As we reach the end of this course, I’m taking a moment to look back on how my initial doubts have evolved into valuable insights. At the beginning, I didn’t think I could contribute to my classmates’ learning. Technology has never been my strong point, and even managing my own learning online was tough. The idea of helping others with technology felt daunting because I wasn’t confident in my own technological abilities.
But as time went on, my perspective changed. I started to realize that as I learned new things, I could share those experiences with my classmates. It became clear that my journey of understanding could be useful to others who were also learning. Whether it was figuring out how to use new software or grasping a tricky concept, I saw that my struggles and successes could be lessons for my peers. This shift gave me a sense of purpose. It made me see that by documenting what I learned and how I learned it, I could create resources that might help others in the class.
This journey has shown me the power of learning together. It’s not just about mastering the material for myself but also about supporting others on their own learning paths. I’ve come to appreciate that everyone has something valuable to contribute, regardless of their starting point. As I look ahead, I feel more confident in my ability to learn and to share that learning with others. This course has taught me that our individual journeys are enriched when we collaborate and support each other, and I’m grateful for the growth and connections it has brought me.
Throughout this course, I’ve helped others learn in multiple ways. I wrote weekly blog posts about Korean cooking for my learning project, sharing recipes and tips that my classmates found useful. I also posted resources and screencasts about app exploration to simplify tech topics. On classmates’ blogs, I left comments to offer feedback and encouragement, and I responded thoughtfully to comments from my classmates. On Discord, I asked questions and answered others to clarify concepts, sharing insights from my project and blogs to support everyone’s learning journey effectively.
Through my blog posts, I have aimed to contribute to the learning of others in important areas like digital citizenship, AI tools, and educational technology. I strive to explain these topics using clear and simple language so readers can build their knowledge on these topics. By sharing insights on being a good digital citizen, exploring helpful AI tools, and discussing EdTech concepts, I hope I had imparted useful skills and understanding. Through blogging about these concepts, I provided useful resources that readers could reference and learn from. I hope you enjoy the short video I created below to summarize the topics I’ve explored during the Spring term. I have included a link to each post on every page.
Quick Suggestion: I found the videos to be much clearer when viewed on YouTube. Simply click the YouTube icon on the right side of each video frame to go directly to the page. Enjoy watching!
Blog Posts:
For my learning project this term, I explored the richness of Korean cuisine. Each week, I documented my journey by writing a blog post in the learning project section of my edusites site. In these posts, I not only shared what I learned about recreating authentic Korean dishes step-by-step, but I also explored the fascinating history and culture behind the cuisine. I picked up some Korean words related to food and cooking techniques. Learning these terms helped deepen my understanding of the traditions ingrained in Korean culinary arts. As I researched classic recipes, I discovered the rich heritage and stories woven into these iconic dishes. Along with sharing my own learning, I shared recipes, videos, and tips so others could try making the tasty Korean foods too. Beyond just the flavors and methods, I aimed to appreciate the significant role food plays in Korean culture. To bring it all together, I made a vibrant slideshow showcasing the dishes I had learned, with a link to my blog at the bottom of each slide so others could follow along. Sharing this rich experience allowed me to celebrate the beauty and incredible depth of Korean cuisine. I hope you’ll enjoy watching the flavorful dishes I recreated for my learning project.
Learning Project Posts:
An important part of our class was engaging with each other’s blogs through comments. I made sure to write comments on my classmates’ blog posts. I was consistent in letting my classmates know that I appreciated the work they did and the ideas they shared. Their insights taught me new things. I was thankful when my classmates left comments on my own blog posts too. Their comments inspired me and made me feel good about my writing. I knew people were reading and learning from my posts. To show my gratitude, I responded to each comment I received. Responding let my classmates know how much I valued their thoughts and feedback. Commenting on each other’s blogs helped us appreciate one another’s hard work and it created a supportive learning community. Below are two videos I created to summarize the blog comments and responses I wrote and received throughout this Spring class.
Blog Posts Comments:
Responses to Blog Comments:
Discord helped us learn together as a class. On Discord, we shared many resources with each other. These included videos, websites, and articles. The resources helped us understand topics better. I learned new things from the resources my classmates shared. I also shared resources that I thought would help others learn. By sharing resources, we were able to learn more than any one person could on their own. Our Discord was a great place for collaborative learning.
Resources Posted on Discord:
The questions and answers on Discord also helped our learning. When someone had a question, they could ask it on Discord. Then, multiple people would try to help answer it. I would give my thoughts when I could. If I didn’t know the full answer, I looked for good resources to share. My classmates did the same thing. We worked together to find solutions by combining what we each knew and providing helpful resources. The willingness to support each other made the questions and answers section really useful. We were able to learn so much from each other. The positive responses and discussions with classmates showed me that my contributions were valuable to our learning community. Here are some examples of the interactions I had on Discord:
Q&A Portion on Discord:
At the start of this course, I doubted my ability to help others learn about digital tools and technology. I struggled with online tools and lacked confidence. However, my perspective changed over time. As I learned new things, I realized I could share my experiences with my classmates. My own journey of figuring things out online might be an inspiration for others who are new to the online world, too. This new understanding gave me a sense confidence and showed me the value of sharing what I learned. Through this class I have discovered the power of learning together online. I saw that everyone has something valuable to share, no matter where they start. By helping each other, we all learn better. Now, I feel more confident in my ability to learn and to help others in the digital world. I’ve seen firsthand that when we work together and support each other, even digitally, we all grow more.
I’m grateful for how this experience has helped me improve and connect with others in the online community. Wishing everyone a wonderful summer!
-Rowena