Program Prerequisites:

Students must meet course requirements before attending this course:

1. Meet minimum age requirements (15 years of age).

2. Program Prerequisite Skills: (Students will videotape and submit before the course starts)

   • Swim 300 Yards, continuously (Freestyle, breaststroke, or a combination of the two. No back or side strokes are allowed) Goggles may be used. 

   • 2 minutes of treading with legs only. (Hands should be placed under their armpits).

   • Timed Event completed in under 1 minute and 40 seconds: Swim 20 yards, surface dive 7-10 feet to retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface with the object and swim 20 yards back to the starting point with both hands on the object, exit the water without using the ladder or steps. (no goggles are allowed for this event)

 

Overview of Expectations for Each Week:

 

Each week is divided by “Topics”. Under each topic, you will find all the information you will need for that week.  

 

The First Topic you will see is named “Course Materials”. This is where you will find your Lifeguarding Manual, Online American Red Cross Portal, and Weekly Google Meet link. This material will be used during each week so that is why it is located at the top of the classwork page. 

 

The next 5 Topics will be where you will find your assignments, discussion questions, and learning outcomes and when each week’s assignments are due. The first resource under each topic will be the learning outcomes. This will explain what you should be able to do by the end of each week and after the course is completed.  

 

The second resource under each topic will be your assignments for the week. Each week you will have google form worksheets to complete based on the chapter readings from the Lifeguarding Manual and videos you watched in the Online American Red Cross Portal. After you complete the worksheet you will submit your responses to receive credit. (Again, this manual is located under Course Material and will not need to be purchased). 

 

The third resource you will see will be your discussion with your classmates. The link provided under "class discussion" will direct you to our discussion page where you will answer the discussion question for each week by Wednesday and respond to two of your classmates by Friday. 

 

Additionally, each week you will attend a virtual class via the “Thursday Google Meet Link” Allocated under the topic “Course Materials”. This class will take place each Thursday from 11 am -12 pm. If you are unable to attend please email me ahead of time so we can plan another time to meet and go over the skills learned that week. 

 

Week 1: Detailed Outline (Monday, June 28th- Friday, July 2nd)

 

This week we will be focusing on what it means to be a Professional Lifeguard, Victim Recognition and Rotation, and Facility Safety. 

 

Here are the steps you need to follow for this week: 

 

1. Before our virtual meeting on Thursday, please complete the following:

   • Read Chapter 1-3 in the Lifeguarding Manual found under “Course Materials”.

     • This will give students an understanding of what skills we will be learning this week and when they will be used in real-life situations. 

   • Watch and answer the questions in the eLearning Modules 1-3 found in the Online American Red Cross Portal under Course Materials. 

     • These videos will help you learn the skills needed to become a successful lifeguard by breaking down how the skills are performed.

   • Complete the 3 worksheets found under Week 1- Intro to Lifeguarding (Week 1 Assignment)

     • The worksheets will show your understanding of the course materials and what may need to be retaught throughout the course. 

2. At our Virtual Meeting:

   • We will review the skills learned in these chapters and each student demonstrate a skill they learned from the first 3 chapters. 

     • EAP, Glove Removal, Facility Check, Weather Conditions, Rules and Regulations, Dangerous Behaviors, Victim Recognition, Effective Scanning, RID Factor, and Zone and Total coverage. 

       • These topics are important to know to become a Professional Lifeguard and will help lead us into the next session. 

3. After our virtual meeting, you will have the rest of the week to:

   • Reread any material you are still having questions about

   • Respond to at least two of your classmate's discussion posts. 

     • By waiting to respond to your classmates you will hopefully have a better understanding of the skills we learned this week and dive deeper into the conversation with your classmates. 

 

Week 2: Detailed Outline (Monday, July 5th- Friday, July 9th)

 

This week we will be focusing on Injury Prevention and Water Rescues.

