ED 5769 - Online Activity 3

1. Karin Goble and I will be using the following four articles:
Barbour, M. K. (2007). Portrait of rural virtual schooling. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, Issue #59, February 11, 2007. Retrieved June, 2010: http://www.umanitoba.ca/publications/cjeap/articles/barbour.html

Berkins, & Kristonis. (2007). Curriculum leadership: New trends and career and technical education. The Lamar University Electronic Journal of Student Research. Fall 2007. Retrieved June, 2010:
http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED498616.pdf

Davis, N.E. & Rose, R. (2007). Report on professional development for virtual schooling and online learning. Vienna,. VA: NACOL. Retrieved June, 2010:
Professional Development for Virtual Schooling and Online Learning

Oliver, K., Kellogg, S., Townsend, L., & Brady, K. (2010). Needs of Elementary and Middle School Teachers Developing Online Courses for a Virtual School. Distance Education, 31(1), 55-75. Retrieved June 2010:
http://0-www.informaworld.com.darius.uleth.ca/openurl?genre=article&id=doi:10.1080/01587911003725022

2. I have completed the discussion assignment with the following topic:
Leadership and Best Practices in Online Environments

3. I will examine the use of Elluminate at CBe-learn.
Elluminate is an online, virtual conferencing tool that permits students, teachers and administrators to connect and collaborate in a virual environment. It can be used as a workspace, a presentation area, a drop-in tutorial, a virtual classroom, a testing centre, or as a way to communicate and collaborate.
a. Be Attentive: Our school was attentive to the needs of our students and staff. As a virtual environment, we needed a way to connect with students and forge personal relationships, deliver content, and provide one-on-one support outside of a brick-based building.
b. Be Intelligent: Our school was thoughtful about the potential uses and limiatations of this specific technology, and sought ways to better understand its use. Part of this came from hosting our own staff meetings using the tool - even when many of us were in the same building.
c. Be Reasonable: Our school took the necessary time to evaluate the use of this tool, and made sure it could complete the necessary tasks we required of it. We judged and compared the technology to other means of completing the same tasks, and determined it would fit all established requirements.
d. Be Responsive: We have now committed to using this technology with every new student who comes to CBe-learn. Part of our introductory course will include a mandatory Elluminate session, so the student can become familiar with the tool and the possibilities. Teachers are now expected to be familiar with the tool, and integrate it into their weekly teaching practices.

-Monti Tanner