Reflections on Learning

As we wind down to the end of this learning experience, I am breathing a sigh of relief, but also of satisfaction, for a job well done. What a lot of material we have covered!

In this blog, I will reflect on my experience in the second half of this course.

First, I appreciated the module on learning theories. I teach at a university, but my background is not in education, so I wasn’t aware of the variety of theoretical approaches to learning. In particular, I enjoyed the “Funderstanding” link, which was easy to read and got to the point, but still gave a lot of information. I know I will use this information as I prepare to teach both online and in face-to-face environments.

The Seven Principles article emphasized the importance of maintaining interaction between all members of the learning community. As you may have read in my previous blog posting
(“Tommy, can you hear me?”), I have often wondered about how relationships can be created when working in an online classroom. To my surprise, I have found that I feel quite connected to the others in our class. Through discussion boards, blogs and wikis, I have a sense of their humor, interests, and work. The thoughtful design and facilitation of this course has made us become a real learning group!

Building on the Seven Principles, we learned specific strategies for applying the ideas in course design. I enjoyed the opportunity to put the “what” of theory into the “how” of practice. The constructivist approach to our coursework is itself an application of the concepts we have been learning. It has been a good model for us to use as we develop our own design skills.

The module on Technology was a gift of great information. I was especially interested in the reading on how to find information. I have often felt frustrated while searching online, following internet links only to get lost, or hit a dead end. Now I will be less likely to follow the wrong path.

Evaluation of sources is also important. How do we know that we are getting the information we need, or that it is correct? It seems our wise instructor has thought of all our questions… she provided sites that address this issue, too! I know I will feel more confident in my online searching as a result of this learning.

Of all the activities in the course, I have enjoyed posting on the blog the most, though it has also been time-consuming as well. It was fun to find images to enhance my writing. I liked sharing my “streams of consciousness” in the self-selected blogs. I also liked the usefulness of writing about our learning in the blogs that were directed toward specific topics.

To my fellow class members and instructors, thanks for sharing your thoughts, blogs, wikis, and portfolios! While the design of the course has provided the necessary content we needed, your interaction provided the much need “heart”of the course. “See you” in the next course!

Graphics sources:

Wind blowing: www.impression5.org

World web: www.fotosearch.com

People with heart: www.jupiterimages.com