Transformation - week 1

I think the biggest transformation I have been through was when I changed my teaching style to incorporate online learning. I moved away from the teacher being the expert to a student focus. Having the online component as part of a blended deliver approach has allowed me to open the resources up and allow students to use their life experience.

I found that using the online to support or supplement class room delivery added another dimension to the learning and allowed the metacognition phase of learning to happen smoothly. The students benefited from this blend of learning and were able to add their resources as well.

The students really enjoyed the online aspect and have invited me into the social online communities (face book). It was almost a cutting of the ties exercise, letting go of the reins of the class and letting it develop and run its course. It was a power shift, giving more of the power to the students.

Week One - Readings

Having read through all the information that Shirley has but online is exciting, I have downloaded all of the readings for theme 1 and have just opened a few of them. I have decided i am a now girl and looking at two of the readings that are whole books has just blown me away. Hence my turning to another section of the course to procastinate before delvining into the larger reading. I did decide to start small with the storage readings. Having completed the research subject recently I can see the value of this short one page paper. Back up everything, send it to yourself as an email, but it on the hard drive and on a USB drive loosing any part of your work can be deverstating.

I am interested to see how this subject will run and if Shirley's model of dilmma leading to disorientation and then to learning will work in a group of like minded people. I am going to try and apply the community of inquiy modle (Garrison, Anderson and Archer's 2000) tomorrow with a group of teachers that I am working with to increase the use and embed virtual worlds into their teaching practice.