ONLINE- HYBRID- BLENDED EDUCATION: Week One Reflection

ONLINE- HYBRID- BLENDED EDUCATION: Week One Reflection
The first week in the Certificate Program in  ONLINE- HYBRID- BLENDED EDUCATION was pretty remarkable! I met a lot of new friends and some old ones and felt really comfortable in a group of people with the same passion for finding new ways to incorporate distance education and technology into the delivery of instruction. What amazed me as we worked through our discussion was the variety of technologies we use and how many new ones are out there. It is almost impossible to keep up with the proliferation of communication tools and venues available in cyberspace.
Keeping up with what is out there is only one of the challenges of online education. An even greater challenge is integrating  technology effectively to achieve the desired outcomes of curriculum and instruction. Technology tools for their own sake could actually detract from instructional effectiveness. Matching the appropriate technology with your lesson plans for effective online instruction is the key to success. Thus, I am hoping over the next few weeks not only to expand my repertoire of available instructional technologies, but also my knowledge and skill in understanding how to assess the needs of my students within the context of distance education and combine curriculum with technology to meet student needs and achieve desired learning outcomes. The prospect is both daunting and exciting!