2.4 Create a warm and inviting atmosphere to build a learning  (Page 2/2)

I studied in Moscow at the Peoples' Friendship University, and to tell you honestly that was the best period in my life. My specialization was philology and Russian as a second language.

After graduation I worked in Laos where I taught the Russian language for three years. Then I returned to Volgograd and started to work at the Department for Foreign Students of the Pedagogical Institute. I have taught students from several different countries and continents. I was sent to work as an Instructor of Russian in Slovakia where I stayed for two years. And it so happened that I came to USA on an exchange program in August 1991 and still work here at Penn State at the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures (with a year and a half break because of the INS rules).

I have been teaching this course on Russian Culture and Civilization for several years, but this is only the third time it has been offered online. That means that we may still have some problems. I know that some of you are taking an online course for the first time. So let's work and learn together to make our course interesting and useful. I'll be glad to answer any question you have about Russia.

Udachi! Good luck!

Weekly email to students - from psy 451, summer 06

Weekly Email to Students - From PSY 451, Summer 06

Hi, 451'ers. I hope that you're able to enjoy some of the summer weather, in between your 451 tasks and other work/classes! Our family had a nice time at Sesame Place (a Sesame Street theme park in Langhorne, PA) and visiting relatives.

I've had a chance to review last week's discussion, and I'm really impressed, in general, with the thought and tactfulness of most posts and replies. If you have completed your participation in 4 discussions, congrats! If not, keep up the good work! I will grade the group movie assignments in the next couple of days. Nearly every group selected Remember the Titans, so I'll likely grade those first.

As for this week, you get to examine another of the most interesting leadership topics: transformational leadership. It's neat to compare and contrast transformational and transactional leadership, etc. You have less reading this week (although the quiz will still be 20 questions) in part so that you can work on your group's interviewing. I would be happy to review any group's interview questions in advance of the interviews, as long as you give me some lead time. The group project will be here before you know it, so interview your folks ASAP!!!

Also, you have the MLK Letter from Birmingham Jail assignment to work on. Be sure to cite specific portions of the source, apply various concepts related to transformational leadership, and proofread your papers prior to submitting them. I've been happy with the quality of most individual assignments, but these qualities tend to distinguish responses that earn 100% from those that only earn partial credit.

Keep these tips in mind as you look ahead to next week's case - the Personal Experience Paper. I'm sure that you probably have been relating many of the leadership theories/approaches to experiences that you've had personally. This paper will be your opportunity to write up your application of 3 theories/approaches to your own life. The paper is worth 50 points and should be 4-5 pages long, so I'd suggest putting some thought into it this week and then writing it up next week.

That's about it... enjoy your week and let me know if you have any questions,

Dr. L

Voices of experience

To hear insights from experienced online instructors about preparing for online teaching, access any or all of the following interviews. Please make sure your audio is enabled.

Jonathan mathews

Alfred turgeon

Why do it?

"It is always important to remember that in the online environment, we present ourselves in text. Because it is a flat medium, we need to make an extra effort to humanize the environment. In the face-to-face classroom, students have the opportunity to get to know one another as people--before or after class, during classroom discussions, and in other campus locations such as the student lounge. In the online environment, we need to create these opportunities more purposefully" (Palloff&Pratt, 2001, p. 32).

Reference:

Palloff, R.M.,&Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the cyberspace classroom: The realities of online teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.