Now that you have a good sense of the types of online activities and the rhythms of an active participant, what steps will you take to be successful in this program?
I will schedule my time to allow for reading the materials and browsing information online early each week so that I can post in a timely manner and allow time for reflection and further discussion.
I will check in to the Discussion Board regularly to post my comments and to respond to those posted by colleagues. I will advance the discussion when possible and probe for deeper understanding. I will expect my colleagues to push me to deeper and richer meaning in my posts.
If I am struggling with something, I will check in with the facilitators and/or classmates to get help so as not to fall behind. In online learning, I think it’s even more important to keep up with the pace.
How will you be a contributing member of your team? How will team activities impact your time management?
I intend to be a regular contributor to my team’s discussions, tasks, and activities. I will organize my weekly schedule in such a way that I can post and check in on discussions on a regular basis. If we are to get the most out of our experience together, it’s important that we each carry our weight and contribute our thoughts so that together we create products, generate ideas, and create knowledge that is richer because of the group’s commitment and ongoing participation. I expect all my teammates to be as committed and participatory, as I’m sure they’ll expect it of me. In fairness and in the hope of getting the most possible out of this experience, I will do my part.
What have you learned about your communication style? How will this impact you as an online learner?
The assessment designated me as a “thinker,” but that was no surprise. I tend to be very organized, logical, and detail-oriented. My mission when given a task is to accomplish it, straight and simple. (Some attribute this to me being a Virgo.) However, cohorts are not made up of all thinkers or intuitive types and therefore I will have to be sensitive and open to the other communication styles. I think we can provide good balance to each other, as long as some of each style is assigned to each team. Thus, we will not only be learning content, but also how to coexist and collaborate with colleagues whose style is different than our own, which will serve us well in administrative positions in the future when we will surely have a mix of all styles.
Where do you still need additional support?
I may still need additional support with the Google tools, like Google docs and Google calendar. I am new to the Google world, having used it up until now only as a search engine. But in this short time, I am already seeing the great potential of integrating it in the learning environment and thinking about ways to use it with students in the coming school year. I also know that I will have to discipline myself to make the time necessary each day to complete the component activities, reading, and discussions. Other than that, I'm ready to rock and roll!