 

Here are the steps you need to follow for this week: 

 

1. Before our virtual meeting on Thursday, please complete the following:

   1. Read Chapter 4-6 in the Lifeguarding Manual found under “Course Materials”.

      1. This will give students an understanding of what skills we will be learning this week and when they will be used in real-life situations. 

   2. Watch and answer the questions in the eLearning Modules 3-4 found in the Online American Red Cross Portal under Course Materials. 

      1. These videos will help you learn the skills needed to become a successful lifeguard by breaking down how the skills are performed.

   3. Complete the 3 worksheets found under Week 2- Injury Prevention/ Water Rescue (Week 2 Assignment)

      1. The worksheets will show your understanding of the course materials and what may need to be retaught throughout the course. 

2. At our Virtual Meeting:

   1. We will review the skills learned in these chapters and each student demonstrate a skill they learned from chapters 4-6. 

      1. Injuries, communication, Effective Whistling, Types of EAP, Safety Teams, Summoning EMS, Incident Reports, Entries, Approaches, Assists, Rescues, Removal, Backboard, and Escapes. 

         1. These topics are important to know to become a Professional Lifeguard and will help lead us into the next session. 

3. After our virtual meeting, you will have the rest of the week to:

   1. Reread any material you are still having questions about

   2. Respond to at least two of your classmate’s discussion posts. 

      1. By waiting to respond to your classmates you will hopefully have a better understanding of the skills we learned this week and dive deeper into the conversation with your classmates. 

 

Week 3: Detailed Outline (Monday, July 12th- Friday, July 16th)

 

This week we will be focusing on Before Providing Care, Victim Assessments, Breathing Assessments, Cardiac Emergencies, and using an AED. 

 

Here are the steps you need to follow for this week: 

 

1. Before our virtual meeting on Thursday, please complete the following:

   1. Read Chapter 7-9 in the Lifeguarding Manual found under “Course Materials”.

      1. This will give students an understanding of what skills we will be learning this week and when they will be used in real-life situations. 

   2. Watch and answer the questions in the eLearning Modules 5 and 6 found in the Online American Red Cross Portal under Course Materials. 

      1. These videos will help you learn the skills needed to become a successful lifeguard by breaking down how the skills are performed.

   3. Complete the 3 worksheets found under Week 3-First Aid, CPR and AED (Week 3 Assignment)

      1. The worksheets will show your understanding of the course materials and what may need to be retaught throughout the course. 

2. At our Virtual Meeting:

   1. We will review the skills learned in these chapters and each student demonstrate a skill they learned from chapters 7-9. 

      1. Personal Protective Equipment, Sizing up a Scene, Moving a Victim, Preforming a Primary Assessment, Summoning EMS, Recovery Potion, Secondary Assessment, Giving Ventilations, Choking Emergencies, Recognizing a Heart Attach, CPR, AED. 

         1. These topics are important to know to become a Professional Lifeguard and will help lead us into the next session.

3. After our virtual meeting, you will have the rest of the week to:

   1. Reread any material you are still having questions about

   2. Respond to at least two of your classmate’s discussion posts. 

      1. By waiting to respond to your classmates you will hopefully have a better understanding of the skills we learned this week and dive deeper into the conversation with your classmates. 

 

Week 4: Detailed Outline (Monday, July 19th- Friday, July 23rd)

 

This week we will be focusing on First Aid, Head, Neck, and Spinal Injuries.

 

Here are the steps you need to follow for this week: 

 

1. Before our virtual meeting on Thursday, please complete the following:

   1. Read Chapter 10-11 in the Lifeguarding Manual found under “Course Materials”.

      1. This will give students an understanding of what skills we will be learning this week and when they will be used in real-life situations. 

   2. Watch and answer the questions in the eLearning Modules 7 and 8 found in the Online American Red Cross Portal under Course Materials. 

      1. These videos will help you learn the skills needed to become a successful lifeguard by breaking down how the skills are performed.

