Week Three--Journal
1. I have used the feedback from my peers and instructors in the course to enhance the quality of my work. From my experience in both my professional and academic career, constructive feedback and criticism is crucial for development and acquisition of new skills. Often, the feedback from both the instructor and my peers has caused me to evaluate my thinking more thoroughly, and respond to questions and perspectives that I might not have otherwise considered.
2. I can make my work even better by taking the time to evaluate and analyze course requirements and assignment expectations. Also, I could evaluate the need for the assignment and the impact that it will have on my professional career, to enhance the learning experience that is taken from the work that I complete.
3. If I was teaching this course there are several ideas that I would implement for increasing engagement, collaboration and learning activities. While thus far, this class has been insightful, and I have gained a wealth of information there are other strategies that could be implemented to get the most out of the material presented. First of all, engagement could be enhanced by prompt grading of material. In my previous class turn around for course work was less than 24 hours, and before the next assignment was due I had constructive and useful feedback for completing the next assignment. Also, while the information presented in this course is in its own right, interesting, it would be helpful to see some of these media applications that we are being asked to incorporate into learning, into our course instruction. For example, if the assignment was to create a screencast using Jing, it might be helpful if the instructor presented the lesson and instructions in a similar format.
4. Of all of the learning activities that I have completed thus far, I am the most proud of my lesson planning and ideas that were created during week 2. Multiple intelligences has always been one of my favorite topics and I cannot wait to have the opportunity to teach the lesson to a group of entry level college students just entering the teaching field. The concept has shaped so much of my work, my educational philosophy and perspective on teaching and much more.
5. As an online, asynchronous learner it is often a challenge to increase contributions and exceed expectations for input and assignment submission. As a working mom of three children, a “Taxi” driver for my children, a “medical rep for my mom and a “tutor” for my husband who is newly enrolled in college, my time is limited. However, there is a lot of value in taking assignments meaningfully and using experience and content knowledge to enhance the learning atmosphere. However, for the remaining weeks and for the remainder of my career at Ashford University, I plan to implement a routine to check messages and discussion posts on a daily basis, if not more than once.
