Skills you'll gain

Specialization - 5 course series

This series of courses provides best practices for online instruction, student engagement and virtual community building; effective uses of asynchronous and synchronous technologies, social media and other emerging technologies; and data analysis techniques and student performance measurements to individualize instruction in an online or blended environment. The courses in this Specialization may be taken in any order. Each course can be taken independently. The Specialization concludes with a final project that will give you the opportunity to integrate and apply the skills you have gained throughout the courses.

• Craft virtual learning experiences that align with your student's needs. • Set up a learning environment to get to know your students, and they get to know each other. • Use a variety of online tools to provide feedback and personalize the learning experience. • Identify at-risk students and employ effective strategies for teaching them. • Compare and contrast online and face-to-face learning communities. • Apply strategies to make virtual courses more human.

This course is focused on emerging trends and technologies, specifically for K-12 instructors. Most of the content will be aimed at high school-aged students in the U.S., or ages 13-18 in other countries. Due to the nature of some of the internet-based technologies, young students are required to be 13 or older to participate. That said, many of the examples we discuss can apply to younger ages. This course is focused on virtual education. In other words, blended or fully online teaching and learning experiences. Nevertheless, you can apply the concepts to a traditional class, adult education, and higher education. Lastly, please note that many of the examples will be U.S. based. Upon completing this course, you will be able to: • Define educational technology's role in supporting the virtual environment. • Identify and evaluate existing and emerging technologies for virtual course instruction or curriculum development. • Use collaborative learning tools to design and assess learning activities. • Use game-based strategies to deepen student engagement in virtual courses. • Research, evaluate, and employ open content in virtual education. • Debate the role of MOOCs in virtual K-12 education.

Upon completing this course, you will be able to: • Identify the role of direct instruction within a virtual course. • Establish direct communication and meaningful relationships with your students.  • Use instructional strategies that motivate and challenge your students to think more critically. • Define at-risk students and examine effective strategies for teaching this demographic. • Build an inclusive and thriving online community with students, parents, and other teaching professionals.

Through the successful completion of this course, you will be able to: • Examine the importance of authentic performance and assessment in the virtual classroom. • Discuss academic integrity and remote assessments in the virtual classroom.  • Apply best practices for data analysis and grade book management. • Consider performance and assessment for special populations: gifted, at-risk, and special needs students. • Discuss the importance of instructional feedback and monitoring progress and performance using technology.

Upon completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Design a fully online or blended instructional module 2. Apply theories and/or strategies of effective online instruction

Emerging Trends & Technologies in the Virtual K-12 Classroom

Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom

Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom

Virtual Teacher Final Project