Knowledge is Power!

I am finding reading, researching, and immersing myself in online learning to be the most helpful regarding preparation for becoming an online educator.  To me, knowledge is power, and until I feel intelligent on the topic, I am hesitant to talk about it or try new things in that regard.  The TACCLE readings are, to me, a source of comfort because they contain research-driven advice and guidelines, so it seems to be the "right" way to teach online.  I like having a clearly correct direction to go when embarking on a new endeavor, but it's also nice when there is some wiggle-room for creativity once one is ready. 

As are many people, I am also a hands-on learner, so the best way for me to learn how to teach blogging is for me to actually blog.  On this same note, I found the one-on-one vRoom/We Collaborate session with Louis daunting at first, but it really gave me some confidence that I could pull this off if asked to.  It was exciting!

This all tells me that I need to allow my students a safe environment to be a hands-on learner with the technology because I think much of it will be new to them, too.  I think having a how-to section in Moodle may also help my students feel confident because they will have a resource for questions right at their fingertips.

What I Still Need to Learn about Online Learning

The list of what I still need to learn is endless, but the opportunities with online learning are limitless, too.  I would like to learn how to best use online teaching and learning as an intervention for struggling students, even if the class itself is not an online class.  I have so many students who refuse to work during class, so a potential intervention could be working with them beyond the classroom.  However, motivation would be a real issue, I believe, since there would be very little face-to-face accountability, unless I'm missing something.  Of course, regular communication through programs like Skype would help, but I don't believe it would be an answer.  Is it an online class if it takes place in the classroom with a teacher, but all work is done online?  With our population, it seems that this is the only way to make it a successful academic intervention for low-performing students.  Perhaps online learning would be best for high-achieving students as advanced credit attainment rather than credit recovery? 
I also wonder if online teachers would be set up for failure if they are expected to teach both traditional and online classes rather than specialize in just online teaching.  It seems like until we attain a level of comfort with online teaching, that should be the focus for teachers rather than a new endeavor to add on to traditional teaching.  If this is the new wave of education, then I am willing to jump in and ride it out, but I am hoping for lots of support along the way.