Online Learning

Online learning is specifically defined for middle and high school learning by The Michigan Merit Curriculum's Online Learning Experience Guideline document. However, my perspective is from that of a first grade teacher working with students who are just getting their feet wet online. Of the content listed in the document there are several online experiences that can be modified to fit the needs of young learners. I found most support in the area of online gaming.

Young students are becoming more familiar with technology through the use of games found on the Internet, iPhone, iPod, iPad, DS and much more. The best of these games are educational in nature, and lead the user into a meaningful online experience. The above document links to Art Games and then to Cyber Kidz Educational Games. The games listed are arranged by age and content making it easy for the user to target an area of need in a fun way. I would specifically use this site for it's math content games. It is my objective to make some of the easier math skills such as adding and subtracting both fun and interactive. A pedagogical strategy I would use with online gaming is repetition. Through repeated play, students will gain the automaticity of math facts. I would also encourage my students to work together with the online gaming experiences to support one another with more challenging concepts.

Many of the other online technologies will be better used with middle and high school students. The RSS Feeds, Learning Management Systems, and Online Research are not appropriate for elementary students who have not yet developed safe surfing practices. Some of the resources could be used in a group setting such as the Online Field Trips. This could be fun and meaningful when navigated as a whole class. I look forward to exploring more of the online experiences so that I can continue to integrate technology into my first grade classroom.