VI.+Summary

====Teaching in an online environment must be defined in light of the role of student activities within course units as constructivist philosophy and advances in technology impact on educational design and practice. In this sense, the main characteristic of "dancing in an online environment" is the teacher's dance with the student in such a way that activities have real-world relevance: requiring students to //define the tasks and sub-tasks needed to complete the activity, tasks that should be investigated by the student under the guidance of the instructor, providing the opportunity to examine the tasks from different perspectives, using a variety of resources//. On the other hand, teaching in an online environment should provide opportunities to improve social and human relations and collaboration, involving students' beliefs and values. In this sense, online education is integrated and applied across different subject areas and lead //beyond domain-specific outcomes.// In short, it should reflect, and allow "competing solutions and diversity of outcome" (Reeves, Herrington and Oliver, 2002). Our Module focused on three main objectives: ====

· How does teaching compare between traditional and virtual environments?
==== To answer these questions, this Module was structured in three parts: firstly, teaching in a traditional online environment (Web 1.0), secondly teaching in a modern online environment (Web 2.0), thirdly, teaching in a future online environment web (Web 3.0). The Module goes further with an Assignment for teaching teachers about how to teach in an online environment by applying creativity. The Module has been illustrated with pictures, images, examples, and videos that help to explain our comparison between traditional and virtual environments. Finally, we include the references. ====

I. Teaching in traditional online environment:
==== Web 1.0 is the realm of the earliest online teaching environments. Online courses were primarily written content with attached quizzes or tests. Most courses were skill based and reflected a traditional approach (teacher centered/directed) within an online environment. Institutions such as SIAST developed programs around mastery based learning (Newtonian paradigm) which were redesigned to accommodate individual learning pace. Using the computer was viewed as more important than the process of learning. In this sense, the traditional supplemental model (F2F augmented with online resources) and the correspondence model (similar to an online lecture) were identified by Tinker & Haavind (1996) as lacking consideration for learner need .====

II. Teaching in modern online environment
==== Modern day technology, or more formally Web 2.0, has created wonderful opportunities for online users: blogs, wikis, screencasts, podcasts, among others. The idea of moving toward a more constructivist view of teaching and learning has helped shape modern online instruction. Letting the learner take charge of his or her learning makes the experience more meaningful and insightful. ==== ====The design and creation of teaching in an online environment requires a great deal more thought and effort than the development of didactic, content-based instruction or traditional education. However, if we are to use the capabilities and advantages of technology, together with the findings of recent research and theory, to improve learning outcomes we must endeavour to examine more closely the role of student activities and tasks in the learning process. This Module emphasizes on students activities in light of interaction, cooperation, collaboration, examining the task from different perspectives (from selected authors, readings, videos, links) and promoting active participation and involvement of students. Thank you to [|University of Regina] and [|Dr. Stephen Kemp]we have enjoyed authentic activities and we have learned about the new paradigms in education. We have researched, designed, developed and evaluated our Module with Wiki resources and a [|Blog] in light of teaching in an online environment by using [|WebCt]. The blog [|**www.teachinginanonlineenvironment.blogspot.com**], and a wiki resource http://eci834module5.wikispaces.com/ and an Assignment for teachers were developed by the team with the purpose of illustrating what it means to teach in a modern online environment through exploring the characteristics of each. ====

III. Teaching in future online environment (Web 3.0)
==== We have tried to first try and comprehend the term Web 3.0. Garry Hayes (2006) through a blog titled, [|Virtual Worlds, Web 3.0 and Portable Profiles] ; also, we have tried to highlight the importance of creativity for teaching in future online environments. There are several principles that help to characterize the meaning of future: Good Practice Encourages Student-Faculty Contact, thus preparation and documentation are very important. Good Practice Encourages Cooperation among students (interaction). Good Practice Encourages Active Learning, among others examined by Trieschman (2007) in the article, [|Teaching Principles Compared: Online Vs. Face to Face Teaching] ====