Virtual+Classroom

Virtual Classroom

Description & Purpose My virtual classroom was created in EDT 6020 entirely through the Blackboard Academic Suite. The site is located on my Wilmington University page under courses and I am the instructor. The course was created to simulate what a typical unit would be like if my classes were taught entirely online. For this reason, I will refer to the course as my VC or virtual classroom. In my classroom, I designed one unit for the purposes of this assignment. That unit is called Spanish basics and it contains three different lessons; greetings/farewells, presenting someone and cultural aspects of greetings/farewells. These three lessons address some very important topics that all basic Spanish learners must be able to use. My instructional method varies per lesson, but generally followed a predictable process and utilizes a consistent form of nomenclature: introduction, readings, practice, assessments. Many times, the activities in each of these topics were very specific. At times, many different readings were given and in many different forms. Often, students had to watch videos and listen to audio to receive their instruction. Overall, this VC shows my ability in working with blackboard and all of its features.

Analysis & Process The process for setting up my VC was pretty extensive. It was developed over a period of six weeks and different instructional components were usually constructed for all three lessons individually as the course progressed. For instance, all the assessments were made together, all the readings were researched and positioned appropriately, etc. From the very beginning, my syllabus was formed so that I had an umbrella from which to base all of my work. I had this idea that I wanted students to start from the very beginning in this basics unit and move in to using technology to use it. Of course, with social networking, discussion boards, blogs, synchronous environments, etc. the introducing oneself in Spanish fit perfectly. Students were able to use the information they were learning first hand in becoming familiar with the online learning environment. The design worked perfectly in this sense because one of the main technology standards I wanted to address was having students create real, effective products that make a difference. Here, introducing themselves politely and appropriately was the ultimate goal, instructionally and for online learning. Reflection Working with blackboard from the instructional end was completely new for me. I have never seen the control panel button and all of its functions prior to this assignment. Thus, getting accustomed to adding assignments, learning units, folders and assessments was an entirely new process. Yet, as I look at my VC, it seems that what this assignment did for me mirrors exactly what the assignments in my unit would do for my students. I was given all the resources needed to dive in to blackboard and create a product that I could use. I saw the purpose for learning the entire time. I think that my VC is designed the exact same way. The students are learning a language after their instruction by using technology to convey real, important information. Introducing oneself or someone else has a definite purpose and providing this opportunity for students allows them to forget that they are memorizing vocabulary. Just as I did in designing this VC, the students put the new content to use in using these emerging technologies. For example, in one of my lessons, students must meet each other in Spanish on a discussion board, create a google document as a central place to develop a dialog and reconvene there for the project. In completing this task, the students are all the while required to use greetings and farewells in Spanish. Yet, since they are using technology as the medium, they see the purpose of using this vocabulary and grammar throughout the unit. These creative products made by the students using technology definitely make them contributors to our society and certainly build the 21st century skills they’re going to need to be successful in the future. Course Syllabus

References Blackboard Academic Suite, .(2010, February 25). //EDT// //6020 virtual classroom.// Retrieved from []