Week 2 reflection- September 29, 2007
I am both anxious and excited for the course to begin. There is a tremendous amount of work simply because I still find that tech tools don’t always work the way I want them to and lots of time gets spent to accomplish small tasksJ
What strikes me the most this week is the use of D2L from the instructor’s side. It seems to be very user friendly and has lots of tools that as a student I took for granted and didn’t really think about how the sections of each page were developed. The tracking tools for participation and for assignment seem really clear cut and intuitive. The tool for setting up discussions is also something I would appreciate trying to use, even if only for my own learning rather than public viewing.
Seeing the entire structure of a course in D2L makes me begin to understand just how much work designing and implementing a course is. As a student I guess I could only handle little bits at a time so I didn’t let myself fully realize how much information was included. But here I can easily see the big picture and once again as a teacher I am trying to see how you determine how to break down those huge sources of information relating to a curriculum into modules that can be manageable chunks of learning for your intended student population. And of course those age old questions of how do I really establish rapport and interaction? How much interjection is too much? Not enough? Just right? (It sounds like GoldilocksJ)
This experience will be invaluable in helping me find through practical experience just how to navigate my way through those questions as well as all the others that will arise throughout the class. I know I’ll make lots of mistakes but I also know myself well enough to know I will learn from them and that will make me a better teacher.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Week 1 continued
Updated Week 1 reflection
In thinking about the events of the first week, the most important factor that I would like to focus on is preparation. I am in the position of having taught a variation of the same subject matter for many years. Planning and adapting both lessons and materials have become internalized and often feel more like instinct than a well thought out process. Looking over the materials for the 6 Traits takes me back to that position of a beginning teacher. And in many ways I have to remind myself that that is exactly what I am at this point in my professional life.
I have spent a week trying to get a clear picture in my mind of the overarching questions that go along with the new curriculum of the 6 traits. It feels like I am translating one language that I know into a new language of the 6 traits and so I don’t think I yet fully grasp the big picture of the course. For me course and lesson design works well through a backwards design process. But in order to use that process I have to understand where I want my students to end up and then decide how to break the information into manageable weekly chunks.
The most useful thing that I can do for myself at this point is actually step away from the readings and let myself digest and assimilate the ideas. The writing process and the elements assessed by the 6 traits are familiar but I have to adjust my thinking from the real world applications I experienced to the broader realm of possible real world applications.
In thinking about the events of the first week, the most important factor that I would like to focus on is preparation. I am in the position of having taught a variation of the same subject matter for many years. Planning and adapting both lessons and materials have become internalized and often feel more like instinct than a well thought out process. Looking over the materials for the 6 Traits takes me back to that position of a beginning teacher. And in many ways I have to remind myself that that is exactly what I am at this point in my professional life.
I have spent a week trying to get a clear picture in my mind of the overarching questions that go along with the new curriculum of the 6 traits. It feels like I am translating one language that I know into a new language of the 6 traits and so I don’t think I yet fully grasp the big picture of the course. For me course and lesson design works well through a backwards design process. But in order to use that process I have to understand where I want my students to end up and then decide how to break the information into manageable weekly chunks.
The most useful thing that I can do for myself at this point is actually step away from the readings and let myself digest and assimilate the ideas. The writing process and the elements assessed by the 6 traits are familiar but I have to adjust my thinking from the real world applications I experienced to the broader realm of possible real world applications.
Week 1
As this first week comes to an end I find myself feeling extremely optimistic, challenged and excited at the same time. The process of designing and implementing online instruction simply fascinates me. After taking many online courses from the student perspective, I almost feel like Dorothy pulling back the curtain. I am about to find out how the wizard really works! I look forward to being able to share my experiences as an educator with the educators of tomorrow. It is only through the generosity of many experienced teachers that I started out with support. It is my turn to pay it forward, so to speak.
When I retired in January I knew that I couldn’t physically continue to work in middle school and I knew that I could do the job in my sleep. The problem solving challenges of my early years had all been internalized and thinking was rarely required. This program allows me to step back to that time where I need to think and evaluate throughout the design, implementation, and reflection of instruction. Two added bonuses for me are the opportunity to work with you and the opportunity to teach about teaching writing, which I love.
When I retired in January I knew that I couldn’t physically continue to work in middle school and I knew that I could do the job in my sleep. The problem solving challenges of my early years had all been internalized and thinking was rarely required. This program allows me to step back to that time where I need to think and evaluate throughout the design, implementation, and reflection of instruction. Two added bonuses for me are the opportunity to work with you and the opportunity to teach about teaching writing, which I love.
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