Reflection - Lesson One

This is the first blog I have ever written. Just beginning feels a bit awkward, though I realize this is really no different than writing a paper. Writing this first reflection documents my journey back into educational technology. When I left my district many years ago, I was the one training others in technology use for the classroom, now it is my turn to be the technology learner since the world has changed. After taking the self-assessment, reading the course text book, and watching the videos, I have come to realize that there is so much more going on education than I typically see. It is clear that there is much to learn about online and blended teaching and that there are many tools and strategies that are a part of technology-centered education.

A primary goal of mine in taking this class is to develop the skills to plan and produce an online course. Several years ago, I wrote high school curriculum for an online course, but I did not have to put all the ingredients together, such as the curriculum imbedded in the technology; instead, the school provided someone else to do that work. Building on that experience, it is now my goal to develop the knowledge of the tools necessary to develop and produce the technology part of the course. When the introduction talked about using Web 2.0 tools, I realized that these are some of the elements needed in writing and developing an online course, and just the things that I need to use in order to be successful.

Though I do not know much yet about what is to come, there are some specific types of skills, strategies, and  tools that I expect are needed in this course. For example, I will need to know how to develop an appropriate syllabus that helps me to be more of a coach. I will need to know what tools to use to embed video, slides, assignments, and readings within a structured online environment. Not only will these activities need to cover information or point students toward content, the activities will also need to be organized in such a way that communicates clearly and provides the students with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and be held accountable. Moreover, there will need to be rigor in the assignments that pushes students' thinking and strategies for metacognitive reflection. Beyond that, the course also needs to provide enough data through assessment to ensure that the learning goals and objectives are met throughout the course and real learning has taken place. This means that there is much to know and many skills, tools, and strategies that will need to be understood and practiced.

According to the readings in this module, the mindset for those taking an online class is that of independence. Those who take online classes have to be self-motivated and have good self-regulation. Thus, the job of the online teacher is to design learning experiences in which the student can navigate with autonomy, yet be successful. This will take much knowledge and skill, and I look forward to harnessing this new information to develop these types of online and blended courses.