad of emails to tech support so issues are resolved, it is abundantly clear virtual teachers are only as "good" as the reliability of the technology. Early messaging is by frantic teachers who want to meet student needs, and as the delay wears on and systems come back on line, parents and students email to find out when the missed sessions will be made up. Feels good when things smooth out and all is calm once again on the LMS (Learning Management System) horizon.

Online teachers work hard every year to focus on engaging synchronous sessions. Teachers provide amazing lessons using Smart Board and touch screens and not only are these educational, they are standards-based, data-driven, and often, game-based. Teachers and parents are aware of what the children need at all times. To stay abreast of data is key and gradually, even teachers who are not as comfortable with data analysis have come on board and realize it is their friend when used properly. Wonderful to witness the sweeping changes made in platforms so everything is easily available and timely.

Is Spelling Really Important?

I once had a small cohort of new teachers to train and since all were fairly tech-savvy, the training moved quickly. The training tempo allowed for far more visiting and exchange of ideas than usual, and with that exchange came some interesting things to ponder.

One of the 4 teachers shared that she has never lived at a time that spell checkers weren't readily available and used. She remarked that whenever she prepared a document for any class, at any grade, the auto-check button took care of the majority of errors. Had she not been an English major, things like "i before e except after c" might have not even been relevant or worthy of memorization since auto-check swapped the letters correctly when needed. And of course, acceptance of texting shorthand was also just a given. You could tell the age or era of the person by whether it annoyed them to purposely shorten words or spell them visually.

Virtual education is here to stay, but I sometimes wonder what explorers and visitors from other galaxies might say someday as they find the demise or serious alteration of our language. I do find myself fitting right into the new age - I no longer mumble under my breath about people who can't spell, but rather about people who don't use spell check. Errors can go under the radar when a writer begins to program their own software dictionaries to accept shorthand designations. If "luvu2" works and is marked to go through, who would know it wasn't correct?

I want it all. I want the ease and portability of the Internet and computer programs, but I need to feel people are still engaged in the fundamentals. I know in the extreme people can honestly sit across from one another and text rather than talk, but no matter how much we manage to reduce face-to-face interaction, we still need to be educated behind the scenes. We still need to conceptualize, create, compose, craft....well, a human being isn't meant to just "be" and let machines do it all. I hope we know when to put on those brakes.

Thumbs Up or Down?

Who learns best online? Or is that even a fair question? Just as educators have struggled for so long to determine if there is really any category of learner who can't learn, we are now faced with the question of appropriate learning venue. Visual learning is accommodated in the online environment. We can also utilize auditory. I'd voice some concern over tactile/sensory learning. Unless the student openly engages in making learning tactile via labs, purchasing hard back books, and using manipulatives, can we replicate that need? Human contact through discussion and seeing one another can be done easily, but the touch of a hand when a student needs reassurance is lacking.

Perhaps what we lose in human face-to-face connection we replace with the wonder of building relationships with people around the world. I recently located the village in Italy in which my great grandfather was born and short of taking an expensive trip, I was able to climb the village streets and look off the cliffs, all thanks to satellite pictures in delayed and real time. The global village has become my street and it's remarkable indeed.

So, back to my initial pondering....is this learning arena the best one for all learners? And if we ask that question, let’s do everything in our power to make sure it can accommodate all learners.

To Team or Not to Team

Team work is a critical component of online teaching. While I believe all teachers form and re-form teams all the time to meet the demands of their online classroom jobs, just how skilled are they really at developing teams complete with purpose, agendas, and assigned roles - and, do they even see the need for any degree of formality as long as the job gets done by someone? Do they regularly get caught with work undone or less-than-satisfying results? Are the same people taking the lead and does that work in some circumstances and not others? If there are other would-be leaders who wish they could lead but are frustrated in their attempts to be heard or followed, is that lessening the effectiveness of the overall team? I have routinely believed in self-organization so a group can function comfortably. Perhaps, however, it has not been all that comfortable.

