Online Teachers@Work Symposium

Content-Specific Unique Practices and Issues

Below are summaries of the discussions participating teachers had at the Symposium.

Online Elementary Teachers agreed that it is important to

  1. determine subject area placement appropriate to skill levels
  2. provide more interactive learning experiences
  3. plan and organize projects away from the computer
  4. plan and organize ways to socialize students
  5. require a weekly review of that week's work
  6. gifted students enrolled for enrichment
  7. home schooled students maxed out parents' skill levels
  8. homebound students continue educational path among peers

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Online Secondary Teachers shared these ideas at the Symposium

  1. focus on student writing and continual revision of work
  2. demand on teacher for continual review of revised work
  3. challenge to conduct satisfying discussions
  4. students must participate, can't lurk
  5. challenge to find literature in public domain to keep down costs
  6. challenge plagiarism and inadequate attributions
  7. students review and edit each other's work
  8. challenge to structure group work
  9. rigorous and deep content, less is more
  10. modifying course assignments to facilitate success for more students

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Language Arts...It is important to

  1. focus on student writing and continual revision of work
  2. realize and handle the demand on teachers for continual review of revised work
  3. address the challenge to conduct satisfying discussions
  4. encourage, through assignments, that students participate, not lurk
  5. meet the challenge to find literature in the public domain to keep costs down
  6. always challenge student plagiarism and inadequate attributions
  7. encourage students to review and edit each other's work
  8. develop rigorous and deep content, with less work often being more meaningful
  9. modify course assignments to facilitate success for more students

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Secondary Math...It is important to

  1. realize that math is a foreign language with unique vocabulary and symbols
  2. employ the use of an audio component for students to hear mathematical terms spoken
  3. deal with math phobias of students and parents
  4. understand that some vendor products can diagnose and prescribe a learning path, but must be supplemented to address individual differences
  5. develop and deliver activities that move students beyond vendor formats to higher level thinking
  6. pre-test students for proper placement in building-block math lesson programs
  7. realize there is a valid place for textbooks in online math practice
  8. build tools and methods training into the first activity to bring student skills to a level of course delivery
  9. to put pencil to paper and write out proofs and problems requiring special instruments and tools like digital pen, scanner, fax, etc.

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Secondary Science...It is important to

  1. understand that lab work presents challenges for every science subject
  2. have a signed release for students to perform lab experiments at home using household chemicals and supplies
  3. modify project requirements and activities to fit the circumstances of each student
  4. understand that there is less interaction during labs so there is less peripheral learning than in the classroom
  5. accept and work with the fact that there is less spontaneity in activities and therefore often less excitement generated
  6. teach using the scientific method as the key to learning problem solving skills
  7. let students and parents know that science education teaches skills for life-long learning
  8. help students work with science project instructions and background information that are often text heavy

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Secondary Social Studies...It is Important to

  1. send students into the community for research or service projects
  2. involve students in the political process by participation in local campaigns
  3. use the Internet to connect students to other communities to learn current events at the source
  4. develop cross curriculum projects
  5. develop partnerships with businesses in the community

Secondary Electives...It is Important to

  1. use the Global Positioning Satellite for geo-caching lessons in geography
  2. incorporate flexibility in exercise programs for health studies
  3. use of online economics graphing tools and modeling
  4. employ an audio voice component for foreign language classes whenever possible

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