Course Reflection

This course was unique, compared to the others in this program.  As students, we took over the instructor role by creating, facilitating, and assessing the content of the course.  The teaching style of this course emphasized the importance of a blueprint, the teamwork involved in the everchanging creative process, and meeting the needs of every learner.

The blueprint was the core of the module.  It acted as an everchanging mindmap of ideas that turned into a complete and competent learning module. It guided the process of scaffolding, building content step by step, then applying that information. Bringing us back the knowledge of ID fundamentals, such as the ADDIE model, checking every step for understanding, and revisiting if necessary.

I also learned the value of designing with a team.  A better product is built when a variety of skills and talents work together.  I was part of an extraordinary team.  Alicia, my partner, brought with her extensive knowledge of CANVAS, an abundance of learning tools, and unmeasurable creativity.

This class stressed the demand to know all of your learners and create a clean, easy to follow a path to meet their needs.  Creating a module for 3 different programs was definitely a challenge.  Our strategy was to find tools and multimedia that all 3 programs could benefit from, just personalize them for their use.  I feel we succeeded in our endeavor. 

In the future, I am going to strive to incorporate both synchronous and asynchronous activities into my modules.  This course made clear the benefits to both, and the importance of instructor transparency. Instructor involvement produces higher levels of student investment and motivation, creating a positive and effective learning environment.

I am also partial to using videos for assessment in creating future eLearning modules.  I gain a true understanding from Think-A-Louds, by following the instructor feedback throughout the whole assignment.  It is an excellent way to personalize feedback and reach students in a new and effective way.

Lastly, I would like to integrate blogging into my modules.  Blogging can be used as an effectively documented timeline of students progress.  It offers them the opportunity to own their learning by assessing their educational journey throughout a course. Students can gain so much seeing how they have grown as a student and writer, creating an interdisciplinary course.

To keep up with the lasted ID trends and technology, I am attending the Schoology NEXT Conference in Florida this summer.  I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with the LMS and learning new skills to better serve my learners.

I am going to be more active on Social Media.  I am not so fond of Facebook or Instagram, but Twitter and Linkedin can be an excellent way to gain ideas and learn about the latest tools for Elearning from Tech innovators.

I have recently subscribed to the Tech Advocate, Schoology Newsletter, and Ed Tech Strategies.  This will provide me with weekly and daily updates on what's new, what's old, and what I can do to better reach my learners.