Module+7+Reflection

Reflect on how you perceive yourself as an online learner. Are you well-prepared to be an online leaner? Tell us about what you need to improve in order to be a successful online learner.
 * Reflection Prompt:**

During Module 7, I read the online articles about the characteristics of successful online students and how to create effective online learning communities. I also shared by ideas for online teaching and learning on the Springboard discussion boards. I also read Chapter 7 in the Technology Facilitators and Standards book.
 * Description**

From the online articles, I learned that online students have to be motivated and self-disciplined. Online students have to be able to take charge of their own learning and take responsibility for their success. Online learners need to have good time management skills and value a respectful exchange of ideas. Online learners must have the personal motivation and drive to achieve learning goals and be willing to actively participate in a learning community. The success of any online student depends upon his or her engagement with classmates and the instructor and how well he or she is able to apply new knowledge to their own personal or work experiences. Successful online students maintain a consistent schedule and plan time for completing course readings, discussions, and assignments.
 * Impact**

Online learning does offer flexibility and convenience for adult students who are not able to attend traditional classes because of work and family commitments, but students need to evaluate whether online learning will meet their learning needs. Students have to be well-organized and be willing to take risks when sharing ideas with others in order to achieve intellectual growth. Students have to take the initiative to respond to classmates' comments and answer questions posed by peers. Successful online learning communities can afford greater opportunities for discussion between students, since students are access a course at any time and are able to post comments or ask questions at their convenience. Online instructors should encourage students to collaborate with each other by completing group assignments and presenting their work to the entire learning community. Instructors should set up ways for students to communicate using e-mail, conferencing tools, or chat rooms. Instructors should be easily accessible by e-mail or phone to answer students' questions and participate in course discussion boards.

My colleagues on the discussion boards shared similar experiences about online learning. Students liked that online classes were convenient and allowed them to balance work and family obligations, but felt that maintaining a study schedule to complete assignments was essential. Students also shared frustrations when they had computer issues or were unable to contact classmates by e-mail while working on group projects. Many colleagues felt that effective online classes had to be well-organized with clear expectations for students and a wide variety of print, audio, and video materials that would appeal to different learning preferences.

I learned in Chapter 7 that technology facilitators need to work together with teachers and school leaders to create and support modern online learning facilities. Technology facilitators need to be able to provide maintenance and troubleshooting for computing systems and choose technologies that will best meet the learning needs of students and professional needs of teachers. Technology facilitators have the responsibility to install new equipment and train teachers how to use it.

This was my second experience with fully online learning. Earlier this year, I took an online math workshop through the Office of Continuing Education here at The University of Akron. When I took this six-week workshop, I had to schedule time when I got home from work to complete the readings and activities online and post comments to the course discussion page. The course featured audio and video clips from the instructor, along with demonstrations of the math concepts that were being taught. I felt that these demonstrations greatly contributed to my learning. I feel that my time management skills, self-discipline, and personal desire to take risks when learning something new all contributed to my success in this workshop.
 * Intent**

Since it had been six years since I completed my undergraduate degree, I was nervous about coming back to school and the "unknowns" of taking fully online classes. However, I tried to keep in time what made me successful as an undergraduate student. First, I used a planner to write down the dates of all Elluminate class meetings and assignment due dates. Even though my online classes didn't have regular meeting times each week, I set personal goals for completing class readings and assignments and made to-do lists before sitting down at my computer. I wrote down times that I worked my part-time job and had other personal commitments, so I knew that I needed to find other times that day to do school work. I definitely feel that my time management skills is one of my strengths.

One of my other strengths has been my ability to freely communicate with my classmates on the course discussion boards. Often in a traditional classroom, I feel reluctant to raise my hand and share my thoughts with the class. As a child, I had issues with stuttering, which affected my self-confidence. I do not stutter as much now, but it sometimes happens. With an online discussion board, I don't have to worry about stuttering at all. I can type whatever I want to say and just have to worry about organizing my thoughts in a way that others will be able to understand. In an online class, I am definitely more willing to speak up and communicate ideas through writing. In addition to being an active participant on the discussion boards, I also made it a point to attend all Elluminate class meetings in real time. At the beginning of the semester, I wrote down all the dates and asked for those nights off work. By attending meetings, I wanted to show classmates that I was a committed member of our online learning community and wants to fully participate in our shared learning experiences.

Another strength is realizing that online learning takes a little more time and commitment than learning in a traditional classroom. I am able to take the initiative to get things done and plan extra time to complete tasks if needed. I made sure to log into all of my online classes on a frequent basis in order to see if my professors had posted any new announcements or if any students had made any new discussion posts. For this class, I tried to schedule time at the beginning of each module to read all of the materials on Springboard and read the required textbook chapters before commenting on the discussion boards. By planning this time, I could "hit the ground running" and not fall behind from the beginning. Being proactive is definitely one of my strengths as an online student.

Also, I have the self-awareness as a student of the type of study environment in which I learn the best. When I am at home, I am easily distracted by watching TV and surfing the web. Since I do not live far from campus, I took the personal initiative to go to campus on a regular basis and check out laptops from the library or at the Student Union in order to complete assignments and participate in discussions.

There are some things that I do need to improve to be a more successful online learner. First, I need to have the self-discipline to only check the discussion boards when I have the time. There were a few times this semester when I was logging onto class discussion boards just to read what other students had to say when I should have really been working on something else. I have to learn to just tell myself "No, I have other things to get done. I can check it out later." Maybe I was a little too excited about this online learning experience at times. Second, I felt that I could have e-mailed my instructor more quickly when I didn't understand what I read or when I had questions about an assignment. Perhaps I felt that I could figure it out on my own, or I was too accustomed to just asking the teacher in class. In the future, I would like to have a more proactive approach in my contact with instructors. Third, there was one classmate that I found myself judging personally based on the tone of this person's discussion posts. I have never met this person face-to-face and did not know this person before having the same class. I just thought this person's posts were sometimes a little too harsh and could have been more thoughtful and well-informed. I made the decision not to respond to this person's posts, but perhaps I should remember to keep and open mind and realize that everyone has a unique set of personal experiences and values, just like a traditional face-to-face class.