Jody Ceglarski
Distance Learning / ED 722
March 26, 2015
Personal Online Case Study
Three words come to mind to describe the qualities necessary to be a successful online learner and educator: ingenuity, patience, and persistence. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on developing all three. When I run into a technological snafu (which happens frequently), I find myself thinking of Albert Einstein’s quote after I have repeatedly failed to rectify an issue by doing the same thing “over and over again.” Too often I demonstrated a lack of ingenuity, impatience and little persistence. Now, whether something won’t upload onto YouTube, or I can’t figure out the timing on a Powtoon, I am learning to take a deep breath and try something different - ingenuity. I am also learning to be patient - some things take time. Finally, I am learning persistence - I rarely give up.
As a high school English teacher, I am not currently in a position to be an online educator. High school students need face to face interaction and a personal connection with the teacher. However, I have markedly increased my use of technology in the classroom, largely thanks to the IT&DML program at University of New Haven. I believe that this semester I have become much more comfortable with the new platforms and applications that I am now sharing with my students. The combination of classes in the IT&DML program this semester, Distance Learning and Global Literacy, proved to be perfect partners. I not only gained a lot of technological skill, I was exposed to many global resources that I was previously unaware of. In addition, the Distance Education class and readings helped me to see how to use Internet resources effectively with my students. I also began to see my role much more as a facilitator as I attempt to move my students from passive learners to active ones.
My shift towards blended learning has been fostered by my implementation of Google Classroom this year. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I am very pleased with it so far. My school also has more Chromebooks available this year, which has enabled me to give my students much more time to research, read, and create online. As part of the Common Core, one of our goals in the English Department has been to increase the quantity of nonfiction that our students read. I have used Google Classroom to provide links to multiple articles on whatever topic is at hand. Students have been able to log on and choose the article they want to read and share with the class. By providing students with choices of multiple resources, not only has engagement grown, but class knowledge has expanded as students share their articles with one another.
I have also implemented a great deal of choice in assessments. The five paragraph essay is falling by the wayside (finally!) Kids still write essays, but frequently they choose to present their learning in a variety of mediums. A few of the platforms I have introduced my students to are Prezi, eMaze, Thinglink, Powtoon, Animoto, Piktochart, Pixton, and Storify (one of my favorites). Of course the old standbys on Google Docs are available, but students are becoming more adventurous. Students get excited about projects and I think it’s largely because they have a choice in topics and in format. With the experience that I am gaining in my classes at UNH, I am more comfortable helping kids when they have a technological problem. We try a different approach to fix the glitch instead of doing the same thing “over and over again!” I’m also not afraid to admit when I’m not sure how a site works; we look at it together and figure it out.
In addition to getting new ideas from the readings and classes, my colleagues have provided inspiration to me to explore new topics. I learn a lot by reading everyone’s responses to the prompts each week. It’s comforting to know that others struggle with the same issues (such as lack of homework completion or introduction of multiple initiatives at once), yet they find ways to work around it as I try to do. I enjoy seeing the technological tools that my colleagues choose to use. I’m not afraid to try new things on my own or with my students. Getting rid of that “fear of failure” is liberating.
The Distance Learning class has also exposed me to the value of social media in education. In particular, I see that there is a lot I can learn on Twitter. Completing the Storify each week gave me an opportunity to find additional resources and Twitter was a productive source. I still want to learn more about maximizing the use of social media and other open learning opportunities. There’s so much to learn and so little time.
At the end of this semester, I will be more than halfway through the Sixth Year Program. When I started the program I thought that I would learn what I had to and be finished. Now I see that I am just scratching the surface. As far as the program goes, my blog continues to grow, but I know I have a lot of work to do on my learning hub. My website definitely needs to be developed further. I also look forward to the remaining classes. I want to continue to expand the role of technology in my high school classes. Again, I stress my belief that creating a personal connection with my students is invaluable. However, I am excited by the prospects that the Internet has to offer. The resources that I can pass along to my students are endless. Twenty-first century skills are a requirement for students today. Kids need to be able to navigate the Web and synthesize a plethora of resources. They need to be creative problem-solvers and clear communicators. My classroom is definitely moving towards a blended learning environment as I hope to help my students achieve the skills they need to be productive members of society.
I’m so much more comfortable now with online and blended learning than I was at the start of the program. I feel that I now have the confidence to learn on my own. After all, there’s a YouTube tutorial on just about everything! My learning won’t be finished at the end of the summer. It’s really just the beginning. And when I get frustrated or discouraged, I just need to remember, “ingenuity, patience and persistence.”
Image credit (tumblr.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment