Don't Mock MOOCs

MOOCs or Massive, Open, Online Courses are changing the world... Jump on board or get left behind.

When creating my online course with Schoology, I can take advantage of the create outline and resources available through College Board and other AP sources.  The great think about my course, AP Macroeconomics, is that I don't have to reinvent the wheel.  College Board has set up a scope and sequence for all of their courses and I have designed my course to be the first unit laid out by the AP curriculum.  I plan on having my course be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous design.  This will help my students with the pace of the course while also having the ability for formative assessments through out a lesson and unit. I plan on making the lectures/videos be asynchronously with a Google meet discussion be synchronous as we have an open dialogue with questions and a more Socratic style lesson. 

After looking at the Figure 7.7 in the text, I realize how helpful this line of questioning is to understanding which tools to use when creating a MOOC.  This framework for analyzing the characteristics of different media is essential when providing teachers professional development on platforms such as Schoology.  The platform is not the only knowledge that teachers need but how to use this platform to make a real impact on their students with engaging lessons, purposeful assignments, and appropriate feedback on formative and consummative assessments. 

Resources:

Bates, A. W. (. (2015). 7.7 A framework for analysing the pedagogical characteristics of educational media. Tony Bates Associates Ltd. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/7-7-a-framework-for-analysing-the-pedagogical-characteristics-of-educational-media