Boy Scout training online - reflections

I spent a couple hours last Sunday preparing for the Boundary Waters canoe trip that I am taking with my grandson this summer. Organized by the Boy Scouts, the motto "Be Prepared" is evident.

Part of the preparation is taking a number of classes online. I had already taken the Youth Protection Training before attending a camp out with the boys last fall, but this weekend I completed Weather Smart, Safe Swim Defense, and Safety Afloat.  (I have a 2-day F2F class in June on CPR and Wilderness Survival as well!)

I am not sure just how effective these online classes are. They are certainly better than nothing, but they seemed content weak and lacking good assessments. (I missed a number of questions but was not required to re-take any of the courses.)

Not long ago I heard someone comment that parents tend not to question high schools adding online course offerings. Many parents, unlike teachers, have had experience taking online courses as a requirement for their own jobs, getting updated certifications and such. Perhaps the classes they've taken were better than those of the Boy Scouts.

As we enter into discussions about offering online and hybrid classes in our district as part of our tech plan, I will be listening carefully to see how planners' past experiences with online learning impact their enthusiasm (or lack thereof). After all, we tend to teach, not as we've been taught ourselves, but how we personally learn the best.

To me this means we need to offer powerful online PD as the first step in creating powerful online teachers.

Comments

[Kenn Gorman]

Just took a couple of "classes" for my summer job - same issues...did not have to retake anything. I did notice that each page had a timer on it so you couldn't just click through it. So I was doing two things at once, and although I understand the reasons behind the courses, they were not very good.

Since I teach a hybrid class, I might have a limit view, but I do believe they are valuable, especially for those students who need to review, are absent, or learn differently. But I will freely admit that I learned to teach online by myself - unless you count a monthly "staff meeting" online as training...

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Kenn,

One of the things I find very irritating about some online classes is having the text read aloud without an option to turn it off. That even goes against cognitive science which says we should read or listen to text, not try to do both at the same time.

And yes, too many of us are "self taught" when it come to online. (As with so many things in life...)

Doug