Connected Learning: Reflecting on My Networked Learning
Throughout the semester, we were encouraged to participate in discussions with our classmates, answer questions during class and in the classroom Discord, and actively engage with our classmates’ weekly blog posts and learning journeys. I made an effort to engage with my peers as often as I could, both in class and outside of class. I think at the start of the semester, I was a bit quiet in Discord, but as the semester went on (especially towards the end of the course), I became more engaged and had the opportunity to help answer some questions. Below are some of the ways I interacted throughout the semester.
Classmates Blogs:
The biggest way I contributed to my classmates’ learning was through commenting on their weekly blog posts. I enjoyed reading about my classmates’ journey through learning projects and making progress on the skill, hobby, or activity they chose to complete during their learning project. When I left comments on my classmates’ posts, I tried to ensure that I complimented their progress, stated if I learned anything new, connected with personal experience whenever I could, and provided any tips (websites, etc) or motivation when it was needed. I listed some of the blogs I commented on below.
Amelia– I enjoyed following Amelia’s learning journey this semester because she is not only one of my best friends but also because I was excited to watch her ASL journey develop. I cheered her on and even provided a show to check out that had ASL present in it called Switched at Birth.
Chantelle– I commented on Chantelle’s post about AI and how she used it to help her pick out an outfit for a concert. I liked the way she incorporated AI into the Justin Timberlake concert she was going to! I always enjoyed checking in on Chantelle’s blog.
Cheryl B– I commented on Cheryl’s post about how much technology has changed over the decade. Cheryl always has great posts and provides lots of help in the class discord as well.
Paige-I enjoyed checking out Paige’s blog because she also crocheted for her learning project. I liked seeing the different ways people progressed through the same skill we chose to learn. This post was about a beautiful flower bouquet she crocheted!
Jenna– I followed Jenna’s blog and left some comments throughout the semester. Jenna chose knitting for her learning project, so I enjoyed checking to see how crochet progressed throughout the semester. In this post, Jenna discussed how she felt stuck with her project. I related to her because I had felt stuck at one point with my crochet project, so I took the opportunity to provide encouragement and let her know she wasn’t the only one.
Class Discord:
At the start of the semester, when we were told about the classroom Discord, I was surprised. I never had a professor provide us with a Discord to communicate in, so I was excited to see how it would be used this semester. I quickly learned that we could use Discord to communicate with each other, ask questions, and share class-related content. At the beginning of the semester, I didn’t communicate much in Discord because I was too late to respond or I had the same question as someone else, so I waited to see what others had to say. However, in the course’s last 1.5-2 months, I started to talk more in Discord and communicate. I attached some photos of some ways I interacted with my classmates in Discord.
My first interaction wasn’t related directly to the course, but I helped answer some questions about a classmate who was interested in becoming an EA. Since I subbed as a Casual Special Education Assistant, I figured I would answer some questions to help them out.
I asked a couple of questions, such as how we should display our name when commenting on classmates’ blog posts, how to delete spam comments, and how to upload a short video to Edusites, as I was having issues with my file being too big.
Finally, I also interacted with classmates on Discord, who shared resources for us. Sometimes, the posts related to the course content, and other times, like below, the content shared was great, such as a classmate who shared about the EYES camp.
Zoom Calls & Breakout Rooms:
The final way I demonstrated networked learning was in the weekly Zoom calls and the breakout rooms during class calls. I tried to voice my opinion, share my thoughts and ideas, and add to my classmates’ ideas whenever possible. The majority of the time, I did this by unmuting and sharing verbally, but occasionally, I would message in the Zoom call chats. I enjoyed sharing my ideas during class because I could collaborate with my classmates. Unfortunately, because lots of these ideas were shared verbally, I do not have any photos to attach.
Final Thoughts:
As this semester comes to a close and I wrap up my weekly blog posts with these reflections, I am happy to say how proud I am of my growth this semester. This is my first university course where I have been asked to reflect back on my interactions in the course, but it is also one of the first courses where I had been provided a way to communicate outside of class with my peers via an app like Discord. The networked learning progress I made throughout the semester is prevalent. As I stated at the start of the post, I started out interacting less in the class Discord, but by the middle of the semester, I began to share more. I enjoyed interacting with my classmates’ blog posts because it was always interesting to see what their takeaways were from different topics, explore the different websites and resources they shared, and also watch them progress through their learning projects. My biggest accomplishment in regard to my networked learning is my involvement in the weekly Zoom calls. In most courses I have taken online, I would be nervous to unmute and share my thoughts and ideas due to being incorrect or feeling embarrassed. However, I felt comfortable and confident sharing my thoughts during Zoom calls. The class calls were a space for us to share our thoughts without judgment. Thank you to all my classmates for an amazing semester, and I wish everyone the best in the future!