Direct+Instruction

I did not know what direct instruction really meant until taking the Teaching Online Learning class clearly defined it. My toolkit is full in this section because I found a number of great ways to provide online instruction from both this class and the Applications of the Internet class I took at the same time.

Tools for direct instruction:

 * Quandary - a decision maze generator - a free download from Halfbaked Home
 * Webquests - Quest Garden has a very easy to use tool for creating a web quest
 * Podcasts - wonderful for auditory learners - free download of [|Audacity] for easy to use audio software
 * PowerPoint - easy to use - include narration for added impact
 * Camtasia or CamStudio for creating tutorials of software instruction

Things to include so that direct instruction is meaningful and successful

 * Clear objectives and goals for the learners so they can begin with the end in mind
 * Directions in document format so the learners can
 * print if they so choose
 * understand what is expected of them
 * see the rubric for grading
 * Provide examples of previous work
 * Discussion topic for each assignment/project to allow learners to communicate questions to the group

Uses of Direct Instruction

 * Vocabulary assignment - used successfully by Dr. Kovalik (learners each define a concept and share with the class)
 * Discussion week presentation - learners each prepare a tutorial for the week's discussion topic
 * Instructor created software tutorials for the CMS and other software tools