I left one online graduate degree program because of the failure of the group system. Six people were
put together by the instructor and all but two were in vastly different time zones. That wouldn't have been a stopper had some of the people who were the farthest away done their part. But two didn't and the instructor had made it very clear that what one person attained as a grade would be what everyone received. At first I thought it was an exploratory exercise meant to show us the frustrations of ill-formed teams. Perhaps the instructor had notified one or more member in each group to play a certain part so we would experience the best and the worst. However, nothing that teachable occurred. I simply was a part of a dysfunctional group and it was beyond a frustration. I stepped in with one other team member three hours before the ten page report was due and pulled it out of the hopper, but it soured me on the culture of random teaming for success. Overall, it was not a pleasant experience and the learning was lost - all I knew was that I didn't like the failed team structure.

I do believe team work is necessary and critical, but for some, it is not a natural skill. Since education, business, healthcare, marketing are all expected to be working in teams, often put together by demographics in many cases as opposed to strengths and weaknesses, it is overdue to help people work well within that skill set. Leaders need to meet those needs so all are as successful as possible, not just for student and school growth, but for professional growth as well.

Don't Blink

Teachers are often called on to develop examples and samples with filler content and it is harder than it looks. It is difficult to "create" a course and lessons which aren’t going to be used in an actual classroom. Tools abound online which make the process of actual content and course creation so much easier and “dummy content” is needed less and less. A teacher can either follow the guidelines and fill in the sections or expand the template to be as creative as he or she wants to be.

Educators are demanding more and more in terms of functions, analytics, design, communities, and live webinar tools, and these needs are creating a healthy competition for excellence. While some teachers feel overwhelmed by learning one process only to be presented with another, the advancement and expectations benefit everyone who teaches at any level. Students deserve the most challenging, up-to-date content and only by staying current with tools can schools and teachers deliver.

Not to worry – developers and course designers work hard to simplify the learning curve for all. Examples are embedded within the platform and the learning curve has been improved tremendously.

Access Denied

When Internet sites work, life is glorious. When they do not, frustration is exponentially tied to how long we struggle to get up and running. A few years ago I tried repeatedly to access the online library for my University and even though I used the same credentials that had gotten me everywhere else, the virtual doors remained locked! Not a good sign for the successful outcome of required research for a group project. I had been spoiled by the highly interactive online library of another university. So, the result of moving between schools was to improve some things and find others lagging behind. I wanted – no, needed - scholarly articles as opposed to wandering the Internet in search of quality information.

This incident underscored just how greedy we have become when wanting immediate access to information. Another case of time, time, time....that virtual drumming of fingers and rhythmic foot-tapping.

The List is Long

Trying to decide what is more pressing in my life today, considering there is much to do and only so much time in which to do it. Learners who take on course work in addition to full-time jobs and family responsibilities are to be congratulated. It is not an easy thing at all and while some people criticize online learning as "easy" or a shallow learning path to a degree, in reality, I do believe it is both a challenge in terms of time and content, and a blessing for learners of any age. At this point in my career, I not only want the flexibility and challenge, but I am thrilled to not have a long drive and walks on dark campuses with which to contend. That time is better spent on research and reading and happily connecting with other learners from around the world.

I am working on this thing called "time management" and right now, it seems, something keeps falling off the end of the list no matter how hard I try. It is a good awareness to have because future students of mine, no matter what the course, will feel the same way. I will remember and I will empathize.

Does a Group Make a Team?

Groups formed online for projects with a deadline can make for deeper learning. They also can be
problematic if the learners involved are not skilled at handling the different roles such an assignment demands. Where does this type of training occur? The group needs a leader who will keep an eye on progress and deadlines. Those who are gathering evidence come next, and finally, the finisher or editor is critical. It is possible for other roles to be assigned, but the larger a group becomes, the more risk in having non-functioning members or learners who feel isolated or shut out. And again, where does this training occur? Is it experience? That would hardly be the venue of the youthful student. And age doesn't necessarily guarantee a true understanding of the flex and flow of responsibility.

I once was assigned to a group of three professionals for a graduate course. By chance, the two men were in law enforcement: organized, focused, deadline-driven, and accustomed to success. The group process went smoothly. We achieved the goals, learned in the process, and walked away with full credit for the project.

But I repeat: learning how to work within a group does not come naturally and we need to make sure educators and students are coached in this critical skill.

Not as Simple as It Seems

I am considering the variations in approach and expectations an instructor has when teaching a community education enrichment course versus an undergraduate or graduate course. I have taken a few community education courses online and I finished most, but did walk away from a few which were poorly written and which failed to engage my interest. I took them several years ago and would suspect those courses are better written now than they were then. But I guess it is important for educators to realize that just because we write it, it doesn't mean people will attend.

So, what is the catch? Or maybe the better word is, where's the hook? I have written several online creative writing courses to test various learning management systems and platforms. I believe the people who would attend are only those who like to write and want to improve, especially if the course's objectives are clearly related to locating interested students to enroll. But then I believe keeping students in the course and engaged would be directly connected to my efficiency as instructor and the controlled spontaneity and connection with fellow students.

It is evident there is more to a course than deciding to offer content in which you are schooled and which you enjoy. All of the important guidelines for designing courses worthy of their content are true no matter the reason or the audience. While an intricate process with many points to consider, I am enjoying the challenge of creating written content. For me, another way to hook people with the written word.

Two- or Three-Dimensional

The Internet allows us - any of us - to just have a conversation. Oh, at times, even picking up the phone seems a tiring thought, but poking out letters on a keyboard or phone and sending them off satisfies the need to communicate. It occurs to me, though, are we at risk of the younger generation never learning interpersonal skills? After all, if they mainly accept what they see and hear on the Internet as true, and rarely need to read body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice, a new two dimensional interaction occurs..

I don't want to be two dimensional; neither do I want my children and grandchildren to be. I admit, I have been known to hide behind the computer screen, but I am older, have spent a lifetime connecting. It's okay to step back. I can associate a tone with a grimace or a smile. But will that
become a lost art? Is this underscored by the number of people who sit across from one another texting messages back and forth? Same table, same room – no live conversation.

I believe one of the strengths an online teacher can develop is his or her voice in emails and online. I would suspect if you asked any staff with whom I have worked to read a page of anonymous emails, they could pick out mine easily. Granted, I am a writer in spirit and practice, but I rarely just write. Instead, I truly believe I communicate on many levels. If we are going to stay online more and more, and web pictures are the best we can do, we need to spend time putting ourselves in the written word. Writing skills need to be improved, not snipped and torn and forgotten.

Decades and centuries from now, when those who come after us examine our artifacts, I wonder if what they see in our language will convince them we progressed...or regressed. Calligraphy, handwriting, fountain pens, icons, avatars, text talking.......food for thought.

Workaholic's Tantrum

It's tough to be human. Tough to get sick and feel like you have no control and you just want to feel better. But then, the body knows when it needs to slow down and as we get older, we seem to push the waking/sleeping ratio further and further. The voice of my mother ever echoes: sleep is a waste of time. Strangely, I don't remember her being sick a lot but I sure remember her doing artwork well into the early hours, so maybe I inherited the need to stay awake and not the fortitude to pull it off.

The student side of me often stares a long time at a learning task, taking longer than I should to work through possible solutions. The teacher persona wonders what more I could do to make topics as engaging and personal for students as they are for me. Either of these scenarios call for reflection, intentional planning, and long hours. I do believe there are no shortcuts to full understanding and deep connections. So, when illness strikes, it short circuits the best of plans and makes the work process even longer.

All this to say when I have a lot to do and fall sick, instead of using time to recover, I spend what feels like endless hours thinking about what isn't done. Sure doesn't allow for rest and I do know it will all be there waiting for me regardless of the worry. Sometimes we all need to just pull up the covers, sip a hot drink, and get strong. Maybe someday I will learn.

Threaded Discussion Safety and Benefits

One person can positively or negatively affect the flow and learning in a threaded online discussion. Students will feel it is risky to fully participate if there is a suspicion that a learner's input or efforts might be ridiculed. The risk is greater the younger the participants because young people have a flawed sense that (1) no one can trace them if they don't use their real names and (2) it is their right to say anything they want. This approach is akin to the scribbled slur found in bathroom stalls. Written and then left for all to see, the intent is maximum exposure and hurt with minimal connection. The open Internet is an infinitely huge bathroom wall.

