When I began the EDTC 300 course seven weeks ago, I had very little experience with educational technology and wasn’t actively engaged in social media. So, when I realized that social learning through technology was the foundation of the course …I felt apprehensive and a little ill-equipped.
However, I became excited by the course content: thinking critically about digital citizenship, learning about the vast array of learning technologies, and reflecting on how to responsibly integrate technology into the classroom. This excitement translated into engagement, and I was drawn into contributing to my course community. Now I am keen to continue building my professional learning network.
Over the past seven weeks I’ve contributed to my course community and the learning of others in three ways:
- By being present and engaged during our synchronous zoom sessions
- Through Q&A in our course community on Discord
- Commenting and offering resources on classmates blogs.
Zoom Sessions I participated in our zoom sessions by asking questions, bringing an engaged presence to the ‘room’, and responding opening and thoughtfully to class discourse (both through the chat and vocally).
I took an active role in breakout room discussion, helping guide conversations. I not only contributed my ideas and reflections, I worked to further conversation by offering questions that would carry our discussion forward.
Online Contributions: To follow my growth as a contributor to the learning of others, I’ve documented and reflected on my engagement on Discord and classmates blogs.
>>> CLICK HERE FOR DOCUMENTATION. <<<
Discord When I first opened this platform, I didn’t understand it. When you don’t know how to read the visual language of a new application, every action you take feels scary. Especially when it’s all public.
My first night on Discord, I had no idea how to communicate. I kept posting giant cute animal emojis ….unintentionally. I wasn’t sure what the results were going to be…but I knew everyone in the class would see. Was I nervous.
Yes. Yes, and…
And every time I chose to post a question, it helped establish my place within the community and my comfort with the tool. I found that I actually had the answers to a lot of other folks’ questions…which I hadn’t anticipated. And being able to contribute to the learning of others was satisfying and helped me feel connected to my course community.
Blog Comments Blog posts were one of the most consistent ways I could contribute regularly to the learning of others. I generally checked the Voices of EDTEC300 twice per week, reading and commenting on 2-3 peoples blogs per visit. Sometimes my comments were a simple recognition of what their goals or achievements were. Often, I participated by offering resources, sharing personal reflections or experiences, and offering considerations or questions.
What I found was that as the term went on, I began building more established connections with certain classmates and through their blogs gained insight into who they were and where they were on their own learning journey. This sense of connection is key to building personal engagement and a responsibility in supporting the learning of others. As this term comes to a close, I feel I’m just now developing an established network of learning and am eager to continue building my online community.
Through this course I have developed a genuine appreciation for the importance of a professional learning network where I can gain insights from a community of educators while contributing to the broader online discourse by sharing my unique experiences in social justice and as an artist-educator.