This is the toughest part of the course. I am not as savvy as I’d like to be, but this is why I took this course as the bookend to my education degree. I will admit, I learned wayyyyyyy more from others than I could have ever contributed. I am still learning. In order to contribute to learning in a significant way despite my deficit, I engaged in EVERY small group discussion, sometimes the only one contributing, and was willing to share and bounce ideas off each other–at least to demonstrate there was little risk in being wrong if it got us thinking. I am definitely an IRL person who likes to hash things out, and I probably learn best that way. Perhaps, at the end of all of this, I am learning that to better teach though, I may need to “network” in a more meaningful way. With that said, I approached this component of the course in a similar way to how I try to encourage discussion in class: I pose questions and probe, hoping fruitful learning comes of it for both parties. I’ve highlighted some instances below. You can also view other interactions I collected and linked here in my “networking” Google folder.

Discord proved soooo useful for me. It was my first time using it. Surprisingly enough, I was even able to post solutions to technical difficulties, but only by troubleshooting using the advice first posted by others. A win is a win, right?

I will also add, that I was the first to introduce myself in Discord, attempting to get the whole networking thing going! I read everything and liked all the helpful tips I had tried myself and worked for me so others could easily find what they may be looking for.

Besides the in-class group discussion, blogs are where I think I did my best work. In most posts, I found, used, and shared resources outside of course readings that I thought supplemented what we were learning that class. There were blogs, websites, videos, and articles shared with the class in hopes of furthering our collective learning. Some found them useful haha:

Here are a couple examples:

Like I said, I took the approach I do with discussion and applied it there. I try to be friendly, informal, conversational, but pose questions or perspectives to add to my peer’s line of inquiry.

Here, I suggest planning space for concrete pad even if it is not possible yet to pour because access has proved a problem for our clients regularly, especially in beautifully landsapped yard. That is all getting destroyed if it is not carefully planned prior (not edtc learning, but sharing my own expertise). Again, I share my own experience, but in the classroom:

Here we discuss the connective nature of online spaces, and how that ought to be highlighted in some of these discussion. However, I ask whether Bridgit sees any cons and what ways she might remedy those in the classroom.

I try to link people who are having similar conversation and experiences so they might feel encouraged and seize an opportunity to learn from each other. Below, I noted how both Rowena’s and Avery’s posts focused on how learning can be a shared or communial practice where, as you learn, others come along side and do the same, easily tranfering from learner to teacher. Also, on Anna’s blog, I add onto Kate’s (the other Kate) comment, shifting my initial perspective on weighing pros and cons, encouraging learning from my peers.

Simarlary here, I pose a question in hopes of furthering the discussion so we might learn from each other.

The whole collection of comments and exchanges in our EDTC community can be found here.

Thank you for the opportunity to learn and share my learning!