7.3 Reflection: Personal Learning Plan for Online Coaching

I never really think about the different roles a teacher plays in an online classroom environment. I probably just assumed it would be more or less the same as the roles a teacher plays in a traditional classroom.

After this unit, my view has changed somewhat, but not completely. It seems like the roles are all about the same, but the weight we put on each one is different. For example, I feel that I am good at creating a positive classroom environment and deliver positive messages to foster student confidence. However, it will take more effort in an online environment. I have to find ways to make better connections with the students both as a group and individually.


I also feel that, as an online teacher, I might not be able to interact with my colleagues as frequently as when I am working in a traditional classroom. Even though people say teaching is a very lonely profession, I think it is still easier to reach out to other teachers when you are all at the same place during the same period of time. For online teachers, one must make even more of an effort to connect with other online teachers in order to get feedback and inputs.

In terms of technical skills, I think the only thing I need to work on is anticipating more of the student questions and create better and more how-to videos or detail instructions.

In terms of the instructor role, I think I just need to start seeing myself more as a facilitator than a lecturer. Fortunately, I have been flipping my class for the last few years, and I have been transitioning and I actually don't lecture in class much any more. Instead, I am more of a facilitator who manages the class and the activities that takes place in class. 

Four Roles from Weakest to Strongest	Skills I Need to Gain or Strengthen	How I Will Gain The Skills?
Program manager	Creating a cohesive unit plan Be patient	Looking at other people’s unit plans Review my unit plans regularly Provide a wider time frame
Social director	Creating activities that foster the sense of community for the students. Creating opportunities where students can come together in real time to interact in real time. Provide positive feedback and foster positive environment regularly.	taking online courses and see what activities are effective, Participating in online communities myself to seek input from other teachers, Be more active in giving positive feedback regularly.
Technical assistant	Become familiar with the LMS and all the necessary tech tools.	Taking a class in the LMS and try out the tech tools, and create How-To videos or notes from the student’s perspective.. Test out a mock class in the LMS with a small group of participants to familiarize myself as a teacher.
Instructor	Anticipate potential problems when design activities for online classes. Create thought-provoking questions for discussions. Be concise with the objectives. Be accessible to the students.	Test out the activities with a small group of participants before launching them. Get input or feedback from other teachers. Review the objectives regularly. Creating office hours in addition to being available through emails.