Optional Post...but not without options.

While this weeks post may be optional, thanks to my exposure to the TEGIVS material, as a teacher I will not be without options for introducing interactive technology in my lesson or course materials. I would certainly feel comfortable operating in the virtual learning environment now that I have been exposed to the pedagogy side. In fact, so much so I will be coauthoring a new Wiki that is designed and developed to train Naval Intelligence Officer Trainees for the Naval Reserve of Canada. Together with the help of a subject matter expert and graduate of it's professional school, I will assist with the content, course management, technical aspects and development of small remote groups of trainees in the virtual environment. And I owe all of my thanks for being confident and competent in this approach, to Dr. Barbour (sorry for the formality Michael) . Honestly, this course is everything I hoped TED 6020 would be when I had taken that. Sadly, it was not and I didn't have a choice to opt out, since it was a part of the College of Education's required core courses for certification. So for me, the knowledge skills and abilities learned in this course will benefit two careers, but I only had to pay one tuition fee!

Upon further reflection, I have discovered many ways to approach virtual learning methods from a variety of perspectives, through those of the student (my role in this class), as an instructor with the assigned projects for this course, and as a reviewer of materials like the TEGIVS. So, to answer the prompt for this week, I would say I can definitely move forward with any virtual learning initiative that my school may be planning in this regard. While I am able to navigate the web and technology applications with minimal difficulty, I was missing many of the key ingredients to successful virtual learning. That said, I believe I have made great strides in understanding the power and limitations to virtual learning, such as overcoming isolation, course management preparation, communication skills, cheating, collaboration, as well as many others. Consequently, I now believe that this option (VL) opens doors to learning that single working parent families, academically, economically, or socially disadvantaged students, chronically ill, or other exceptionalities, that traditional education may have bypassed.

Oddly enough, it also carries the same problems traditional schooling has faced--lack of funding and political will on the part of some districts and states. The word is options, not obsolete, as in the need for teachers in the virtual learning K-12 environment. We are needed now more than ever, and this stuff is just another tool for our toolbox.

Brad.