Hello friends,
It is so disheartening to think that the course is
nearing its end. There will be no more discussions with virtual classmates and
no deadlines to be met. For last two months it kept me overly engaged with
readings, discussions, web resources and a host of other things that I learnt
so devoutly. It breaks my heart to even think about the void that will be
created after the completion of this course. Also the fantastic group of people
that I got so much to learn with will be scattered to follow their own paths.
I was very apprehensive about my own abilities and because of so many
prior engagements on the personal and professional front. But now I am
extremely happy that I could complete the course and learn so much in such a
short span of time. I have been using internet for largely personal purposes
for last ten years or so. I was also aware of its usefulness in my profession.
But I never realized that there could be so many wonderful tools available on
the net to make my job easier. The best part of this learning process is
that I never felt that I was actually studying something. It was all so
engaging and interesting that the burden attached to the term 'studying' was
never felt.
The course began with Noodletools that opened my eyes to the world
of search engines. For me the best find is JURN as it has helped me in finding some
useful articles for my research.
Technology enhanced lesson plans, project based learning, rubrics
and alternative assessments, learner autonomy are some of the topics that I had
known little about. Now I am confident about them and can discuss them in
detail on any forum. This confidence is an additional benefit of this course.
Rubistar is something that I can very easily introduce to my
students. I wish I could also say the same about Webquests, Nicenet and other
online resources and tools. I have found a friend in Wallwisher. I can use it in my
classes as I have also shown in my project plan .
But the revelation of the course is reflective blogging. I am on
Blogger since 2008 and I never knew what to do with this blog.
This course has opened my eyes to the potential usefulness of blogging. This blog is a suitable
platform to express my ideas and communicate meaningfully with like-minded
people. I often find it difficult to express myself in too many words. But
blogging for last two months has taken away that hesitation and now I try
to be as elaborate as I reasonably can.
This post will be incomplete without my 'Thank You' note for
Courtney. She has been so patient with me. Since this is my first online
course, I was really confused about so many things in the beginning. I would
approach her with very small problems and she would
very patiently resolve them. Her patience is a lesson in
itself. Besides, she has to be commended for the way she planned the course
with easier things in the beginning leading gradually to more complex set of
information and tools. Thanks a Lot Courtney for being an excellent teacher.
Keep Learning and Keep Smiling!
Vinita.
Dear Vinita,
ReplyDeleteI can see you have started summarizing on the things you have learned and I can see we share some similar likes and dislikes. No wonder we worked well as course partners, is it?
You are right about blogging being a perfect way of expressing ones thoughts. In addition, I find it extremely helpful we are all in the same boat and blogging and reflecting on more or less similar topics as we are reading and studying the same things. I do not know about you and our peers, but I do not feel pressured by any competition. We are functioning so well as a group, our discussions are always providing new insight and different perspectives, our reflections in our blogs are inviting people to share similar experiences. As you say, shyness is no issue at all.
I will most certainly miss all this.
Thank you once again for the great cooperation during the entire course and especially in the final step of the project report.
Jasmina
Thanks for your encouraging words, Jasmina.
DeleteIt has been a fantastic group to work with. Even I did not feel that there was any competition. It was rather a very supportive set of people.
Do keep in touch!
Vinita
Vinita
ReplyDeleteIt's surprising that we never interacted online as part of the course though we're from the same country! May be the final week is the time to do so.
I liked your sweeping reflections on the course. They took me on a journey over the weeks that went past us. Thanks for that.
Your reflections have a very personal tinge to it which is rather very uncommon. I liked the title of your blog - the heart of the ocean.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts in a very touchy way.
Regards, Cherry.
Yeah, its really surprising that despite being from the same country, we never communicated during the course. But as they say 'better late than never'.
ReplyDeleteLooking back at the beginning and the journey made me a bit emotional. Besides learning the desired set of skills, I have gained a lot from this course in terms of confidence and exposure.
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!
Regards,
Vinita
Vinita,
ReplyDeleteI, too, felt like I was on a journey back through the last 10 weeks. It is amazing how fast the time has gone!
I got such a positive feeling while reading your post. You gained so much through this course. I loved it when you said, "The best part of this learning process is that I never felt that I was actually studying something. It was all so engaging and interesting that the burden attached to the term 'studying' was never felt." This is the type of learning environment I always strive to create. I'm glad you felt motivated and engaged through the materials and activities in this course.
Excellent reflection, Vinita! You've come a long way and you should be proud!
All this has been possible with your support and help, Courtney. I do hope that I will get to interact and learn even more in future from you through this wonderful thing called the internet.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Vinita.