Sunday 19 December 2010

CIDER session: supporting online Teachers: Moving Pedagogical Know-How into Virtual Classrooms


Technology does not necessarily result in better teaching. There are many instances where one can wonder why trainers and teachers even use technology. A virtual classroom for instance does not immediately translate to a more open, pedagogically sound teaching, on more then one occasion virtual classrooms have resulted in ex-cathedra lessons, where the only benefit for the learner is that you do not get caught sleeping.

In fact, I truly belief that a bad teacher does not become better with technology, in fact they make it worse, for bad teachers give eLearning a bad name ... in public! But can we, instructional designers and educationalists tamper with the autonomy of teachers by suggesting them how they can improve their overall pedagogical approach?

If this interests you, look at this presentation. It is an exploration of an action research project focusing on Master of Education professors working in conjunction with an instructional designer. Conversation analysis explored how participants with varied face-to-face teaching experiences - but limited or no online experience - transitioned to becoming effective teachers in virtual classrooms. Results indicate the need for professors to examine their own pedagogical constructs and concepts of learning communities and power relationships. This session will also include discussion on ways in which instructional designers can support professors' transition to online learning.

This session features a presentation and discussion with Wendy Kraglund-Gauthier, St. Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia.

When: Wednesday, January 5, 2011, 11am-12pm Mountain Time (Canada) *Local times for the CIDER sessions are provided on our website.

Where: Online via Elluminate at:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.8B71B60F2931D029AC3837DC06B70D

Pre-Configuration:
Please make sure your Mac or PC is equipped with a microphone and speakers, so that we can use the Voice over IP functionality built into the web conferencing software. Please note that it is extremely important that you get your system set up prior to the start of the event. Information on installing the necessary software and configuring your PC is available at http://www.elluminate.com/support/ in the "First Time Users" section.