Fall Semester Reflection

Do you read your colleagues’ work online? How often? What is it like to read their work? How does being able to see everyone’s work online at any given time change the way you do your work?

I read my colleagues work online a lot of the time, probably once a week I will go through some random blogs and read what my classmates have to say. Its interesting to see the way that different people think and since Blogger shows times, it's also interesting to see how crazy of times things are posted.

How has the publicly and always visible course blog made this course different from one without a blog? How would the course change if the course blog disappeared tomorrow?

Since my blog is visible to ANYONE in the world it is important that I always put my best work up and that it is appropriate. The way people look at my blog alters the way they think of Dr. Preston and of Righetti High School.

Has publishing your work for the public to see changed your approach to completing an assignment? How so? How would your feelings about the course change if you couldn’t publish your work that way?

Publishing my work definitely is a different feeling than just turning in a paper. With publishing the work, you can virtually turn it in any time that day and it will still be on time. I like the fact that this class in basically run online. It teaches us so much everyday.

Has your experience of the physical classroom changed because of the open & online aspects? Where does your learning actually happen? 

The physical classroom is no longer just the classroom for me. I learn everywhere now because of this class. Online aspects are a great thing and it integrates so much more in than just the standard "English" class. The classroom now is a place for me to discuss my learning with my colleagues, whereas before I actually saw things first there. 

You were described in the Macarthur Foundation/DML interview as “a pioneer”-- how do you describe the experience on the edge to people who haven’t been there (friends and family)?

There is no better word for what I'm doing than a "pioneer" We have been through so many struggles whether online or in class and have come together to learn how to fix it. This wasn't easy getting used to but in the end I wouldn't have it any other way. The online aspect makes it so that our class is never ending, even at 2 am., the weekends, or on holiday break there is always someone to talk to.

How do they respond when you describe the brave new world in which you’re working?
What do their responses mean to you? What effect(s) (if any) do they have on you?

Alot of people are very surprised when I tell them that I blog and that my class is run online. When I tell adults this, they think its an act of laziness on the teachers part because they dont have to do paperwork etc. I immediately correct them and say that all my colleagues and teacher has put SO much work into their blogs. Its the place for ultimate learning and a lot of effort go into these things on a daily basis.