Running head: TECHNOLOGY AND ONLINE LEARNING 1

Technology and Online Learning

Rochelle Keeble

EDUC: 510-B02 Instructional Strategies for Diverse Learner

Liberty University
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Technology and Online Learning

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, students have shifted away from traditional classroom

environments and toward what is now becoming a traditional stay-at-home online learning

environment. As a result, educators must become familiar with the fundamentals of education.

Educators must learn the fundamental ideas and practices of online learning to decide what

works best for them and their students. Here are few suggestions and ways to help educators

discover more about themself.

Using Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or even Skype, instructors in this innovative type of

instruction begin by learning the fundamentals of technology and online education. As educators,

teachers must constantly be attentive and ready to deal with these challenges, as they have done

for many years because their position is constantly changing, dynamic, and evolving. A teacher

can continue to use basic rules from the classroom to guide his or her instruction. Some changes

may be necessary. These ideas provide the basis for a teacher's training and curriculum.

Educators have access to several different sets of guidelines. There are nonetheless five

principles outlined as effective practices for distance education. It is founded on five guiding

principles: 1) Establish and maintain regular effective interaction with students, 2) Provide

opportunities for student-centered learning, and 3) Create a supportive environment for students

should be able to swiftly and easily access all course content, as well as possibilities with real-

world applications, 4) Assist students in their learning process and independence, and 5) There

should be no barriers to accessing the course content for any student." (Chickering & Gamson,

1991) From these essential notions which may or may not apply to everyone, educators must

decide what works best for them and their pupils. According to the Eberly Center at Carnegie
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Mellon University, "Effective teaching includes acquiring relevant facts about students and

applying that knowledge to inform our course design and classroom instruction.' (2021). Prior to

creating an online classroom, teachers must first understand their students' learning styles and

interests. Because of the educator's solid and powerful principles, both the educator and students

will achieve success.

The following paragraphs will focus on a few of different teaching tactics that, in my

opinion, will benefit both the teacher and the student. Engagement of students in the course will

be the first approach we'll examine. When it comes to engaging students in a course, there are

several ways to go about it. This is much more difficult when it comes to an online education.

as well as between the students and instructors. Regarding getting students to interact with the

course content, Beth Dietz-Uhler found that: "We use a variety of tactics to encourage students

to engage with the course content. Our courses are mostly textbook based, with some videos and

interactive tasks thrown in for good measure. In addition, we prepare brief audio introductions to

each module (no longer than five minutes). A passionate instructor presents four or five

PowerPoint slides and a general overview of the module content during these introduction

sessions." (Dietz-Uhler & Hurn, 2013) At the very least, Dietz-Uhler found that pupils were

more inclined to participate when they heard someone speak positively about a topic. This

statement is echoed by Rita-Marie Conrad and J. Ana Donaldson in Engaging the Online

Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction. The pupils' energy and noise levels

are higher, and they are reluctant to switch to a new activity. Seeing the synergy amongst

creative partners as the debate becomes more dynamic and connections are made is incredibly

thrilling." (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011) Each of these educators believes that excitement in the
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classroom is a key factor in increasing student engagement. Using Teams, Zoom, or Skype the

teacher can achieve this in an online situation as well.

As a result of this, I'd want to discuss a second technique for online teaching, which is

closely related to the previous one. As the following method, the educator establishes rapport

with the pupils while also fostering collaboration among the students in order to achieve the

desired results. The ability to establish a relationship with students is crucial for any teacher or

educator to succeed. Due to the fact that it establishes trust between the student and teacher, it

encourages them to strive for more. Two of my favorite teachers were from my middle school

years. Neither of these gentlemen had their own stills, but the things they said and the way they

acted towards their students had an impact on their reputations and their students' lives. Student-

to-student interaction in online courses must be built on a strong foundation of rapport. To help

students understand and feel that the teacher understands the difficulties of online learning, a

teacher must reply to students' questions and concerns. A college or university is a good

example, when the adult has a full-time job and returns to school for a degree in order to become

more competitive in their current field or position. When students and teachers develop a

connection with one another, the possibility of collaborating on projects opens up. Collaboration

both within and outside of the classroom can help develop a network of people to whom a

student or even a teacher can turn for assistance. Students and teachers will get to know and trust

each other as a result of these two strategies, which will push students to strive harder to achieve

more not only in the classroom but outside of it as well, and they will know that if they ever had

a question that they could always go back to that teacher to ask for help.
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In conclusion, A few principles that could be used in online learning have been discussed.

One or two online teaching tactics that would not only engage the student in the topic being

taught, but also how the educator can interact in the class. Just talking about the topic in a

positive way or creating a rapport and working with students to build that link that might last

long after students leave the classroom because at that time, educators are viewed as mentors to

those students. As a teacher, educator, facilitator, or instructor, we all have the same job, and

that's reaching out to students and teaching them the information they need.
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References

Carnegie Mellon University. (2021). Teaching principles - eberly center - Carnegie Mellon

University. Teaching Principles - Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University.

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/principles/teaching.html.

Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1991). Applying the seven principles for good practice in

undergraduate education. Jossey-Bass.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner : Activities and resources

for creative instruction. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-

com.ezproxy.liberty.edu

Dietz-Uhler, B., & Hurn, J. (2013). Strategies for engagement in online courses. Journal of

Teaching and Learning with Technology.

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/jotlt/article/view/3294.