How often might this type of thing happen and what is the solution? Certainly, we can offer as secure a site for threaded discussions as technology allows. If it is an open discussion, the risk is higher as the site and its content is harder to regulate. If the discussion is contained within a classroom site, it is much easier to manage: ISP addresses are tracked, additional home information is recorded in databases, and the teacher is omnipresent should things veer off course, with block and removal tools. Moderated postings are another way to maintain civility and insure positive forward movement. It inhibits spontaneity but is a valid protection for all participants. The interaction, growth, and learning potential in online conversation is huge and early presentation of guidelines with close monitoring will forge a positive experience for both teacher and students. Develop the rules (netiquette), make sure they are visible, then always follow through.

Forever Available

Anonymity on the Internet is an oxymoron.  No matter what precautions we take, writing and posting
on the Internet are not private activities. Even within the confines of a closed classroom environment, students take a risk. Is that a doomsday prediction, something which will eventually put an end to discussions on the Internet? Facebook, Snapchat...need I say more?

Talking about academic subjects is benign compared to the myriad of "intimate" conversations taking place across the Web every minute of every day. People of all ages and writing abilities are scrambling to post. An entire new language has emerged driven by this online culture. Analysis is ongoing but the trajectory is more clearly defined every hour as the millions are pouring their opinions, thoughts, text speak, and more on the likes of Twitter, personal websites, and groups. Do we have any sense at all (or does it even matter) that every word we write becomes eternal? Generations to come, with no effort, will click a key and "know" us.

Amazing or frightening?

Out of the Spotlight

Teachers need to teach, right? It's a profession that has lasted through the ages, whether formal or informal. As a parent, I taught my children; as an educator carrying a state-endorsed license I earned a paycheck helping people of all ages learn things they don't know. Traditionally, doing an educator's job has meant preparing content and walking onto the classroom stage, standing in a limelight of sorts, and delivering wisdom. Wisdom, knowledge, opinions, content...dressed up and embellished to make listeners want to know more.

Virtual teachers, while afforded all of the most contemporary tools with which to provide content, step back from the edge of the stage and bring the learners into the spotlight. While the online teacher provides the map, the students travel the route. The teacher is available at every turn with the responsibility to assist students to find meaning. More importantly, students help other students to learn. Conversations are open and searching, leading to more questions and more answers. The approach and process is the springboard for a life filled with inquiry.

Teachers who are convinced online education is the beginning of the end most often have never personally engaged in an online course. The process is a radical change from traditional information delivery but, when examined, is clearly a best practice approach to learning, one from which we have strayed over the decades. We are forced to limit emphasis on student discovery when high stakes testing requires results in a short period of time.

I do believe we have reached a saturation point for the old ways of educating and will continue to get the same pale results until we allow learners to explore, and that shift is underway.

Trust Circles

Online learners are essentially invisible unless the teacher and the student make an effort to be three-dimensional. That depth of personality comes about because trust circles are created within the classrooms. Students tell their stories and, by sharing their own and hearing others, offer each other the affirming gift of listening and acceptance. In essence, in a world where people are growing increasingly wary of the reality of information, learners come together and agree to engage for scholarly pursuits and believe what each delivers as his or her truth.

So few pure pursuits still exist. Rightly so that the educational arena is where one such trust system shines. Online educators, community moderators, administrators all need to do everything in their power to police the learners assigned to their courses and make sure that trust is intact.

Revisiting the Teaming Concept

Another reflection on working in teams should make it obvious it is an ongoing focus for me. Graduate students recently responded to a poll regarding whether grades should be dependent on all members of a group, or even if a group works together, each member should be awarded their own grade. In the past I have always fallen on the side of separate grades. Actually, I think I am a fairly
responsive and responsible group member and have often served as a team leader, but I also know I have had some difficult experiences in my post graduate work over the years where not all team members performed and those of us who did had one of two choices: do the work to cover up the inequity or accept everyone receiving a lower grade. It was never made clear what we were to do if someone failed to contribute but it was made clear that nothing would prevent us all from getting the same grade. That elementary school fear of not wanting to be seen as a tattletale reared its juvenile head. (I swear the slackers played on that fear too). Little effort was given to making sure everyone understood the roles, the responsibilities, and the outcomes. (Can I shout “team training” yet again?)

