Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, Second Edition The second edition of the classic resource Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom offers a comprehensive reference for faculty to hone their skills in becoming more effective online instructors. Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect recent changes and challenges that face online teachers, Lessons from the Virtual Classroom is filled with illustrative examples from actual online courses as well as helpful insights from teachers and students. This essential guide offers targeted suggestions for dealing with such critical issues as evaluating effective courseware, working with online classroom dynamics, addressing the needs of the online student, making the transition to online teaching, and promoting the development of the learning community. Praise for Lessons from the Virtual Classroom, Second Edition "Palloff and Pratt demonstrate their exceptional practical experience and insight into the online classroom. This is an invaluable resource for those tasked with creating an online course." — D. Randy Garrison, professor, University of Calgary, and author, Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines "Faculty will deeply appreciate and make use of the many explicit examples of how to design, prepare, and teach both blended and fully online courses." — Judith V. Boettcher, faculty coach and author, The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips "Lessons from the Virtual Classroom is filled with insightful caveats and recommendations, pointed examples to enhance your practice, succinct summaries of the research, and engaging visual overviews. Each page brings the reader a renewed sense of confidence to teach online as well as personal joy that there is finally a resource to find the answers one is seeking." — Curtis J. Bonk, professor of education, Indiana University-Bloomington, and author, Empowering Online Learning: 100+ Activities for Reading, Reflecting, Displaying, and Doing

Designers and facilitators must adapt their programs and delivery styles to be effective in the new medium that is virtual training. Virtual training gives learning professionals unprecedented flexibility, making it possible to reach participants globally and unite physically dispersed teams. This book goes beyond introducing the technology, to offer trainers proven techniques tailored specifically to engage live online audiences. In Successful Virtual Classroom, you will learn how to: Make the most of virtual classroom features such as content and screen sharing, annotation tools, polls, and breakout rooms Weave chat responses into the discussion Compensate for the absence of body language Monitor feedback Engage individuals with different learning styles Encourage audience contribution Meet the unique needs of global participants Packed with easy-to-use tools, checklists, and worksheets--as well as case studies from?Oracle,?UPS, and more--the book introduces the PREP model for planning, rehearsing, executing, and then conducting a postmortem following the training event. Featuring icebreakers and interactive exercises designed for an online environment, Successful Virtual Classroom helps you create programs that truly drive learner engagement.

The world of middle level education is rapidly evolving. Increasingly, online learning platforms are complementing or replacing traditional classroom settings. As students exchange classroom interaction for online collaboration, pencils for keyboards, face-to-face conversations for chat room texts, and traditional lessons for digital modules, it becomes apparent that teachers, schools, and administrators must identify ways to keep pace. We must identify ways to meet the needs of middle level learners within this digital context. In this volume, researchers and teachers share a variety of resources centered on the growing world of virtual education and its implications for the middle level learner, educator, and classroom.

Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.

The internet is changing the way we live and education has always played an important part in shaping our lives. It is now time for education to capitalise on the Internet's capabilities to create a new learning environment for tomorrow's students. The Online Educator provides much needed straightforward advice on how to create a web-based education system. From Administrative planning and selecting resources to individual course development, it offers clear, novice-friendly information on the entire process of online learning. Key features include: *clear definitions of common terms and concepts *a practical 'how-to' approach with useful checklists *a discussion of the issues for students and teaching staff *links to useful websites and other resources. Based firmly on current distance learning research, yet accessible and very readable, this book will be indispensible to anyone interested in developing online education.

Whether taking classes in school, college or university, or in a corporate training setting, it is likely that learners will be expected to do at least part of their studies via the computer. This book provides realistic guidelines to ensure their success in the virtual learning environment. From detailing tools such as WebCT and Blackboard, to overcoming personal barriers to success in distance learning, this handy text deals with issues that readers of any age, stage or situation are likely to encounter by: * demystifying terms and concepts common to online learning * addressing issues of online ethics such as netiquette, plagiarism and software piracy * offering practical advice on interacting effectively online, submitting assignments and doing research * furnishing numerous links to Web pages and other resources for further study and research. The author offers serious and humorous anecdotes to help readers avoid the pitfalls and capitalize on opportunities that will help them become a successful online student. Current and prospective online learners will greatly benefit from this practical book filled with clear, detailed assistance for learning online.