When we first started this class, I knew that part of the experience was about building community – engaging with classmates, sharing resources, and learning together. I really wanted to be that supportive peer who left encouraging comments, asked great follow-up questions, and contributed to meaningful conversations.
But if I’m being honest, that didn’t happen as much as I’d hoped. Between balancing three Spring courses, work, kids, and everything else life threw at me, I found myself barely keeping up with my own learning. (To say that I bit off more than I could chew this semester would be an understatement.) As a result, I didn’t leave as many comments or interact with as much on my classmates blogs as I would have liked. I’ll admit – I dropped the ball here, and I feel a bit disappointed in myself for that.
The funny thing is, this isn’t new for me. Even on social media, I tend to read and quietly appreciate what others post without actually engaging. It’s not that I’m not interested – I genuinely enjoy hearing other people’s perspectives – but I often just stay in the background. That said, the comments I did leave were ones I put a lot of thought into. While I neglected to follow Katia’s advice on screenshotting all of our comments, I did remember to do so on a couple of them (shown below). Some of the posts that stood out to me that I responded to were Trey’s post about the challenges of tech overuse in the classroom and the importance of nurturing curiosity, which got me thinking more deeply about how we teach students in navigating the digital world. I also commented on Shaunna’s post where she shares a story about students working with seniors, which I found genuinely inspiring.
What I’ve realized through this is that contribution isn’t only about quantity. Thoughtful engagement matters and taking part in conversations, even small ones, adds so much value to the learning experience. Moving forward, I want to be more intentional about showing up and contributing – not just consuming. As I reflect on this portion of the course, I’ve realized that learning isn’t just about completing your own goals—it’s also about showing up for others in the process. That’s something I’ll carry into future courses and professional spaces
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