Blog #3

These reading and modules really helped me to understand more about the different roles that people can play in an online discussion by changing their tone and voice.  I also realized that I do not often change my tone and voice and this may be a detriment to me as I am not reaching outside of my comfort zone.  I can also see how this would very negatively impact me as a facilitator.  One of my major goals while facilitating my module will be to change my tone and voice.

Up until now, I think that most of my posts have followed the social dialog approach.  I often use my own experiences in my discussions.  For instance: "The first two principles of "relate" and "create" are critically important in the development of online courses.  I have taken courses where the instructor was experimenting with the online environment as part of the course and did not develop these two principles.  I found that students were not engaged at all and were "going through the motions" in their postings and contributions."  I think this is useful for other students in the course because it relates theoretical learning to real-life experiences.  However, as a facilitator, my role needs to serve a different purpose and the reflective guide or mediator may become a more appropriate voice. 

Blog #2 My thoughts about online learning

Now that we are more than halfway done with the facilitating online learning class for the semester, I am finding myself not 100% sold on my ability to teach under this model.  The main concern that I have for the facilitation of these courses is the time that it would take.  The course that I have been considering moving to an online model is a one-credit, semester-long course.  I am trying to keep in mind that this is a graduate course for three credits in a condensed time frame.  Since I advise students full-time, I do not have a tremendous amount of time, especially during the day, to be online and active in the online forums.  I am gaining a greater appreciation for the role of the facilitator and understand the need to be constantly caught up on the online course. 

While I do have my concerns about the time that needs to be dedicated facilitating online courses, I absolutely see the value of this type of learning.  I definitely feel engaged and accountable to keep up with the assignments and reading.  I could see how this value would translate into the course I teach. 

I am looking forward to our culminating assignment, teaching a lesson.  I think this will really give me a feeling of what to expect and be prepared for!

Entry 1

The research article assignment was one of the most interesting assignments to me so far.  One of the reasons I liked this particular assignment was because I felt like we each got the opportunity to pick an article or topic that related to our work, lives, or interests.  I did not find this much different than an assignment we would have in a face-to-face meeting but I like the flexibility that was offered and the opportunity to read other students' articles and comments.  The length of the assignment actually encouraged me to reflect more.  Since it was only one page, I was challenged to reflect on the most important aspects of the research and make sure that I presented that in a clear, concise manner. 

One thing that would have been better about this assignment is if we would have had more time to read and discuss our classmates assignments.  While other discussions were going on, I felt limited in the amount of time that I spent reading my classmates assignments.   Additionally, since the research articles are really relevant for the whole time of the class, it would have been great if they would remain available and not be taken down when Module 1 was hidden. 


For improvement, I would suggest leaving the discussion about the research articles open for the duration of the class and perhaps adding another opportunity to reflect on the assignment at the end of the course, when we have gained more knowledge relevant to the article.