The Stuff that Dreams are Made of.
I seem to always struggle to find the right words to say that accurately summarize my thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a short and sweet kind of way.
Because this is the last post I am writing for EC&I 834, I will try to condense my ramblings a little bit more than I had throughout the course. Or try to anyway.
The Anticipation of the Unknown Adventure
I’ll never forget sitting at my kitchen table, anticipating the beginning of my first online master’s class, especially after being away from being a student for some time now. To say I felt old and dusty is really an understatement. And boy let me tell you, that feeling of content being way over my head hit me in the very opening ten minutes like I imagine how Muhammad Ali’s opponents may have felt in the ring. I was out of my league for sure, heck, I was probably playing a whole other sport completely.
Impostership syndrome was real and pulling at every inch of my body. I was nervous to share that I had a previous master’s degree, as I didn’t want my peers to think I was something that I am not. I didn’t want to be that person that people thought was judging them, or that people wanted to partner with because they thought I knew what I was doing. It’s been a while since I have taken courses, and I sure felt it. Historical feelings of inadequacy were evident, and pressing for what felt like forever.
However, something that became clear quite quickly was the community of people that were present around me, and that scooped me up, and adopted me into their already tight knit community. I felt welcomed early on, and inspired to be better, to learn more, and to reach outside of my comfort zone and try new things. One of the greatest take-aways from this course, was how I felt like I belonged, and how inspiring it was to feel appreciated, and valued for who I am, and what I bring to the table. I would have to argue that this is something that is rarely established in courses where participants meet only once a week, online and over an extended period of time. The community was built quickly, where people felt safe and willing to put themselves in the hot seat to get feedback, and to share their knowledge with others. Hmm… maybe this would be a good course to study in hopes that the findings would be transferred to more courses? Anyways, just a thought for any thesis and research writers out there.
Not a Homerun, Not a Strikeout, but Maybe a Walk
Perhaps another thing that has stuck out in my brain, is how several people commented on my style of writing. I have to say, ever since I was a kid, I was always told how inadequate my creative writing skills were, to the point that it’s one of the first faults that I share with my students. I mean, writing an essay is easy for me (granted it’s written in the third person), but writing a story is like running an ultramarathon, not even an inch as well as David Goggin’s first one either. However, those comments that took probably less than a couple of minutes to write and maybe in hopes of being kind, have given me a start in the right direction towards confidence in my blogging skills. I’m no mega influencer or even a nano influencer for that matter, but I feel like my boots are on and tied. A win in my book, that’s for sure.
Summary of Learning: Recapped
So, I bet you’re thinking… “come on Ziegler, let’s get to the point already”. I get it… the rambling has started, and the readers are cueing wrap-up signals left and right, and probably every direction for that matter. All in all, this course has taught me more than concepts of online and blended learning and educational technology and teaching tools, but it inspired me to be better, to continue to learn and grow, reach out for help, and to be my authentic self.
To be 1000% honest though, my Summary of Learning isn’t something to call home about. I had bigger, and better ideas for it, but fell short on the skill set to follow through. So, before you watch my video, please keep in mind that this is only the SECOND VIDEO I HAVE EVER PIECED TOGETHER, NARRATED, and EDITED… yes… shocking right? Maybe go easy on me, give me some grace, because to be honest, I am falling short in that category towards my final artifact myself.
Before You Go, Won’t You Stay a While Longer?
This isn’t a goodbye, rather a see you later and let’s stay connected. I have felt empowered, reenergized, and am not quite ready for this show’s curtain to lower for the final time.
1. What was your favourite part of the course?
2. When did you feel like you were outside of your comfort zone, and learning the most?
3. What was one thing that you want to take away from the course?
4. If you could have done one thing differently in the course, what would it be? Why?
5. What are some of your final reflections?
Kelly, I appreciated your honesty in the video. Like all of your blogs this semester I enjoyed watching your summary of learning as it was easy to listen to and had some great information that I previously forgot about. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
Hey Gerod, thanks for popping in. I enjoyed taking a course with you again more than 10 years later! I appreciated hearing your perspectives on things, as you have quite a different role than most people in the course. It was always interesting to hear how you would be able to apply the things we were learning about with your kiddos in a support role. Enjoy the rest of the school year, hopefully, you’ll be able to camp soon!
