Virtual education is something I have discussed with some of my students, but not something that I had experienced personally until very recently. This summer I am taking a virtual class through UW-Stout, and it is a totally new educational experience for me. Getting to know my classmates in a virtual environment and having class discussions virtually is a new experience for me. In some ways it is like a normal class because we all have different experiences and areas of expertise. Using Google Maps to visual see where everyone in the class is located physically was great. However, I do have to say that I miss the face-to-face interaction of group discussions. I also have empathy for some of the students who took classes virtually at the school I work at because it is a very different learning environment than they are used to, and you have to have self-motiviation and self-discipline to do well. I can see why a few of our students who are more social, and or not very organized individualizes had trouble with the virtual classes.
While reading the posts of my classmates it was a relief to hear that others are struggling to keep up with the fast change technology and issues that arise from using technology in a school setting. Lourdes comment about bring new and exciting ideas back to her program is something I wish I had said in those original posts about our goals. It is something that I always try to do whenever I take a class or attend a conference or meeting.
Webspiraton was fairly easy for me to use, although I have to admit the graphical organizer format in that form does not work well for me personally. However, I really liked the outline format of the program. I could see myself using Webspiration to develop outlines. It is definitely a Web 2.0 app that I will share with the teachers I work with when school starts this fall.
Great comments about starting the class and what you've learned. You dived in and accomplished a lot quickly.
ReplyDeleteMary Alice