Customer Reviews

Teaching Online: A Practical Guide

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Ko and Rossen's paperback on TEACHING ONLINE is small in size and simple to read, but it contains all essential information needed by a teacher or professor who has suddenly found himself or herself thrust into the mushrooming world of online learning. More and more professors are being told that they must produce a computer-based class, and that they must manage that class themselves, but fewer and fewer universities are providing comprehensive training for this totally new technique. TEACHING ONLINE is the book that will save the day for these pressured professors. It will also guide the enthusiastic cybersleuth through teacherly tips about preparing a class, accessing online libraries, controlling unrurely cyberstudents, encouraging coversation, taking tests, and all sorts of other nitty gritty. And it does this in plain, simple conversational English that is peppered with interesting anecdotes supplied by seasoned cyberprofessors. No one needs to feel intimated by this play-it-straight-and-simple approach to this state-art-technique, and no one need worry that he or she will loose a long-time teaching slot, because they hadn't read every issue of WIRED ever issued. TEACHING ONLINE will get you up-to-date, and it will do it fast, and you'll love every minute of it. Even cybersaavy junior faculty will benefit from this book, because it includes generic information that will make or break any teacher, in class or in ether. Reading this book, chapter by chapter, in conjunction with your standard university training program, or as a stand-alone text, will make sure that you stay in the tenuous university teaching game for good. If you follow this book, you will gain skills, confidence, and panache you never knew you had, that you can translate into the classroom, and into the rest of your life as well. If you are just entering the job market, and fear that your unfamiliarity with computer-based classes will hurt any opportunities that await you, then read this book before you enter your interview, and you will sound so so so computer saavy, that no one will ever suspect you of inexperience. But don't loan this book to a friend when you finish it; be sure to keep it on hand, throughout your first semester, because it contains several quick-reference chapters that will troubleshoot you through the toughest times...and straight on to tenure.

The first 178 pages concern such topics as how to use a computer, the web and a course management system ... and thus isn't particularly helpful if you have even a passing grasp of these matters. The middle section of the book - Teaching in The Online Classroom - is okay, though a much better treatment of teaching is in the venerable McKeachie's Teaching Tips by Wilbert J. McKeachie. If it's online activities you're really interested in, get Ryan Watkins' "75 e-Learning Activities: Making Online Learning Interactive." The last section of the book - New Trends and Opportunities - is little more than uncritical pontification and is probably worth skipping even if you found some utility in the material from the prior sections of the book.

So I've been tasked with teaching online, but I didn't know where to begin. Sure, I can teach decently in the classroom, but I wanted a book that would show me how to transition my existing pedagogy into a successful online course. If you are in a similar situation, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

A quick look at the table of contents (available via Amazon's "look inside" feature) will reveal that this is more than a simple primer. This is a book written by people who have online teaching experience and can give you practical advice (as the title suggests). You can take a face-to-face course and get quite far in converting it into an online course.

The only caveat I have is that many of the web links included with the book are now defunct. Though irritating, this is not a major problem, because searching for the article or site via Google (or another search engine) you can easily find its new home.

Ko and Rossen do an excellent job of laying out a lot of basic concepts if you are involved in any kind of project that involves teaching online.

I have a read a few books dealing with this topic and this one does a better job than any of the others that I have come across in helping the reader to understand the big picture- from getting to know your institutions resources to managing student behavior online. There are a lot of great tips to help the online teacher deal with any number of potential problem areas.

My only complaint would be that some of the technology discussedd is a little bit dated, but it is still useful and I'm sure that will be updated in the next edition.

One other resource for which this book in invaluable is the collection of Web Resources at the end of every chapter that often provide real world examples of the concepts being discussed.

Currently enrolled in the Educational Technology Graduate Program of California State University, Long Beach we were assigned to review this book.

Ko and Rossen's Teaching Online is an excellent resource for individuals who are new to the world of online teaching. It is written for instructors who would like to develop and teach an online course as well as those who want to create supplementary online materials for a traditional classroom. The book aims to introduce the tools, techniques and processes involved in online learning as quickly and easily as possible. It does not assume technological expertise and focuses on the implementation of web instruction rather than theories. Practitioners of the field may not find new technical information in the book but it is a useful reference for reviewing, organizing and improving current practices as well as encouraging teachers who are hesitant to adopt the online mode of instruction.

Because of its plain writing style and well-organized headings, the book is easy to read and follow. The principles are presented in a clear and concise manner and terminologies are defined in a boxed sidebar all throughout the text. Real-life examples illustrate concepts and support approaches and problem solutions outlined by the authors. Moreover, it lists additional web resources at the end of every chapter, which are compiled all together at the end of the book for handy reference. These sites provide a wealth of information for novice learners and additional knowledge for advanced users.

Having taken online classes and implemented blended instruction, the tools and techniques presented in this book are common to my knowledge. Yet, the authors' perspectives are helpful in organizing and mapping these facts. As the go-to person of online education at my work, this book has assisted me in developing answers that are simple, practical and easy for my colleagues to understand. With inclinations to provide training for online teaching in the future, this book is on my list of required texts.

As an educator, one thing that was hammered into my head time and time again was the idea that I cannot assume my learner knows the same things I do. Lots of learners need the background knowledge to excel in the subject, otherwise there is no foundation and the structure will collapse. I am also reminded of Albert Einstein's saying, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." This book takes these things into consideration in the form that it is written. I think this is a vital tool to people who are beginning to design e-learning projects or just want to know more about it without having an overwhelming amount of information at once. The book goes about teaching educators about e-learning with a bottom-up approach. It starts with things beginners need to know and then builds upon those things to bring forth more complex projects such as discussion boards and synchronous learning systems. I feel if someone who wasn't familiar with e-learning were to ask me what my field is and what I'm planning to do with my potential degree, that I would point them in the direction of this book.

Aside from the language style the book presents, there are other features that make it worth appreciating in the e-learning field. One is that right from the start of the book, it clearly defines terms that as educational technologists, one would think are mainstream, and brings forth the realization that not everyone is familiar with the jargon of e-learning. For example, it defines a URL as "short for Uniform Resource Locater, the address for a site on the Internet" (Ko & Rosen, 2001, p 7). As an education technologist, one tends to believe that a term like this is common knowledge, but it's not, so it not only introduces the term for those looking to learn, but it also becomes a reality check for those looking to teach instructional design to beginners.

Teaching Online: A Practical Guide offers many things to learners in all levels. Beginners will enjoy the friendly tone of the writing and will find comfort in the way key terms and programs are defined. Advanced instructional designers will like the fact that it makes for a quick reference tool for them to note things may be left out in the designing process. Through its approach, the book encompasses many of the characteristics in e-learning that include interaction, communication, and classroom management. Ko and Rossen go about putting the minds of many designers and potential designers at ease with their holistic approach and non off-putting manner of such a multifaceted field.

The content of this book covers key areas of course conversion and management to help prepare for online instruction and to update one's knowledge base in regards to the latest concepts in online learning. The faculty that I have trained while using this book have benefited from the rich chapters covering all aspects of online learning and teaching. I wish there had been such a book available when I began teaching online.

This book has many good ideas if you're new to online learning or even if you have taught online before. It crosses all disciplines so anyone can use it. My only negative comment is that the copyright is 2008 but it's the exact same book previously sold. I thought I was getting a newer edition, but it's not, only the copyright date is different.

This is another required textbook for my online strategies class for my masters.I was able to upload it to my iPad in three second using Whispersync by Kindle. Fabulous!

This book is well organized and contains many practical tips. It is a must read for those new to online education and would be helpful to those who've been teaching for several years as well.