A whole new batch of kids just rolled into my cyberclass and they are an interesting and diverse lot for Iowa kids. We will spend a bit of time getting comfortable with Moodle and virtually kicking the tires to see what this vehicle is capable of doing. That involves some playing around.
I think every class should start with that and I need to ramp up my virtual class so that the playing around at the front end is more like what I like to do in face to face classes. One teacher puts a science toy in the middle of the table and has the kids go back to the table in small groups and just examine and play. There is a notebook there for them to record their observations. That is a pretty good way to start. It is scientific and it is generally fun (depanding on the toy).
We do have a tendency to move too fast in our effort to get kids from point A to point B in a semester. Stopping once in a while to just observe is a good thing. It is really a good thing at the beginning of the year as so much depends on how well we observe the important "stuff" from the get go.
So, here is my worklist:
1. Play and find more ways to move that online
2. Tie the play into the content of my course
3. Enjoy the start of the year...they are percious and someday it will be the last start up day for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment