If I had to use one word to sum my thoughts on learning in IT648, it would have to be easy: Effective, Astute, Stimulating, and Yielding. Yes, though its meaning is two-fold, the word easy is an acronym, as I would never imply that this class was not challenging. I have learned a plethora of information in this course from day one. This course was effective because each student was asked to identify himself or herself by providing a word document introduction with an accompanying photo, so that we could get a brief glimpse as to who our classmates were. Also, during the second week, Dr. Wang provided us with a very dynamic PowerPoint presentation that discussed a variety of terms entitled: Introduction to communications, Networks, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. It was so effective that I felt as though I was in a physical classroom, yet in the comforts of my home. Since I am not previously a technology professional, I was very excited to see that she had taken the time to not only provide me with a slide presentation inclusive of quality visual graphics, but also used her own voice as part of this instructional tool. Believe it or not, I have had instructors who simply posted a PowerPoint online with no additional instruction as to the purpose of each slide!
Secondly, the course design was, in my opinion, astute because the learning environment “came to life” at several times throughout the course. For one, students were asked to build teacher websites and although it was challenging for me because it was my first time, I know that this was a real-world experience and one that begins the preparation to practice and communicate with others in my field. Not only did that assignment teach me about the language of web masters and other professionals that assist in web building, but it gave me a chance to experience the language, which is more important than testing on the materials.
Third, I was highly stimulated throughout this course as well, in part, because I was thrown into learning situations that I had never participated in before. As a result, I believe that I could convey the purpose of this course to others who anticipate having to take it. “It is a course that is centered on the study of telecommunication in education, which is categorized as having either synchronous or asynchronous characteristics. There are a variety of tools that can be used to enhance learning in online learning environments and one portal, that such communication tools are used on, is websites. Thus, it is important to have some practical knowledge about websites and website building so that teachers can create online learning environments with websites and integrate their curriculum into various technology tools”.
Fourth, this online course was very yielding because I was able to travel way to Indiana this summer for a family reunion and still keep up with the group projects and discussion. In other courses, I have become so overwhelmed with course articles and assignments, that I really wanted to give up. It seems that some instructors still are unaware that the two learning environments are different. So instead, they try to figure out a way to make an online class more so that of face-to-face instruction. At this point, the benefits of online learning are absolutely lost! Also, Dr. Wang was also accommodating, as I quickly discovered that online courses are more demanding than on-ground courses simply because they do not get holidays, sick days, or any other days off. Because it is online, it is not acknowledged that it still should have the same regulations as an on-ground course. For instance, if the school is closed for the 4th of July, then any online course assignments and/or correspondence should be closed as well.
If I had to assess any weak or strong points in my learning experience, I would comment that I am more comfortable with completing term papers than building websites. On the other hand, probably a big weakness for me was completing group projects with people I still have never seen (except I did unofficially meet Terry in the computer lab on Thursday, but he didn’t know that it was me, “lol”). However, once the tasks had been completed I was able to recognize the value in this assignment: just another technology tool in my instructional design toolbox. I felt that I was strong in my discussion board participation especially compared to previous online courses, although I will admit that this activity requires a large degree of self-motivation. Interestingly though, my motivation increased when I read that Dr. Wang required that we make posts at least by Friday of that week and comment on other classmate’s posts at least by Wednesday of the following week. Rules are very important in situations such as this because I have participated in online discussions that had no rules and students continued to post. In an on-ground class, I would compare this to an annoying classmate who just keeps babbling throughout the semester about what we discussed at the beginning of the first class meeting.
Overall, I really enjoyed the interaction between myself and my classmates. I only knew one person from a previous course, so I sort of migrated to emailing her initially. But once I participated in the group projects, I corresponded with those members also. I do regret not getting to know the other classmates as well, but that is similar to what happens in face-to-face classroom interaction as well. Also, I was pleased with the interaction between myself and the instructor. I felt as though Dr. Wang did not post all of the required course materials and desert the classroom, but rather she continued to play a part in the instruction. I say this because some of the articles that I read discussed student’s views on how they never heard from the instructor again and had to ultimately consult with higher authorities to reprimand the “run-away instructor”. I liked the weekly announcements and messages to let me know that Dr. Wang still had a presence, even though I could not see her.
Of most benefit to me, was my participation in learning about asynchronous and synchronous communication tools. I believe that I used email and the chat rooms the most. Secondly, the discussion board was used quite frequently to post my discussion but I heavily relied on email. I also enjoyed linking my Blackboard account to my email account, because I received all Blackboard emails on my Blackberry phone. No matter where I was, I was able to still know what was going on in class. There are obvious advantages of email. Because it is asynchronous, I could send a message to a classmate or Dr. Wang at midnight, go to bed, and have a response the next day. Thus, when I think about an important message, there is no need to wait until I can physically talk to someone at the same time; making email the most convenient communication tool. I will admit that I rarely used Live Classroom and Voice Board because at first I did not understand their purpose. Live Classroom is synchronous and audio/video capable while connecting all the students into an e-classroom, so that we can discuss any issues. However, I preferred Google chat because it is more familiar to me and more accessible (I can put Google on my Blackberry and correspond with classmates there). I also did not find any benefits to Voice Board until Dr. Wang reported that we could record a message and email it to classmates (again, email is so important). Lastly, I have really enjoyed publishing on the blog. I often invite my husband to read my blog or view other interesting blogs that I have read because this activity, more than others, allowed me to freely express myself about the topic and pose reflective questions, without the formality of posting discussion answers or writing a technical term paper. The advantage of Blogging is that it is my space, and I have the freedom to control posted comments. I can also go back to my dashboard and change my blog if I am unsatisfied with its contents. Therefore, it allows you to publish, unpublish, and modify discussions.
As I previously discussed, I believe that participating in the group work was helpful and necessary in this class because it provided me with an online environment that considered one of the main benefits of face-to-face instruction: social stimulation. I really feel as though, I have met some of my classmates and more importantly that we went to class together. It is also relevant to point out, that had we not participated in the group activities, then we would not have had an opportunity to experience most of the communication tools!
In summary, I have thoroughly enjoyed my online experience in this class. I really appreciate the ease of learning that was created from this design. The class site looks good and the materials are very organized. It also helped, that as an online learner, I had to become organized at home. Therefore, I used a small 3-ring binder to print out my articles, course schedule, and Assignments and Rubrics so that I could stay on task. This was very helpful. Lastly, I don’t think that I could have survived without the tutorials. Even though it took additional time to prepare these materials, they ultimately made IT 648 online feel like IT648, Rm. 156!
Until We Meet Again On-Line,
Roslyn L. Warren
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It was a pleasure reading your course reflection and remembering through your words the interesting learning opportunities we had this semester. I agree wholeheartedly with your opinions about the class. One thing that I really appreciated was Dr. Wang's announcement each week reminding us of important deadlines and things to do that week. I, too, created a binder to keep me focused and on track, but those little extra prods from our instructor were great! Best wishes to you and, hopefully, we'll meet again either face-to-face or online.
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