Putting the Learning in Distance Learning

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Putting the Learning in Distance Learning

• Mary Beth Orrange
• AMATYC Math on the Web Themed Session
• Thursday, November 20, Washington D.C.
• orrange_at_ecc.edu
• http//south.ecc.edu/orrange

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Whos online?

• Last year 3.5 million college students were
  enrolled in online college courses.
  
• Thats 20 of the students in higher education in
  the US.
  
• Each category of students are represented in that
  number.

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Why are they online?

• Top reasons cited in ECCs survey data
• Course flexibility 69
• Family responsibilities 39
• Changing work schedule 32
• Had a good experience with online courses
  before 28
  

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Whos Teaching Online

• In the beginning a few hardy souls.
• Now its expanded to how many of us teach.
• We have better tools and more tech savvy
  students.
  
• Have we lost something?

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Personal Connections

• Balance the email - frequent but not too much or
  they delete it like spam.
  
• Use announcements give the students a reason to
  login to the course site.
  
• Let your personality through.

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Let them get to know you
Say werent you my online math teacher?
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Teacher as a role model

• Respond to their emails quickly.
• Return their phone calls, even if via email.
• Give them a reason to come to class.
• Fix typos and errors as students point them out.
• Be available during your office hours.

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Do it right!
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Create a learning community

• Use the resources of the internet, but create
  your own materials and techniques.
  
• Include tools that encourage the richness of a
  face-to-face math class such as a
  question/answer discussion forum or encouraging
  them to work together on projects.

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Confessions from an experienced online math
teacher

• Attend AMATYC each year and return to my online
  class with fabulous techniques that I learned.
  
• Stuff more things into an already bloated
  course.

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Some good things I learned about here

• online products such as MathXL, MyMathLab, and
  ALEX from AMATYC
  
• the use of projects to replace the rigidness of
  these products
  
• techniques to make my students comfortable with
  me and learning math online
  

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Projects

• http//www.makeitreallearning.com
• Frank Wilsons site
• http//www.mathguide.com/projects/
• A guide to developing math projects
• http//amser.org
• Applied Math and Science repository

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Math Anxiety

• Weekly Participation Activity
• 1. Give one difference between the high school
  learning and college learning.  (2 points)
  
• 2.  What quality do you consider most important
  in learning math?  (1 point)
  
• 3.  Give one example of something you plan on
  doing while studying for this test that helps you
  learn math. (2 points)
  

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Web 2.0 Tools

• Another weekly participation activity
• Go to http//youtube.com and search for Math. 
  Post the link of your favorite math video by
  Monday, May 12 for 5 Participation points. No
  points will be given for an example already
  posted.

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Web 2.0 Tools - Wiki

• In order to help everyone learn how to use their
  graphing calculator I have set up this discussion
  forum for us to share what we know about our
  calculators.   I have included several threads in
  an attempt to organize the postings.  Feel free
  to ask questions about your calculator. 
• To earn 2 points (up to a maximum of 10 points
  for five individual postings) describe how to use
  one feature of your calculator.  These postings
  must be substantive, just describing how to do
  something simple such as adding two numbers is
  not enough!  The posting might be a response to
  someone else's question or an original idea.

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Calculator help

• Links to help students learn how to use their
  calculators
  
• http//mathbits.com/MathBits/TISection/Openpage.h
  tm
  
• http//www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/calc_v2
  /
  
• http//web.fccj.org/mbasse/ti84/index.html

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Resources

• Free online graph paper
• http//incompetech.com/graphpaper/
• Free graphing calculator online
• http//www.padowan.dk/graph/
• General resources
• http//www.mathbits.com/

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There arent any icons to click. Its a chalk
board.

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Common Sense

• Always proof-read anything you post
• Re-write materials that students find confusing
• Check links on a regular basis
• Limit the number of sites you use for
  communications too many will frustrate students

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Common Sense

• Respond quickly to students tell them your
  expected response time up front
  
• Let students know if you will be gone or need to
  change your response time temporarily
  
• Make students aware of computer requirements and
  any plug-ins they will need ahead of time

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"The number you have dialed is imaginary. Please,
rotate your phone by 90 degrees and try again..."
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Want more information?

• Find this PowerPoint show in (2003 version)
• http//south.ecc.edu/orrange
• Or on the AMATYC conference website
• Contact Mary Beth at orrange_at_ecc.edu
• Thank you!