Online Teaching And Learning For Teacher Educators

Online Teaching and Learning for Teacher Educators is the first book written exclusively by teacher educators for teacher educators in higher education, K-12 classrooms, and for candidates preparing to become teacher educators. Written as a practical, easy to understand and use guide, this book is designed to support and empower teacher educators from all settings as they transition into and advance their knowledge, skills, and dispositions in online teaching and learning. Readers will find ten informative and stimulating chapters, drawn from each author’s personal experience, that focus on the essential topics and emerging issues relevant to the ever-expanding and rapidly changing online environment unique to teacher educators. Topics covered include planning developmentally appropriate content and context in creative ways; establishing and engaging with collaborative communities of learners; optimizing opportunities for engagement, expression, exchange of ideas, innovation, and inspiration; incorporating meaningful assessments, rubrics, and feedback that promote thinking, growth, and reflection; and advancing awareness, application, and appreciation of ethics, equity, and efficacy. Plus, issues related to the challenges, choices, and changes associated with effective online teaching and learning, specifically for teacher educators, are highlighted. Every teacher educator, whether a seasoned veteran or aspiring newcomer, will benefit greatly from reading this outstanding book. We sincerely hope that our experiences will help you in your quest to become the best online educator that you can be.

This book is the first comprehensive and integrated guide to online education. It systematically presents all aspects of the emerging “big picture” of online education, providing a broad range of information and insights from online experts, learners, teachers, developers and researchers. The book introduces readers to online education and reveals its potential for bringing about a paradigm shift in education. It describes avenues for increasing the value of the online education medium and examines techniques for improving the online student experience. It also offers a wealth of real-world examples and experiences and shares recommendations on how to improve them, provided by students, teachers, developers, and researchers. Accordingly, the book equips readers – including online learners, teachers, researchers, developers, and administrators – to optimally participate in and contribute to current and future online education advances.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has prompted educators to utilize online learning resources in order to comply with public health and social distancing mandates. The transition to virtual classrooms has created several opportunities and challenges for all stakeholders involved in the educational ecosystem. The ability of the classroom instructor to impart learning to students requires considerable adjustments from both students and teachers, which can be a new experience for educational professionals. Virtual and Classroom Learning in Higher Education serves as a handy guide for instructors to effective online teaching with a focus on higher education. The book presents reviews on different aspects of online teaching, distilling key findings in an easy to understand manner for the reader. It provides educators with knowledge which familiarizes them with online teaching models and concepts (such as micro-learning, synchronous and asynchronous learning, online pedagogy, dynamic learning experience and more). Chapters are contributed by experts in online learning and cover the topic from different angles, giving the reader a broad perspective on virtual classrooms. Virtual and Classroom Learning in Higher Education is an essential read for administrators and educators involved in higher education settings, and general readers who are interested in widening their view of the online teaching model.

This book is to explores a variety of facets of online learning environments to understand how learning occurs and succeeds in digital contexts and what teaching strategies and technologies are most suited to this format. Business, health, government and education are some of the core sectors of society which have been experiencing deep transformations due to a generalized digitalization. While these changes are not novel, the swift progress of technology and the rising complexity of digital environments place a focus on the need for further research and novel strategies. In the context of education, the promise of increased flexibility and broader access to educational resources is impelling much of higher education’s course offerings to online environments. The 21st century learner requires an education that can be pursued anytime and anywhere and that is more aligned with the demands of a digital society. Online education not only assists students to success-fully integrate a workforce that is increasingly digital, but it helps them to become more comfortable with the use of technology in general and, hence, more prepared to be prolific digital citizens. The variety of settings portrayed in this volume attest to the unlimited opportunities afforded by online learning and serve as valuable evidence of its benefit for students’ educational experience. Moreover, these research efforts assist a more comprehensive reflection about the delivery of higher education in the context of online settings.

While online learning has become pervasive in many fields in higher education, it has been adopted somewhat slower in teacher education. In addition, more research is needed to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of online education in teacher preparation. Teacher Education Programs and Online Learning Tools: Innovations in Teacher Preparation presents information about current online practices and research in teacher education programs, and explores the opportunities, methods, and issues surrounding technologically innovative opportunities in teacher preparation. It presents empirical evidence of teacher candidate learning and assessment in the context of various online aspects of teacher licensure.

Use this practical guide to develop collaborative and interactive online experiences for teacher candidates. The author examines methods for integrating evidence-based practices into online teaching environments, including think alouds, case-based instruction, peer feedback, and field experience. The content is applicable to a variety of situations and content areas in education, such as literacy, math, and educational leadership, so that readers can design their own quality learning opportunities for students. A final chapter invites readers to build a digital professional learning network where they can explore areas of tech integration related to specific interests and problems of practice. Improving Online Teacher Education is organized in a nonsequential design so readers can choose which topics and activities are most relatable and useful to their professional environment. It is designed to make online teaching and learning more engaging for instructors and teacher education candidates. “Everything you need to radically improve the online experience for your students is here for you. Turn the page and begin the journey.” —From the Foreword by Douglas Fisher, San Diego State University “In this engaging, practical book, Karchmer-Klein draws on her extensive experience to assist instructors in designing online courses using a range of instructional activities and digital tools that will foster students’ learning in online spaces.” —Richard Beach, professor emeritus of English education, University of Minnesota

A major investment in professional development is necessary to ensure the fundamental success of instructors in technology-integrated classrooms and in online courses. However, while traditional models of professional development rely on face-to-face instruction, online methods are also gaining traction-viable means for faculty development. Virtual Mentoring for Teachers: Online Professional Development Practices offers peer-reviewed essays and research reports contributed by an array of scholars and practitioners in the field of instructional technology and online education. It is organized around two primary themes: professional development models for faculty in online environments and understanding e-Learning and best practices in teaching and learning in online environments. The objective of this scholarship is to highlight research-based online professional development programs and best practices models that have been shown to enhance effective teaching and learning in a variety of environments.