Cognitive Presence

Past learning experiences and face-to-face interaction with colleagues and other peers had a "consciousness" about it--I/they was/were aware of my intellectual capabilities as well as what new ideas I was putting forth for the task at hand, yet I never considered this to be a "cognitive presence", it was simply MY presence and all that encompassed.  Now, I understand that this same type of "presence" exists in my virtual life online, although in a more concrete fashion, i.e, words and ideas on a page.  This is a brand new way of thinking for me as previously I only used a computer for email, research, and writing docs to be printed!

With the advent of my eLearning classes this Winter Quarter, I'm gaining skills that will assist me in attaining my twin goals of becoming an online instructor and writing curriculum for possible use by other instructors.  Definitely I need much more practice to develop these skills and the easy confidence I believe is necessary for actualizing these goals, yet I'm slowly inching forward.

Connecting with peers is easier for me in person but I am enjoying "meeting" my classmates on line through their words.  I hope/plan to increase my interaction with them as the Quarter progresses.  I'm not overly concerned about any of the academic or social expectations of the course, but thinking about my structuring my Google Profile did give me a bit of hesitation as I toyed with the idea of being so "available and visible" to people out there beyond the privacy settings I establish.

Social Bookmarking

Diigo, the new tool I'm using in both EDUC250/251 is spectacular.  It offers a way for me to connect with colleagues and classmates to share, discuss, and digest educational materials, articles, and ideas.  I have been moderately active on this site for my 251 class by sharing links, ideas, and comments regarding other peoples' posts and can readily see how it applies to the future design of courses I might teach.  A minor disadvantage to using this site is that sometimes the feedback from other readers is not speedy and sometimes others do not choose to comment, perhaps because they did not read an article that I posted.  In a classroom--traditional or online--it would be important to set some type of  time parameter so that interactive assignments dependent on exchange between students using Diigo would foster timely forward movement of the assignment.

In short, this program offers a wealth of opportunity as well as excellent tools that foster online sharing with colleagues and students!  I plan to continue exploring options for its use.

Ahhh. . .Learning. . . . !

I've been thinking about my thinking (meta-cognition) all week.  That stream of consciousness tells me the plethora of new learning I've been exposed to is beginning to make sense.  Reading and sharing posts on Diigo, especially those about 21st Century Skills and Imagination/Play have challenged me in new ways.  I am oh, so aware that in order to transition from my old classroom ways of teaching into new on-line classroom ways of teaching is going to take some hard work.  An ease and familiarity with new technological tools and methods is required.  My motivation is high as I seek to accomplish this goal by interacting with my classmates and instructors.  Their inspiration and leadership are definitely nudging me toward a new level of expertise, although increased time on task is required.  How wonderful to know there is a world of knowledge, new concepts, questions, and perhaps some answers as well, available "out there" through the borders of my computer screen.  It's odd to think that all of it is accessible with just a few clicks!  Yet from time to time, I feel the need to touch base face to face with colleagues, soliciting their perspectives on this 21st Century way of learning.  Such a meeting took place just the other day--it was refreshing to see the eyes and body language of my classmate as we discussed some of the reading each of us had been doing.  Now, when I log in to our discussion boards, it is easier to "hear" her voice as I read her words.  The "connection" has been made!

I look forward to discovering what my "voice" will "sound" like as I participate in the collaborative project module coming up.  I'm eager to see how well my current thinking and past successful classroom strategies will translate into the new on-line classroom format.

eLearning So Far. . . January 14

I have been enjoying all of the learning module tasks assigned by my teachers these past weeks but I have felt a bit frustrated when an assignment calls for group interaction and other students have not posted something to interact with in time to fully complete an assignment prior to its due date.

It's pretty exciting to know that I have Diigo, Blog, and Wiki accounts because just a few short weeks ago, I knew nothing about these.  Practicing with them over time will help me to feel more at ease using them.