Here we go again. But this final semester of the Online Teaching and Learning certificate program is different than the rest. Rather than reading and learning about the practice and theory of teaching online, we'll actually be developing live lessons. It feels a bit daunting, but kind of exciting. All those articles, discussion posts, group projects and frustrations should come to fruition.
Notice I say "should." Although I'm more comfortable using the technology than at the start of this venture, I'm still not confident I can get it all to work! But I now know that the more time spent playing with the various programs the easier it becomes. As always, finding the playing time necessary to learn is a challenge. But it is vital to make time since developing online courses in journalism and/or political science may very well be my next career move. Tough to say where any of us journalists in transition will land as the news business continues to evolve and devolve. But with all the changes in our field, it is vital to have up-to-date courses available for students. The online environment could be a great tool to help folks keep their skills on the cutting edge.
I don't expect to have a lot of fancy bells and whistles built into my class the first time out. I'd rather be able to run the course with confidence than live in fear that something will crash and I won't know how to handle the situation. Fortunately, I've found some excellent articles and videos to use. Now I just need to trust my teacher instincts and jump into the online environment. I know the first class won't be perfect. But just like a traditional course it can always be tweaked. We are always learning, whether teacher or student.
No comments:
Post a Comment