Online Learning

The Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document contains practical examples of how to meet Michigan's Online Experience Curriculum Requirements.  Examples are clearly outlined, and include concise commentary and links to online resources.  I enjoyed reading this document, and was relieved to see that I already had working knowledge of the activities listed.

This semester, I have focused my learning examples on the second grade.  As I reviewed the experiences in the Michigan Merit Curriculum's companion document, Online Field Trips stood out as one of the easiest activities to implement in my classroom.  With more district budget cuts looming on the horizon, it makes sense to find less expensive ways to implement a variety of learning experiences.   It is easier (in terms of paperwork) and less time-consuming to take an online field trip.  Also, I would be able to choose the precise venue I would like, at a time and date of my choice, without compromising due to budget, weather, travel distance, and availability of busing.

Participating in online field trips can help provide authentic learning experiences similar to real-life field trips.  Online field trips would add interest to many social studies and science units.  Pedagogically speaking, they would be well suited to deductive instructional strategies.  Collaborative grouping would also be a good way to participate in an online field trip.

Two of the activities that I feel would be challenging to implement at the lower elementary level would be Online Resource Validation and the Electronic Portfolio - for different reasons.  Online Resource Validation is an important activity, but better suited for an older child in terms of the critical thinking skills needed.  Although a simplistic version of the activity may be useful as an introductory lesson, most second graders would have difficulty completing a more complex version of the task.

I think the Electronic Portfolio is a wonderful idea, but I am having a hard time visualizing how this would be organized for easy access by both parents and teachers.  There are inherent difficulties with keeping files like this organized and useful, especially over a span of many years.  Negatives aside, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a thirteen-year (or even a four-year) online record of student work?  I would like to learn more about this, especially how school districts are using this idea as a meaningful learning tool.

I appreciate the Michigan Department of Education's efforts to create clear, well-organized, and useable documents.  It makes curriculum planning so much easier when documents with useful examples are made accessible online.  I hope that they continue their efforts to provide such examples, and also to foster collaboration as we continue to make necessary curriculum changes in the next few years.