Preparing to Teach Online

Since this class is coming to a close I thought I would spend some time reflecting on the things that I have learned and how I can use this knowledge to enhance my teaching.
The three biggest things I found useful from this course to prepare me for online teaching:

• Teaching online requires great planning and organizing.  One cannot quickly "throw" a class together and think it will be successful.
• Effective written communication is a huge piece of online teaching. Directions and examples must be written in a clear concise manner.
• KIS:  Keep it Simple.  Throwing too many bells and whistles at the learner will only confuse them.  Choose wisely the tools you will use and stick to those.

Effective Tools

In your experience, which synchronous tool(s) and asynchronous tool(s) are most and least effective? What facilitation skills are required for these tools to be used effectively?

I have found that the use of asynchronous tools to be the most effective in my teaching.  I find that these tools give students the ability to connect with me and each other on their own schedule.  For example, last year I had a home bound student for the first quarter of the school year. His health condition required that he not attend school in the traditional way. He was able to complete work and participate in class discussions.  He was able to access the discussions and share information day or night.  When you work with students in these situations, I find asynchronous tools to be most useful.

The skills required for facilitation are basically the same as any type of instruction.  The facilitator needs to be organized, use writing effectively, and communicate regularly about student progress.  I think the biggest thing the facilitator needs to do is to believe in the type of instruction they are delivering.