Dr. Pritchard teaches three online courses: Tech Connect: Integrating Technology into the Math Curriculum, Planning for Effective Instruction, and Differentiated Learners: Classroom Success through Communication and Planning. This incredibly energetic and enthusiastic instructor's resume is filled with multiple teaching awards including Educator of the Year from Phi Delta Kappa in 2001, the Who's Who of California Teachers Award in 2000 and the Toshiba Excellence in Science Award in 1997 & 1998.
She says she is inspired by Jane Goodall whom she met in March of 2002. "Ms. Goodall's belief is to have each person make a difference one person at a time. She inspired me to start my Roots and Shoots club which meets once a week after school." Dr. Pritchard, who has her students call her Dr. P "…it's more informal that way," explains that roots spread down into the ground and reach many places and shoots from living plants can break through any barriers. There are five thousand Roots and Shoots clubs around the world. "Our club is conducting a recycling program at our school. We collect cans and take them to the recycling center to get money for school field trips. We keep the school clean and learn about the environment. It's great!"
The roots and shoots metaphor applies to Dr. Pritchard's online teaching philosophy. The roots of knowledge spread everywhere across the United States and even around the world via the Internet, and the shoots can break through any barrier to online learning with Dr. Pritchard's expert guidance. "I totally make the course for the students, that's my goal as an instructor. I send out a private survey in the beginning of each class to find out where students live (so I know their time zone), what subjects or grades they teach, what their goals are for the class and their level of comfort and skill on the computer. This helps me make the course as personal as possible," says Dr. Pritchard who also monitors and adjusts her courses on an ongoing basis to match the needs of her students.
So when does this busy educator have time for her online students? Whenever they need her. "I'm flexible with my time and take advantage of my early morning hours. I make a point to get on to the Internet three to six times a day to catch students with any problems, especially during the first week. My students know that I will respond to their questions within 30 hours, except for weekends. I like to keep track of what everybody does, and I enter the previous week's scores before the end of the following week. I also send personal reminders or messages on how to get more points and accomplish their goals."
Dr. Pritchard says a wide variety of teachers take her professional development courses. She requires between two and four discussion threads a week and asks her students to respond to any two class member responses per week. "By building that into the course, people learn to enjoy corresponding with others in the course and to share their areas of expertise. I also provide my classes with a Web site evaluation tool and then have students evaluate Web sites or create a tech connected lesson plan. They share five Web sites they've evaluated and love learning from each other," she says. Dr. Pritchard hand-selects her texts to match her instruction (except for math where there is no text) and personally knows the authors of the textbooks she chooses.
In her two non-math classes, Dr. Pritchard runs some chats where everyone participates at the same time. If students cannot be there for the chats they can read them and report on them later. The chats are always archived for future reference. Dr. Pritchard also has class members create yearlong plans for whatever subject they teach, even if it's not in school (nurses and other professionals also take her classes). By the time they are into their fifth week of the course they practically have their final project completed.
"Students come online with a gamut of computer skills," says Dr. Pritchard, "and one of the joys of OnlineLearning.net is the great tech support available to class members. Other benefits include accessibility and wide variety. OnlineLearning.net offers a plethora of courses for teachers and is adding more. It's great that we can meet teachers' needs for flexibility. Most people don't bring their work home, but teachers have a heavy schedule of work to bring home plus families to care for. In my courses, students are able to work ahead at their own pace. I had a student writing me from her cruise ship. I told her to enjoy the cruise and send her work in a week later."
This dynamic instructor says she had no idea she'd be so fortunate to reach out and touch base with teachers all over the world. Several students, or class members as she calls those who take her courses, really opened her eyes to the variety of needs of teachers everywhere - the main reason for online learning for educators everywhere. "I've been blessed to have students from Germany, Saipan and all over the U.S.," she says.
