Online learning and teaching is going to be a new experience for me. I really do not know what to expect from the course, as the atmosphere will be different from a traditional classroom. In my academia career, I have taken many distance courses that employed traditional learning techniques such as memorizing facts, taking notes while watching a VHS show or listening to audiotapes, and submitting an occasional paper to the instructor via e-mail. The only difference was I could take these classes, knowing that the flexibility would be there if I needed it. This was and still is important to me.
After the assignments that we had to complete for the week, I am very pleased to see that the methodology will be primarily that of constructivism. Personally, I found this type of learning environment provided the best outcomes for me. As an adult student, I am of the belief that learning AND retention of the information can best be accomplished through relating personal experiences with the material presented, collaborating with others, and finding out others insights. I have taken several classes in my life that relied strongly on constructivism as the primary inroad to accomplish the course(s) objectives. The collaboration part was the best! I loved asking others how they came up with a solution, what was their life experience that contributed to their answers, and how our cumulative response(s) would fit into our course and career goal(s).
In this course, I hope to become an effective and engaging instructor. I would also like to be both knowledgeable in as many methods of delivering the material that the student needs to be successful and be able to read in-between-the-lines for the student who has difficulty in expressing themselves in an online format. I feel that these personal objectives, as well as other items that I'm not aware of at this time, will help me be a successful online teacher.
