My reflection

Ecmp 455 was a great experience for me. I had the opportunity to use tools that I had learned to use in 355, and apply them to other projects, and get more practice with them in 455. I was introduced to many new tools that are free to use, that will contribute to my future students’ learning processes. Tools such as Diigo, and others similar to, have helped me become more organized and eco-friendly, and many of these tools I have found are very useful for my other classes. Prior to this class, I found it extremely difficult to not handwrite my thoughts out, but I’m slowly starting to break that habit. I often found myself writing little notes everywhere after hearing a great quote, or finding a website, and now that I use twitter, I am able to not only keep track of my own findings, but share them with others with similar interests! Collaboration is awesome for education, especially when it comes to educating for education. :)

Prior to this class, I thought Twitter was only used for celebrities, and people who really just liked advertising themselves to others. I know see the value in creating social relationships with professionals, and sharing resources with one other. I am very glad I had the opportunity to connect with others via Twitter, and I believe it is great that I will have the opportunity to keep in touch with these contacts so I may continue on with this collaborative learning process.

This semester I had a class on both Tuesday and Wednesday night, and was therefore not able to attend many online sessions at all. I agree with Dean, that in this kind of class, it is extremely helpful to have synchronized meeting times. I found that in 355, where I was able to attend every session, I could keep on top of everything much more easily, and felt more involved in the class. Although I did watch each Elluminate session after I returned from my other classes, I felt frustrated at times that I wasn’t able to contribute in real time. I could have blogged about the thoughts that came to mind, but I didn’t feel as though my comments were important enough to write an entire blog post about.

In my 455 class, I have learned to accept the fact that there are some programs that I simply do not like, and will most likely not use. I have practically eliminated Delicious from my regular sites, and replaced it with Diigo. Perhaps this is just because I did a lot of research on Diigo, and know how to effectively use it, where as in Delicious, I never really got into it.

I found it difficult to get into blogging again, as I did last semester as well. When I write papers for school, I spend a lot of time proofreading, and editing. Without this process, I tend to ramble on, with very little organization. I also seem to get off topic quickly, and when I’m writing from the heart, I write exactly how I would talk. I therefore found it difficult to make a point to blog every other day or so, because I’m sure nobody really wants to hear my unprofessional ramblings. Additionally, since I felt this way, I procrastinated when it came to posting anything because it felt like I was expected to write 3-4 papers a week for this class.

About a month ago, I started twittering a lot more regularly. For whatever reason, it encouraged me to get more involved in the class Ning, and I started contributing a lot more. I wish I had found this motivation a lot earlier in the semester, because I have learned so much in the last month of this class. The first months of this class, I was a selfish shellfish, and took a lot more from the class than I contributed. Like many of my classmates have stated in their reflections, I was sceptical to voice my opinions at first, because I felt that others were more knowledgeable than I was in particular areas.

During the face to face session tonight, I listened to what others had learned from the Teach Us assignments. I honestly dreaded these presentations, and did not feel comfortable in them whatsoever. During my passion presentation, I felt comfortable teaching, but I hated the fact that I could not see the people who I was teaching. I am reminded of elementary school when I was first starting to learn to write essays. I hated the process, and had no desire to ever write one again. I knew, however, that this process would be crucial for the rest of my educational career. The more I would practice writing techniques, outlines, and such, the easier they were and I was more likely to use them. I feel that this is very similar to using online teaching programs such as elluminate. Although I may hate using it now, the more I use it (because I very well may have to use it one day) the more I may learn an appreciation for its benefits.

Tonight, Danielle mentioned that she didn’t notice the Forum tab on our Ning, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, since I hadn’t noticed the Groups page (and what they all contained) until a few days ago. Once again, I’m not sure how I missed it, but I suppose I wasn’t really looking for it.

Overall, I am very glad I enrolled in ECMP 455, as I feel that I have made tremendous progress in my personal learning. Although most of this came about at the very end of the semester, I am very proud of what I have accomplished. Whether or not this progress is evident, I am not sure, but I intend to continue my learning through the programs I currently use, and sharing that information in my blog. Thank you to Dean, and my fellow classmates for everything. It has been a great semester, and I have enjoyed learning with all of you. Much love.