Week 9 - Winding Down

Photo on Flickr by Frances Yeo

This has been another incredibly busy week. I focused on finishing the final version of my project report on time. It wasn't easy, as I had to add large portions of text to document what was going on in the classroom. There are all sorts of subtle changes that I keep noticing in classroom dynamics and in the way the students behave in the forum. There was a short quiet period immediately after the course had started and I believe that juggling what we did in the classroom with what we did in the forum might have been too much for them at first. Also, since they were talking to me about the tasks in class, they maybe thought they didn't have to write about them. It had just started to worry me and then they were all back, including the two lurkers who finally decided to participate. One of my students has even shared this fantastic link, inviting everyone to 'travel virtually' and I am planning to take it from there and develop it into a full task. What I find amazing is that her link connects neatly to what we had done in the previous task (describing memorable photos). The general topic is travelling, so the panoramas fit in beautifully.

I am grateful to Luisa and Ricard for their help with my first draft. I wouldn't have managed without them.

I revised my report until the last moment. When I finally handed it in, a strange feeling came over me. I know the feeling, suddenly there is a lot of time on my hands. OK, not yet, since you see me writing this at four AM, but soon.

Soon I will be able to sleep long and I will finally start exercising again. I will see my friends and devote more time to my family. I will have some rest.

I am so sad.

I will miss my new online friends. I will miss my weekly readings and our weekly discussions and our weekly tasks. I will continue implementing my project, but I will have nobody to talk to about it. Above all, I will miss the discipline and keeping my mind busy.

This has been such a great learning experience. I don't want it to end. I am sure every single participant feels the same.


Me according to Gardner

Oh, and this week we did one of my favourite topics - learning styles and multiple intelligences. Lots of great resources were shared and there was a lot to read. There was a lot to think about too. I like talking to my students about how they learn and I think multiple intelligences and learning styles will make a great forum topic in April when we start doing the unit on education and learning. The more they can discover about how they like to learn, the more effective learners they will become. Not to mention the value this will have for me as their teacher.


Me according to Felder

I am a compulsive online learner, so I will definitely continue going from workshop to workshop, learning about new tools. I feel happy online and I also feel happy while I am learning new things. What this course has given me, however, is ideas how I can use technology in my low-tech classroom. So far learning about new tools has been just a hobby, from now on it will be a part of my job. Sharing online resources with my students and forum discussions are here to stay, not just with my intermediate group, but with other groups I will teach in the future.

I signed up for this course because I love technology, but I got so much more than I had expected. I got pedagogy, alternative assessment, interactive classes... And loads of ideas for lesson plans.

The course isn't over yet, so it is too early to be sad. I am looking forward to Week 10 and, after that, I hope my new online friends and I will find a way to stay in touch and, maybe, continue sharing after the course is officially over.