Great post and summary of learning Kelly. If you study leadership and many successful people, they all speak of feeling imposter syndrome at many points in their lives and careers. I too feel this in many realms, but that is a good thing I am coming to understand! When we push ourselves outside our comfort zones, we grow, we learn, we fail, we learn, we succeed or at least learn more. Also, the people who surround you have such a large impact as well. I agree with you whole heartedly, this class and all involved were supportive, welcoming and inspiring. Love your honesty on this path and super neat how we both chose a vehicle in our final videos! Look forward to working with you in the future.
Hey Dylan, your summary of learning is fantastic, you really took the car analogy and went with it. Yes, feeling outside of my comfort zone happened often in this course, and I really learned a lot from it. It’s always interesting to me how feelings of inadequacy are always evolving, and changing with everything that I encounter. I like how you said, “when we push ourselves outside our comfort zones, we grow, we learn, we fail, we learn, we succeed or at least learn more.” It’s so true. Even if we failed and weren’t able to succeed after our attempt(s), we always can learn something from that as frustrating as it can be. Thanks for always sharing your insight, and congratulations again on your new position! You’ll be absolutely fantastic at it!
Wow! Your video made me tear up! It felt so sentimental. You are SO right… there is something so unique about this class. The community that comes together is like no other!! For someone who has only made 2 videos before, you are seriously a pro. Your video was absolutely fantastic! I was hooked at the car sound at the beginning. You have so many incredible skills that will take you so far! To answer some of your questions, my favourite part of the class was designing our own course! I am someone who learns by doing, so I felt like it was the perfect project for me. At the same time, it was definitely something that took me out of my comfort zone as well. I appreciated your help and inspiration as I created my modules! It was SO much fun to take a class with you this semester. I’m pretty sure we are the dream team. Thank you for everything you brought to the table this semester. You are amazing!
Oh no, Amanda! I didn’t want to make anyone cry, that’s for sure! I too really enjoyed making a course and pushing myself to learn things and use tools that I may not usually use. What a small world! All of these years later and we are now taking courses together, last time we worked together, you were an intern (I’m really dating myself now). I appreciated all of your help walking me through video editing… still not my strong point, but I’m working at it, and will get better! Congratulations on finishing your certificate and leveling up to your degree! 🙂
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for your thoughtful and personal reflection. Even as someone who felt I had a decent grasp on online tech stuff, I also found the existing community and history of taking tech courses together that was evident in our course at first to be intimidating. I appreciated the reminder about using tech tools for a purpose and foregrounding pedagogical priorities rather than what is new or popular in tech.
Jamie, I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one that was feeling a little on the outskirts at first. I’m glad that you also felt welcome and a part of the community too. I always loved how you were so willing to share and be vulnerable in front of the whole group. You always have such fantastic ideas, and you are so creative. You really always went above and beyond, and it was very refreshing the way that you discussed if it went well and if it didn’t. You were always very honest in the class. I look forward to maybe having another course with you! Enjoy your summer!
1. What was your favourite part of the course?
I enjoyed the sense of community that we had in the course. Life has been stressful lately for some pretty obvious reasons, but I always looked forward to spending time on Zoom with this crew every week.
2. When did you feel like you were outside of your comfort zone, and learning the most?
I felt like I was out of my comfort zone and learning the most as I read blog posts about and saw my classmates present their modules. Such a variety of approaches with different pros and cons. It’s incredible how strong this work was, and liked seeing many of us pivot a bit for the second module based on the feedback that was received from module 1.
3. What was one thing that you want to take away from the course?
For me, it’s just nice to connect with new people through Twitter that I would not have normally come across. I would love to pick Curtis’ brain about Minecraft and I love seeing all of the resources that are posted on Twitter.
4. If you could have done one thing differently in the course, what would it be? Why?
If I were to go back I wouldn’t have been quite as ambitious in my plans for the modules. It was pretty clear in designing module 1 that I bit off more than I could chew, and I had to adjust for module 2.
5. What are some of your final reflections?
I’m just very happy that I was able to be in another one of these courses before my graduate journey comes to an end. Alex and the students in these courses are top-notch.