It took me a bit to get start my masters, but I finally took the plunge and ended up in ECI 834. I'm I glad I did. I really enjoyed this class and learned so much. I've had a passion for understanding and infusing technology into my teaching practice for my whole career. There is so much to discover, reflect upon, create, and deliver. I have experienced online learning in the past and I enjoyed the experience once again especially connecting weekly with an amazing group of educators. I have also 'dabbled' with Moodle in the past and I enjoyed developing what I think is a solid prototype (with the help and feedback from fellow ECI 834 classmates, colleagues that have online teaching experience, Twitter posts, viewing classmates prototypes and reading their blog posts, class readings and discussions, and students). There is always room for improvement, but I'm happy with how my course turned out. I hope one day to be able to facilitate an online class as an instructor and help students achieve success in this environment. I believe that online learning is and will continue to be a viable and important learning option for various reasons (location, course offerings, module completion, accessibility, upgrading, training, and more). As a matter of fact, my wife was just accepted into the Nursing Program at Sask Polytech. She will be taking most of her classes online, without this option her ability to upgrade and become a nurse may not be possible. I encourage my own sons to take an online course while they are in high school because I would like them to have that opportunity to learn in this environment. . To be able to experience the discipline, challenges, and opportunities in this educational setting can only be an asset in their future education and/or careers. I have really enjoyed creating vlogs and blogs for our ECI 834 class. I have heard so many great insights and has really helped me reflect on online / blended learning from many perspectives and helped me design my prototype. I have been very fortunate to have a variety of educators / learners allow me to have conversations with them on various topics relating to online / blended learning and my prototype. I recently interviewed the principal of RCSD Online Learning and we had a great discussion on the pros and cons of online learning and some of the unique challenges that this setting offers. Many of the points she made tied into what we discussed over the course of ECI 834. I appreciated her passion for online learning and creating positive experiences for students and teachers alike. I've embedded our interview below as well as a student's first look at the course and his thoughts on my prototype. I've included my complete ECI 834 Vlog / Overview Playlist as part of my final entry as well. I really enjoyed the community of learners in ECI 834 and I hope that they remain part of my Professional Learning Network (already lined up a potential project with another math teacher to do a project with our classes in a couple months). I'm working on my summary of learning project (I have embedded part of it as I have collected and curated many of the tweets I have been involved with the hashtag #eci835 using Wakelet which is an awesome tool) and I'm excited to share what I have learned and meet everyone in person (but even online I feel I made some connections and started to build a few relationships which is a great lesson / experience in itself). I hope you enjoy the vlogs. Thanks.
4 Comments
Dean Lefebvre
4/1/2019 09:07:12 pm
Great job dean. I always appreciate the expertise and suggestions you have offered in this class and when you reviewed my posts. Your continued commitment to developing and implementing what you have learned is admirable. the school system and your students are lucky to have you and keep up the great work.
Reply
Dean Vendramin
4/8/2019 09:11:00 pm
Thanks Dean. I always appreciated your perspectives in this class from the eyes of another learning institution. We share many of the same challenges and success. Wish you the best in your learning journey and thanks for working hard to make the learning experience better for your students.
Reply
4/3/2019 09:22:01 am
This looks great Dean. It looks like you have taken away a lot from this course and I appreciated the conversation with the online principal. What a valuable source! It's been great working and learning with you! I've appreciated your knowledge and feedback in so many ways! Good luck with future courses!
Reply
Dean Vendramin
4/8/2019 09:13:56 pm
Hey Shelby Thanks for your feedback here and on Twitter. You have put in a great effort here and it looks like to me you got a lot out of this class. I'm glad you are now a part of my Professional Learning Community and hope we can do some projects with our classes down the line. Thanks
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDean Vendramin. Educator for over 20 years. Currently Education Leader for Math/Science at Archbishop M.C. O'Neill Catholic High School. Have a passion for all things in education with emphasis on technology integration, assessment, professional development, and 21 Century Education. Posts are articles he has written for the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation monthly newsletter The Bulletin, Saskatchewan Math Teachers' Society The Variable, blog requests from memberships he is a part of, and his own thoughts. Archives
April 2019
Categories |