I have never had anything against sharing the learning, sharing the work, and sharing the outcomes. I do, however, struggle with punitive action for a weak team member or two, especially when we don't have the same type of power we might have in walking down the hall and prodding a colleague to get the job done. Frankly, it is just easier for someone to disregard pleadings online. The email went to the spam folder, the computer ate my submission, or “what do you mean I didn’t do it? I sent it to you!” Oh, the guilt.

Fortunately, having received training in team work and a series of positive experiences has me firmly on the side of teamwork. If I am to best serve in my areas of strength, I need to not only understand the process, but trust in the strength and durability of it. When we are separated by miles and continents, languages and individual responsibilities, the alternative is chaos with little understanding and productivity.

Get on the Bus

I have been sitting in front of a computer for the better part of most days for the past 16 years. What started out as a fear, gradually moved to curiosity and fascination, and then turned into a career and a commitment. While many people are still not sure this "thing" is best for educating anyone, especially our youngest students, we have to concede the cliché that it isn't going away any time soon. Perhaps the most detrimental truth in all of this is so few took it seriously in the early stages. The wave of the hand and the shushing sound dismissed anyone who said it "might be here to stay and change all our lives." After all, we just thought it was a great new way to track and extract information, and yes, play games (remember “Centipede?”).

Who knew it would allow us to call and SEE other people! Well, many things about this sophisticated tool have gone awry and we have no one to blame but ourselves really. After all, we hear doomsayers tell us the sky is falling (or suffering irreparable pollution) and when the oxygen content is so low we are all wheezing, who will have the nerve to wave their hands and say, "But I didn't know...!"  We have seen the machine, the technology, the potential...we have watched it be harnessed, utilized, made stronger, better, and more remarkable. We are talking statues and monuments to immortalize Steve Jobs as the single greatest visionary of our time.

No question it is overdue for all of us to invest in how to use this properly, with great wisdom, and by embracing it instead of trying to pretend we can go back to "earlier times" (you know, like when there weren't computers in every house and the Amazon was only a region and a river, and Q was a misunderstood and little used letter instead of a mega-million shopping network). It is pretty much either get on the bus or go back to the mountains. Me? I really want to be at the front of that bus myself. Heck, if I had the skills I would want the commercial driver's license. All aboard!

Benevolent Wizard

My years at the computer have proven I am the wizard behind the curtain who knows how to keep the passwords and log-ins clean, the webinars prepared, touch screens working correctly, and more (see previous blog entry on Servant Leadership). I have spent long hours talking or texting to educators and others who are having misgivings about their ability and who just need to know that even though you can't "see" everyone you work with and for, we are out here and are an incredibly supportive and talented group of people. I have trained brick and mortar teachers in the ways and methods of converting to online teaching....and I think I did a good job of building them up and offering them the gift of listening and confidence. I achieved my Master’s degree in Online Teaching and Learning to underscore my passion for online education. It was the perfect choice for me.

So, long hours online will always be just fine in my mind. I am growing, learning, and, most importantly, gifting. It's a positive thing.

By Degrees

California State University, East Bay

Finally achieving my Master’s degree as an older adult was an incredibly exciting and fulfilling experience. I would not have chosen an online program degree in my youth, but would have taken an expected, on-campus degree as an offshoot of my passion for English and writing. My choice underscored my love for learning both on and about this online world. The discipline of course work especially when it was targeted at virtual teaching and education was exactly what I needed to open doors to deeper understanding and diverse pathways.

I have taken many courses in my career to remain certified as a teacher, and although any of them could have evolved into a fine Master’s program, this degree in Online Teaching and Learning goes to the heart of what I am most passionate about at this point in my life and career. We just should never stop searching and learning because our best ability might still be around the next corner, fueled by an unexpected conversation or a colleague’s recommendation or even a random job posting in the sidebar of an often-visited website. Really, it’s not the destination but the journey. Agreed?