Not Just Another Course to Teach: Humanizing The Digital Divide

Embarking on my first tenure track assignment as assistant professor at a regional University I am somewhat perturbed. Having been given an online course to teach I study the previous syllabi, look at the course description and the course content, all seem what I am used to: fulfill the mission of the school, include current standards and research from the field, use technology. These I can do, however, I look at the schedule, the timeline for the course from beginning to end, four weeks: so, how do I help support an experience for my students that is meaningful, relevant to their teaching practice; serving language minority students in the Treasure Valley given that the course spans such a short period of time? I look to the tools I have to work with: a Desktop PC, email, Blackboard and two weekend face to face sessions. During this paper presentation I will engage the audience in discussing the results of the study I conducted in supporting in-service and pre-service bilingual teachers using the previously mentioned technology. This study, part critical auto-ethnography and part case study, is a presentation of my theoretical and philosophical background and a discussion of: what worked, supported learning, what didn’t, student suggested changes, and ways to improve hybrid distance learning graduate courses.