Where Did Week One Go???

The first week of class went by in a blur! I am still trying to figure out how to link videos and other material into the course room. I could not get access to myeducationlab.com during the first week of school. That was a major issue. Finally, I got the right access code and it made things much easier.

I realize that I love online education as an instructor. Yet, I hate the distractions that drain my time. I cannot sit with the television on while working on my materials. People call all the time because they figure you are not doing anything that requires a great deal of energy and focus. I also found it DIFFICULT to get an "active" chat session during online my first "Online Live Wednesdays". I signed in the course room and expected to be hit with a few emails instantly. Yet, it was dead. I also changed the way I wanted my assignment to be submitted so I could "chat" with the students. That caused a great deal of confusion. During the morning live sessions some students signed in the chat room, but they signed out a second later. I found it very frustrating to use the chat tool in that manner. Therefore, I am going to try something new this week with Chat. We are going to have one set time and day for everyone to chat with me live. I want to see if I can reach more students in this manner.

I received tons of emails from students regarding the textbook dilemma. The bookstore switched the editions of the textbook and I was clueless to that fact. Luckily, I found out a couple of days before the course started but I had already put the information on my orientation and syllabus. I was able to address the issue in the course room, but it was a mess. To my surprise, some of the students had not purchased their books the first week of school. They found it difficult to do the reading and felt they needed extra time to get the assignment complete. They did not realize that the first assignment for a grade did not require a book.

I tried to make the first class discussion topic one that did not require a book and would be interesting. I wanted the students to realize that each of them knows an exceptional learner. I enjoyed reading the responses to the class discussion. Students were very open and disclosed sensitive information. The students' responses helped everyone get a glimpse into the other students' lives.

Well, that is is for this week. I am going to blog once a week instead of daily. Time goes by fast when you are exploring a new world.

Professor Pope

Skyping

I just joined SKYPE. I am excited about the possibility of meeting with my students this summer via this online interactive tool. I also created an account on Google Buzz. At this time, I do not have any followers, but my goal is to have 100 followers by August 2010.

Changing Directions

Today, I am changing the direction of my career. I am focusing on teaching distance education classes. I am a little nervous because the entire format of the class is my responsibility. However, the freedom that I will gain with the change outweighs my fears.

I will continue to use this format as a method to express my thoughts on several topics including adoption, education, and politics.