I found that overall, this course helped me to realize that there are models of teaching and learning out there that are compatible with my own philosophy, and it helped me to formulate my philosophy in a more concrete way. I also found that the facilitation model used in this course- the attitude of teacher as facilitator- helped me to see how that model works in practice: maintaining a relaxed and creative atmosphere as well as a high standard, while keeping to a specific rubric and time frame.

I didn’t find many difficulties providing constructive feedback. The blog posting system was very straightforward except for the technical problems (at the very beginning, all of my responses were going to ‘junk mail’, and later on Susan had trouble with her entire blog site). I found everyone to be highly professional in their attitude and interactions with each other. I enjoyed participating in the several final projects as they increased and expounded upon the overall theme of online learning- beginning with Arlene’s discussion about online learning in general, followed by other aspects such as possible problems encountered (Jen’s project on cyberbullying), technical processes (Fabian’s project on techniques) and the topic of methodology (Susan’s project on online games), and of course, my own question about researching online sites.

Probably the most salient take-away for me was the exposure to the synchronous sessions; both experiencing the possible problems (timing, technical difficulties) as well as the procedure for participating (turn taking, speaking and reading text at the same time) as well as, most importantly- the benefits (connecting in a real way with the larger group).

In terms of adjustments to my final project and facilitation techniques, although I didn’t get any direct feedback about the weeklong program I put up as my final project, I did get feedback from my students. They all followed the instructions and did the assignments, including posting their results without difficulty. I especially enjoyed the aspect of this course that was in real time and allowed me to create material that was meaningful to me.

I definitely need more practice in facilitating the technical aspects of the synchronous sessions but what I learned from participating in several during this course is that an attitude of flexibility when things don’t go exactly as planned is probably one of the best skills to have.

Adult learning is a whole topic in itself, and the addition of the online component makes it even more interesting. I have been working with children and teens for the past 15 yrs, but previous to that, my first teacher training was ESL training for adults. Adult learning is very specific, there is different criteria, different motivations. I found a paper (cited below) that actually summarizes the various adult learning theories very succinctly as well as integrating them with online learning strategies.

I think there is a place for games in adult learning as long as they are specific enough to meet desired learning objectives. I found the games presented in this lesson worked in that the desire for the information was the motivating factor. In that way, I don’t think a prize was even necessary. The motivation was clearly the gaining of knowledge.

I don’t have a link for it but it can be found in google. Its worth looking up and easy to read.

Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for
online learning design, AACE Journal, 16(2), 137-159.