The reason that I signed up for this course is because technology has always been something that I did not know very much about. I almost dropped the course before it even began. That is how terrified I am of technology! However, I feel that this course provided me with the resources that I need to be able to successfully integrate the technology into the subject matters that I teach. I also learned about Access Database and Excel through this course. The Atomic Learning Website helped me understand in better detail the purpose of Excel and how to “spice it up” a little with color. However, the most beneficial part of the course for me was the Assistive Technology Lessons that we did on the web and then the project that went along with it. Even though group projects can be hard to manage in college it is still worth it. I learned so much about AT that I did not even know (and I am a special education teacher).
One suggestion that I do have for the instructor of the course is to make sure that blackboard calendar dates stay current. Maybe all the old Blackboard assignments and dates can be erased? Sometimes it was confusing because the dates did not line up with the dates the assignments were due.
The F2F meetings were great for me because the instructor made herself available for the latter half of the period for anyone who had any questions or needed any assistance. Maybe some people do not need F2F meetings but for me it was the perfect combination (4 f2f and the rest online). It is much better than just total online learning.
I noticed that I began to improve as an online learner from beginning to end. The first few weeks were difficult because I never paced myself and the amount of work that I had to do would pile up until the very last night (Sunday). By the end of the course though I had learned to read ahead and pace myself so that all my assignments were not being done at the very last minute. Even if my submissions were added last minute sometimes I had already spent time looking at it and reflecting and making notes down to help me on the assignment.
My Favorite part of the course was the blog. It really came alive. I added pictures and websites! I feel that many times some of my best work was done on my blog. There is something magical about the blogging platform for me. Maybe it is because it is an open book for anyone to see. Maybe it is because when I sit down at my computer to write that it just flows! I also appreciate the comments from the instructor on the blog posts and hope that she will incorporate that even more on all blog assignments next year with her students.