   3. Complete the 2 worksheets found under Week 4- Head, Neck, and Back Injuries (Week 4 Assignment)

      1. The worksheets will show your understanding of the course materials and what may need to be retaught throughout the course. 

2. At our Virtual Meeting:

   1. We will review the skills learned in these chapters and each student demonstrate a skill they learned from chapters 10-11. 

      1. SAMPLE, Secondary Assessments, Checking for a Pulse, Diabetic Emergencies, Seizures, Stroke, Wounds, Tourniquets, Shock, Burns, Bites and stings, Poison, Heat-Illnesses, Hypothermia, RICE, Fractures, In-Line Stabilization, Head Injuries, Immobilization, Backboarding, Extrication. 

         1. These topics are important to know to become a Professional Lifeguard and will help lead us into the next session. 

3. After our virtual meeting, you will have the rest of the week to:

   1. Reread any material you are still having questions about

   2. Respond to at least two of your classmate’s discussion posts. 

      1. By waiting to respond to your classmates you will hopefully have a better understanding of the skills we learned this week and dive deeper into the conversation with your classmates. 

 

Week 5: Detailed Outline (Monday, July 26th- Friday, July 30th)

 

This week we will be focusing on Wrapping up, Final Exams

 

Here are the steps you need to follow for this week: 

 

1. Before our virtual meeting on Thursday, please Review the following:

   1. Prepare for the Final Exam on CPR/ AED and First Aid

      1. Review chapters 7-10 in the Lifeguarding Manual.

2. At our Virtual Meeting:

   1. Kahoot Study Session

      1. Review quiz and question time for anyone who is still unsure of any skills or processes. 

3. After our virtual meeting, you will have the rest of the week to:

   1. Complete Final Exams

      1. This exam can be found in the online portal as part of the conclusion section. 

         1. You will have two attempts to complete the exam before the conclusion module locks. 

         2. If you fail both attempts you will be locked out for 24 hours. Review Chapters 7-10 prior to reattempting the CPR/ AED and First Aide Final Exam. 

 

*If you pass this section you will be admitted into the next Course which will be an in-person Lifeguarding Skill session which is where you will be able to obtain your Lifeguarding Certification. 

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    After these past couple of weeks of learning about online courses and creating my own, I feel that I have a better understanding of how to successfully introduce and manage an online course. I currently teach Lifeguarding to High School Students and Swim to 7th- Graders and have seen my students have a great deal of success while utilizing technology in these areas. In my opinion, there are two existing courses, in my school, that I believe could benefit from being redesigned into online courses: Health and Technology. While these are not the only possible choices, these two classes could easily make the transition.

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          In Middle School, Students frequently view media (Advertisements, Images, Videos, etc.) and read various texts that relate to the human body. Health is also a special area subject, so the kids are grouped together with other students that are not necessarily in their core area classes. An online course could be organized into different sessions in which each session focuses on a different topic related to the Seven Components of Wellness. The activities that are completed for this course could be digitalized and students could discuss some of the more sensitive health-related topics with a discussion post or a Google Hangout with the teacher. This could potentially make health a little more engaging and allow students to open up and feel more comfortable in this type of setting.

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          For the Technology Course for our 7th-Graders, this could be perfect as an online class. Especially if students took this class at the beginning of the year. This course could help the students learn how to access and manage their google classrooms and how to properly send emails to teachers. Students could also learn about different media outlets, digital citizenship, and skills necessary for success on the computer since this is the age we are living in now. The resources provided to students could be organized on an LMS and the activities that are completed can be self-guided. This is a course where students can be hands-on, even while at home. It will give them a chance to explore on their own, especially after learning about a given subject, and also allow them to meet up with a teacher to ask questions and learn more about the ever-changing world of Technology! I think this class could potentially be a lot of fun and extremely beneficial for the students. 

