Mid-year Self-Assessment Check
- In our first week, we were assigned to create a blog. I used to keep a blog to update friends and family about what was going on in our lives. I have found it very time-consuming to keep up regularly though and because of privacy concerns, ended up deleting it altogether (I tend to keep my personal and private life quite separate). We also had to introduce ourselves. I will admit when I first started this blog, I thought I was supposed to create it for my students and not for the Program for Online Teaching. I ended up editing the content, title, picture, format and so much more! In our first week, I also started pondering on what tools might be right for my online class.
- In week 2, I analyzed my personal Pedagogy. As suspected, I realized I like to incorporate a variety of ways for my students to learn: from Lectures to Practice! In my classrooms, students are used to multiple activities and going from learning point to learning point sometimes even before connecting all the dots (to one lesson) together.
- In my third post, I wrote how I’d picture the format of an online class (versus an on-campus/blended class). I reflected a few things I’d change from my on-campus class.
- In My fourth post, we learned how to brainstorm for ideas for an online class. I was able to revise important components I’d include in an online class. I pondered on how my SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes) would differ from an on-campus class. Though Listening (understanding), Reading, Writing and Speaking (at least to me) are essential in learning a language–the delivery of these SLOs might be different in an on-campus course than in an online course. I started wondering what kind of tools I might want to use for my class. One, I actually have tested out this semester, is having a Facebook group page for the class.
- In my fifth post, we learned the possible uses of having a blog. We were able to look over other instructors’ online courses and see how they organized their work online.
- In my next post, we learned how to write an Syllabus (for an online course). Some things we reflected on was the use of hyperlinks, policies and procedures and where to post the Syllabus online.
- In week 6 post, I realized I should change my Curriculum format and add a bunch of hyperlinks (which, even if time-consuming, will save time for both student and instructor in the long run). I learned how making it simple for the student is important. Something that might seem “logical” to me might be confusing to a student, so taking the approach of “how could the student see/understand this?” makes more sense. We learned a lot about the HTLM codes (thanks to Dave Raggett’s Introduction to HTML) and incorporating media into blogs, course modules (such as Blackboard) and websites. We were also able to subscribe to different reads to read more online (and highlight).
- In week 7, we learned ways Twitter (and text messaging should I add) could benefit us as an instructor. We also discovered ways to build an online community and hence close the “distance” gap. Staying personable while teaching an online course can certainly be a challenge that can be overcome. I was able to compare the use of Dropbox versus Google Drive. I realized I like using both for different reasons and in different ways.
- In my post for week 8, we were able to toy around with VoiceThread. It proved to be an effective tool for an online classroom–creating a community in the classroom instead of simply a course one individual was taking “somewhere” on the Internet.
- In week 9, we explored different Student Activities. I was introduced to Second Life, which is a world in itself. We learned a lot about Diigo. I liked how one could make comments, highlight, make notes and such through Diigo.
- In my next post (week 10), we read about Peer Review which I believe can be a motivating, fun way to learn. I also began wondering if blogging could be a good project for my class. I believe in a 201 class it might be a fun thing for my students to do after each class (as a summary of what was learned and to use what was learned in a “journal”). I also was able to discover Engrade and decided to use Engrade over Gradekeeper (which I was using previously) to keep tract of attendance (and possibly grading). In this week’s tasks, I was also able to create my own mini website: https://sites.google.com/site/profdemeo/ – and since creating my website, I have updated it several times, recently adding a new video.
- Week 11 opened my eyes to a lot of policies and rules regarding copyrighting, getting permissions and how to properly list where one got his/her resources. The TEACH Act Checklist was very useful to me.
- In my final post, so far, I learned about student plagiarism and explored various Internet Tools and eBooks: through Free eBooks, Open Textbooks and Internet Archive – some of which (Français Interactif) I have and can continue to use in my classes.
So far the Program for Online Teaching has been a wonderful experience for me. I have learned so much and not only discovered tools I can use for an online class but also for my on-campus/blended class. I’ve been really excited about the various resources readily made available to us, the information given by various mentors and other colleagues as well as posts, the POT Facebook Group Page and of course our textbook. I’m very pleased by this program so far.
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