eLearning is transforming the way students are learning, teachers are teaching, businesses are run and the way people are relating to each other. It is transforming education, business, relationships and society. A dramatic human and technological revolution is unfolding before our eyes as we integrate eLearning technologies seamlessly into our daily lives. Each day eLearning technologies are helping students construct new knowledge, teachers faciliate and motivate dynamic learning communities, consumers buy and sell products and services and creative entrepreneurs serve their clients more effectively. eLearning is the engine that is fueling and transforming the way we think, learn, interact, work, conduct business, communicate, and serve others. This is a phenomenal time to be alive and we now have unparalleled opportunities to solve many of our world's problems and to live more productive, rich, fulfilling lives. I invite you to share your story about how eLearning is improving the quality of your life and the lives of those you love and care so much about. Again, WELCOME to eLearning 2.0!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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5 comments:
After reading your welcome and the first two parts of your experience of entering the realm of e-learning, I'm amazed at how similar our experiences have been. Like you, I was looking for work, though I had left the "ivory tower" more than a decade before for non-profit work at the side of my husband.
However, he was sent overseas by his company and I was in the Heartland, where I grew up, caring for parents and grandparents in their senior years.
Our 50+ venture into the online world of e-learning began with doubts and now, only a few years later, has filled both of us with hope!
I'm glad to see your desire for "authenticity" in teaching and your self-inquiry about how this authenticity can change us, our profession and our world.
Hi Susan,
Yes, it does sound like we have had very similar experiences. I have talked to others with equally similar experiences. This is so great that we are finding each other and discovering we have the same ideas, hopes and visions for learning and education. Please pass the word around to your friends and colleagues. I hope you become a regular commenter on this blog. Please consider it yours to post your thoughts, as well. Others do read the comments of others.
Welcome Susan!
Diane
I have only recently found the work that helps make my life full. I knew I wanted to teach but was not happy teaching EAL. I was also not happy teaching in public schools and taught in private settings for five years before reluctantly returning to public schools three years ago. At that time I was offered the postion of art teacher as soon as the then art teacher retired. I began this journey last year and feel I have found my place in the world of work.
The classes I am taking with you are not only my first in ten years, but are also my first on-line. I was almost sure that I would take one class and find navigating the on-line world much too complicated and move on to other things.
I am still challenged but these classes have offered me a chance at improvement in my teaching that I would otherwise not have. I have learned more in just one class than I could have pieced together in a year or more of teaching. I find the on-line classes to be difficult in that all communication is written. The slowness of that is also helpful in that I can truly think about my responses and the responses of others. I have made friends in class just as I would in a regular classroom and learned from everyone involved. Most importantly, I now have an opportunity that I would not have had 10 years ago and it has a direct impact on my teaching and the learning experience my students have. That is most important to me at this stage.
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for sharing your story. I am glad the online learning experience is helping you to learn some useful and practical ideas, practices, methods and philosophies that you can apply to your work as an art teacher. Initially, I thought I was making the class easier this fall...it seems I have made it harder by including all of the resources for people to review.
I shouldn't be surprised. It is my nature to make things more complex. I hope people feel they can take what they need and leave the rest. I also hope they are all learning. I am somewhat disappointed in the replies to the posts and would like to encourage more substantive replies.
I wonder if you have some insights on this. Do you suppose all of the resources are taking time away from the replies and people are just doing the best they can? How can an online teacher know how much is too much? I guess I am asking for your thoughts. We are in a learning community and hope we can discuss this. Feel free to contact me via email if you prefer.
Diane
Diane,
I can only speak for myself in this. This is my second attempt at making this post. I'm not sure why I couldn't sign in the last time. I have opened a new account again with the same information and it is working.
I guess these are the things that are difficult for those of us who are still learning. I spend a lot of time redoing things because I just don't know what I'm doing and I'm learning the hard way.
As far as the posts are concerned, my posts are not what they were in the summer because I am back to teaching. The reality for me is that my district has scheduled madatory 9 hour days with 8 classes. That means that I teach 7 classes and have four preps. With all that going on plus the the big events like Pioneer Days and writing of grants first thing in the year, my time is limited. I still feel strongly about the class and am learning a lot, but I don't have the time I had this summer.
I did have an assignment where I was to report on 13 web sites. That was very difficult to do and took a great deal of time. I didn't get the comments on that work either and I feel it could have been that there were just too many of them.
Having said that, I also feel that I learned a lot from that assignment and will use that information. In fact I already have. I would not take the time to do it if it were not an assignment so I'm glad to do it for class. My teaching will improve this year and every other year as I incorporate this information in my plans. In fact, I am taking the Roland book to my assistant superintendant to talk to her about how I can work with the restrictions we have on the internet and still incorporate what I am learning and so excited about.
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