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Introduction:

For my final assignment for EDLD 5318, I was asked to write my reflection from the perspective of an individual in a school leadership role.  I have decided to write from the perspective of my building’s principal.

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As a middle school principal, I am continually challenging my staff to broaden their repertoire of skills and instructional strategies. I also urge them to find new ways to reach their students and make them engaged. One format our school has considered is fully only courses. We believe that this will ensure all individual student needs are met by allowing students to work at their own pace, in a location of their choosing, and to develop skills they will utilize in their future learning careers. Currently, we have a couple of new courses switching to full online instruction, including a fully virtual Lifeguarding Course.

 

Instructional Design Theories:

It is critical to consider Instructional Design Theories when designing any course, especially those in an online environment. In our building, the teaching style of our teachers varies greatly. Because of this, some teachers have different theories about learning and instruction. While some teachers favor constructivism and connectivism, others favor behaviorism or cognitivism. However, when it comes to constructing an online learning environment, I believe constructivism and connectivism are most fitting. Constructivism allows students to develop personal meaning through reflection, group work, and online collaborative learning (Bates, 2015). This type of work fosters a community despite the remote setting. Constructivism also allows learners to apply knowledge to their own context which is important for engagement and motivation. Similarly, connectivism allows learners to construct their own personal learning environment through online networking (Bates, 2015). When we provide students with the opportunity to learn online, we are encouraging them to learn by doing (LearningDctr, 2010). I believe this allows students to find a deeper meaning and better understand themselves as learners. Both of these instructional design theories are currently being applied in our newest Lifeguarding Course.

 

UbD Plan Implementation

I often encourage my staff, when designing a new course, to use the Understanding by Design (UbD) template. Instead of focusing on the learning activities and assessments first, UbD works backward and makes the learning outcomes the primary focus. A similar design method is the 3 column table which also works backward and considers what the students will be learning and accomplishing before planning the activities they will be completing. When designing this Lifeguarding course, the 3 column table and UbD were used to ensure that each unit varied learning activities and was providing assessments that would show the lifeguards were truly understanding the material they were learning. 

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Importance of Online Learning

Online learning environments are growing, especially now that COVID has hit and we have all had to learn how to teach online overnight. It has made school districts, like ours, create programs that are easy to access and user-friendly in case we have to teach remotely again. However, we have noticed that by providing students with multiple modes of learning and expression is incredibly important. Currently, in our district and those surround us, we have inherited hybrid and fully virtual classes. Since our school district has become one-to-one with devices at both the middle school and high school, the ability to offer courses like this has only increased. Online courses provide learners with the same advantages that they provide adults: flexibility, adaptability, and personalization. It is engaging and encourages students to improve their digital communication skills, reflect on their learning, and become more independent as a learner. 

 

Enduring Understanding

As educators, it is important that we do not become complacent. The world is constantly changing and we need to provide our students with the necessary tools for the future they will be living in. This digital age provides us with endless opportunities to incorporate technology into the classroom. Although technology can be intimidating and frustrating at times, we need to step up and face the changes without fear of failure. Some courses will not be able to be completely virtual but I do believe that every course has the ability to be at least hybrid and add a ton of benefits for the students over in-person-only classes. I also believe that the design process of a course can make you a better teacher because you are seeing things from the student’s perspective and you can see exactly what a student should learn in a given unit. It also makes us think of our course’s most important aspects- the learning outcomes. As a principal, I feel a great deal of responsibility when it comes to preparing my teachers. I plan on educating myself even more about online learning so that I can plan to give my teachers opportunities to educate this way as well. Online learning not only helps develop important skills for students but teachers as well. 

 

References:

Bates, A.W. (2015) Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/

 

LearningDctr. (2010, June 17). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism & learning and instructional theory [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOqgXjynd0

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Successful Online Programs:

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• Coursera:  This online program offers courses through universities such as University of Michigan, University of Penn, and Stanford.

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