IT648 – Telecommunications in Education Course Reflection

Learning Experience
This has been a class filled to capacity with new learning opportunities. I began the summer with much apprehension and concern over whether I would be able to accomplish all that was involved. When I read the Assignments and Rubrics, I thought, “No way--not with my busy schedule.” But, I did it! I have successfully completed two online courses and am looking forward to starting at least two more this fall. It has truly been an enriching experience interacting with Dr. Wang and my classmates and learning about so many different technologies. The varied assignments expanded my knowledge and understanding of these tools and their application in my own classes. I have already used several while designing the content of my fall online classes at the community college. Creating a Web page was quite a learning experience since I had never designed one. NVU helped me understand the basics of the pages of a website.

Weak/Strong Points
My ability to communicate verbally and in written format is a positive attribute which certainly helped in completing the writing assignments for the class. Becoming better organized and able to manage time efficiently also helped in completing all that was required, not only in my online classes but also teaching four classes. My weak points involved using some of the technology that was introduced. I am very comfortable with software, but the Web tools presented a new learning curve for me. Creating my first Web page was fun. Dr. Wang’s tutorial was easy to understand and follow which made that assignment relatively easy. I know that I have much to learn, but I know so much more than before I began the Web page design. Blogging was also a unique experience since I am relatively reserved by nature. I would write then delete much and rewrite in the early stages, but as the semester progressed, I became more comfortable with journaling in the blog.

Interaction
My interaction with Dr. Wang and with my classmates has been a very positive experience. I have had two previous online classes, but I must say that the interaction in Dr. Wang’s classes far surpasses any interaction experienced before. It was as nearly like a face-to-face class as possible. The feedback from Dr. Wang was appropriate and timely, and getting to know the members of the class, and especially my group, was interesting and helpful. One of my concerns with online classes is feeling isolated from the instructor and the rest of the students, but without a doubt, isolation did not occur in this class. I felt that anytime I needed to ask a question about something, I knew a response would be made quickly. My goal is to make sure the online classes I teach will be as interactive as this one so that my students feel comfortable asking questions and communicating with the other students.

The threaded discussions allowed each of the class members to read the thoughts and ideas of the other members and respond either positively or negatively. Rarely was there much disagreement. New ideas and best practices are always welcome, and much has come out of these discussions. Techniques that each student used in personal experiences will benefit us all, whether their outcomes were successful or not. This sharing of information and experiences is the main advantage. The group interaction was a very helpful experience. Our group met several weeks to discuss our projects. It was interesting to see how quickly the camaraderie developed even though we were not face-to-face. The video and audio chats made me feel as though we were face-to-face in a sense. The synchronous chat allowed us to complete the projects by discussing all phases of them each week. Thanks Group One!

Communication Tools
I cannot imagine how difficult communication would be without the use of e-mail. It has created some issues such as composing grammatically incorrect messages, and messages can be viewed as brusque at times, but without it, communication would return to the pace of snail mail. In this class, e-mail was an immediate connection to Dr. Wang and my classmates. Without it, I think the course would have lost an important element. The Discussions allowed each student to comment, much like an open classroom discussion. Writing a response takes more thought and time, than verbally commenting on a topic, making written responses more carefully thought out. A deeper discussion often resulted. It was interesting to return to the Discussions throughout the week and see the comments made and questions asked and answered.

I only used the chat room a couple of times. It was a simple tool, but because we were not able to use audio or video, it was our second choice behind the Live Classroom. As soon as our group figured out the Live Classroom on the course site, we decided to use it each week for our meetings. Using chat and Live Classroom enabled us to get to know our group members better. It is always preferred, in my opinion, to be able to hear and see the other person with whom we are communicating. The Live Classroom took a little getting used to because of taking turns speaking, but soon we were able to carry on conversations with not too much interruption by each other. I think this was truly a bonding experience. Once I heard the ladies in my group speak, I would remember their voices as I read e-mails from them. Gmail chat was also used. Video chat in Gmail is a tool that can easily be utilized in a classroom. After the initial setup, it is relatively user-friendly. Voice Board can be really useful because it can be forwarded to e-mails. This is a great way to send reminders and announcements without requiring students to login to the course site first. A negative would be if students didn’t have the necessary equipment to participate.

Blogging has become easier as the semester has progressed. At first, it seemed awkward to “journal” so that others could read it. This tool has the potential for classroom use, especially in an online class, because it brings students together by reading the happenings of each week. If the students follow each other’s blogs and respond, it can be an invaluable method of creating interaction. I plan to incorporate a blogging assignment with my hybrid class this fall. By requiring postings on the days the class does not meet will ensure that the assignment is being completed by the students. Just as this course reflection will appear on my blog, it is obvious that much can be shared. It was always interesting to return to my blog and see who had responded and what had been said. I continued to write regardless of the comments, and I realize that not everyone would respond. Sometimes, we read, and there is nothing new to say, or we are in agreement and choose not to respond. This doesn’t mean that it wasn’t enjoyable. I guess just a smiley face emoticon in those situations would be enough positive feedback.

The main advantage of these communication tools is creating channels for student interaction with the instructor and with other students. I don’t necessarily believe that all interaction results in learning, but interaction definitely has a place in the online setting. There are always questions, and if nothing else, not having questions answered in a timely manner will certainly delay the completion of work and negatively impact learning. Some of the major disadvantages of these communication tools are the differences in students’ understanding of technology and the various computer capacities of students. Students must also be encouraged to use proper grammar and punctuation in their writings, whether chat texts, e-mails, blogs, or discussion threads. Some students also will not have webcams or sufficient bandwidth for video communication.

Group Work
Dividing the class into groups was definitely a plus for interaction. It was much easier to have discussions and work in smaller numbers. Even in a traditional classroom, small groups tend to accomplish things faster than individuals. Each has unique talents that can be used to complete various aspects of assignments. Our Group One members provided encouragement and support, and the projects that initially seemed extremely time-consuming and difficult became manageable and not so formidable.

Suggestions
The design of the course was very good with clear directions and tutorials. Listing suggestions for changes would be premature on my part since I am just beginning the ITD program and only have my past experiences as reference. I felt overwhelmed at moments because of the amount of reading and discussion postings, but after stepping back, taking a deep breath, and starting again, I seemed to refocus and accomplish the tasks assigned. I believe the quantity of work fits the level of training involved and certainly would not want to take any course which did not challenge me to new levels of learning.