I must say that I am actually sad to see this class end. ALthough it has been stressful keeping up with the breakneck speed of a 6 week class, it has been more enjoyable than most. I think that I would have preferred to take this class over the course of a full semester so that I could really delve more deeply into the concepts behind using Web 2.0 and social media for learning and had more time to play with and practice using the tools we have been exploring. I am glad that I created a Pinterest Board, Web Tools for Instructional Design, where I collected most of those tools so that I can continue to explore them and possible ways that I can use them in my own instructional design and in my personal connection and personal learning pursuits.
I was an early adopter of digital curation even though I didn’t realize at the time that’s what I was doing. I’ve always been kind of obsessed with digital organization. I sort of knew this about myself already, but was able to more fully grasp this as I reflected on some of these concepts and activities presented in the course, particularly curation and my past attempts at it. I was also very interested in creating engaging activities for students and indirectly teaching them digital skills so I spent a lot of time in my K-12 teaching career searching for and utilizing Web 2.0 tools to supplement activities with my students. I feel like this course helped me take this to the next level. Using these tools for my own assignments was a fun experience; so much better than simple paper writing. Thinking about using these tools in instruction for adults and adding the increasingly prevalent use of social media was a new adventure for me. I was even pushed outside of my comfort zone to use tools that I have had a negative view of in the past, such as Reddit (which I still don’t like but am now able to see in a different way). I found the blog requirement to be a great learning experience. I have always had a latent desire to start a blog so I found it fun. And what an excellent idea to allow us to develop these as an alternative to BlackBoard discussion posts. Taking a requirement and turning it into a learning opportunity like that was very helpful. I also love how varied the blog tools were and how my classmates were able to support each other as we built them. It was a great experience to follow them using an RSS reader which I hadn’t used before and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the varying perspectives of my classmates. I hope to continue to use my blog to share and collect/organize my thoughts on this instructional design journey. I look forward to determining how some of the Web 2.0 Tools we have explored can be further used to embed engagement, interactivity, and novelty into the courses I am tasked with developing for K12 teachers. The only thing I will continue to struggle with is how to utilize or implement the social media aspect or other user interactions into these courses. They are truly independent in that they can be taken at any time by anyone so the timeframe is open-ended. There is also not an opportunity for learners to discuss or collaborate or for an instructor (there isn't one) to provide feedback; the backend system is automated and the implementation of what is learned occurs after the course is complete and is actually overseen by a local supervisor. I will definitely take all I have learned into account as I keep working on ways to continuously improve these courses and as I participate in other courses in my quest for the Online Instructional Development Certificate. See some of you in those other courses! Farewell!!
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About this blogA simple exploration of Web 2.0 and social media and their applications to education; an attempt to learn how prosumers are shaping the internet and how educators can capitalize on it. ArchivesAbout MeNature grrl; loves dogs, books, traveling, clouds, technology, thrifting, break beats and good beer. |