1. Group work: was it a positive or negative experience? Summarize your experiences working in your group.
Very positive experience! My group worked well together on our project, was great for clarifying other individual projects, and venting about the life of a working graduate student! I can't really say more. We had a wonderful semester working together. I don't know how I would've gotten through without them!
2. Your complaints (a.k.a. whining): looking back, did you have a real reason to complain? Was it about something you could solve? Was it finally solved?
Well, looking back I pretty much complained (whined) about all of the major assignments. I guess I feel as though I did and did not have reason to complain. It is always an issue of time, and although I feel like a graduate level class should be challenging and rigorous, I also feel like there is a lot of time-consuming parts of assignments that are unnecessary to get the importance out of them. I feel sometimes that these major projects are set-up to keep us "busy" and not to really help us necessarily learn more than we would have another way. For example, if we want to use the Intel tools for the PBL, great, but let's only use the tools and not also have to do the other parts as well. We created so many concept maps this semester that my brain was spinning.
3. Triumphs and challenges working in the online environment: after everything is said and done, what is your final evaluation of taking a course in an online environment? How did it affect (or not) your learning and your interactions with the instructor and other students?
Well, this was the first term that I took both an online and in-person graduate course. The experiences were VERY different. Both good and not-so-good. This was also the first semester that I've been teaching full time since starting the program. At this point, I think I might prefer the in-person class. It seems that although you spend a few hours in class, there is about ten times less work outside of class and you are learning just as much. Don't get me wrong, I really learn a ton in my online classes, but the amount of work is so overwhelming, and it often seems like they are set-up to just make you work constantly. I understand it is constructivist and that that means the learner works harder, it is just difficult for a full-time teacher to do so much. For example, I have to finish up my WQ this weekend, and grade 130 tests that take about 5 minutes each. I will probably have to take off work to finish it all. And this is because every other weekday and weekend is also taken up by the other major projects and things that took priority. I will be taking a semester off to regain some momentum and then pick back up in the summer when I have more time to focus on class work. The interactions in the online environment, are actually positive. I discuss more with students via Vista more in the online environment than I ever did in my in-person classes, so that is good! The course is set-up to learn a lot, and I discuss below a little about how I might change some things. I also would like to say that since this is a class to help SECONDARY teachers, I would have liked to see more specific connections to secondary teachers. That is about it! Read on...
4. Were there any factors that enabled or constrained the technology-enhanced PBL process? If so, identify the factors and explain how they constrained or enabled the process.
I guess just as mentioned before, to limit each part to one tool or technology. Choose the Intel tool or a concept map- not both. It just seemed like we were doing the same thing twice. Got the same out of each part, but were doing more work. Just seems unnecessary.
5. Are there any other issues concerning this course that you would like to discuss? If so, please take the time to discuss them here.
I guess I just feel like if we are going to have 2 major projects, and readings (AND moderations), and a 10-page research paper, then we need to take some things out of each part. Maybe take out the implementation of the WQ and just focus on the development of one in this course along with taking out EITHER the Intel tools or the other parts of the assignments that went along with the tools. Like mentioned earlier there is just too much and I feel like it takes away from enjoying what we're learning about. There are other graduate level classes that are a tenth of the work, and you still get a ton out of them. I would just like to see less "busy" work and more in depth learning.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Journal Entry #4
Well, it seems like it's been a while since I had a chance to vent!
First off, what is going well and not so well? Well, lol, Going well: My group is awesome! We work well together and get everything done timely and also always have good end products. Not so well: The constructivist project just is not fitting into my schedule. I am way behind on it, because I spend all my extra time on readings and papers, and postings, etc. This leads me into my frustrations:
I feel like the ETC classes assume you are not working or taking other classes. I feel like there are too many big projects put into one class. I am taking a class in person right now for one of my electives and although I feel like the course work is rigorous, there isn't so much "busy" work. I feel like since we don't meet in class that there is so much to make up for it, but the projects do that in themselves. No need for the moderations and everything. This is just my venting about the amount of work. I feel like it's not that rigorous, just time consuming.
My accomplishments? Well, I did my research paper. I also feel like, although I do not have a life, I am doing every assignment with care and doing it well. (my WQ may be an exception to this, when I'm finished!!!- If I ever have time to finish).
Lastly, my life as an online learner, well, sucks right now. I can't say I have much of a life or at least am not enjoying it. I will be taking time off from being an online learner next semester so I can regain some momentum and have time over the summer to concentrate on classes. I am moving in the next two weeks and that is when the semester is wrapping up, so my next journal will probably be pretty rough as well! I will be glad when Christmas break comes! I won't be doing anything the whole two weeks! :) It's my light at the end of the tunnel!
First off, what is going well and not so well? Well, lol, Going well: My group is awesome! We work well together and get everything done timely and also always have good end products. Not so well: The constructivist project just is not fitting into my schedule. I am way behind on it, because I spend all my extra time on readings and papers, and postings, etc. This leads me into my frustrations:
I feel like the ETC classes assume you are not working or taking other classes. I feel like there are too many big projects put into one class. I am taking a class in person right now for one of my electives and although I feel like the course work is rigorous, there isn't so much "busy" work. I feel like since we don't meet in class that there is so much to make up for it, but the projects do that in themselves. No need for the moderations and everything. This is just my venting about the amount of work. I feel like it's not that rigorous, just time consuming.
My accomplishments? Well, I did my research paper. I also feel like, although I do not have a life, I am doing every assignment with care and doing it well. (my WQ may be an exception to this, when I'm finished!!!- If I ever have time to finish).
Lastly, my life as an online learner, well, sucks right now. I can't say I have much of a life or at least am not enjoying it. I will be taking time off from being an online learner next semester so I can regain some momentum and have time over the summer to concentrate on classes. I am moving in the next two weeks and that is when the semester is wrapping up, so my next journal will probably be pretty rough as well! I will be glad when Christmas break comes! I won't be doing anything the whole two weeks! :) It's my light at the end of the tunnel!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
PBL Journal Entry #3
# Entry 3: Problem solving is challenging work. What have you noticed about yourself during this process regarding each of these characteristics? Rate yourself from 1 to 10, 1 being "not at all"; 10 being "very much" and explain your rating.
* Persistence: "I keep on trying to find the answers or the solutions, even when the questions are hard or confusing."
I rate myself a 7 because the question is so unclear that there are many different possible answers. It is different for every person, so studies vary, but I keep looking for more information.
* Accuracy: "My work is careful, exact, and without errors."
I would rate myself a 8. I am a mathematical person and am very exact and careful. I try to be this way in my work, especially with the numerical assignment!
* Open-mindedness (unbiased): "I am open to the opinions or ideas of others. My views can be changed when I learn more facts about an issue."
I would rate myself a 9 for this because I went into the topic not particularly caring what the result would be. I think I've been open to all ideas and results.
* Talk about your experiences developing a PBL project: is this the first time you developed a PBL project? If not, how many times have you developed one before? Have you used technology with your previous PBL implementations? If so, how?
This is the first time that I have done (either created or executed) a PBL project. It has been difficult and time consuming, but splitting it up within the group has helped. I do not feel that doing something like this alone would be beneficial. The stress would outweigh anything I learned!
* Report on your group members' experiences while you were constructing the PBL project; were the group members' skills and roles in the process different? If so, how? Rate your response to the learning value to the project from 1 to 10, one being not at all and 10 being very valuable. Explain your rating.
All of our group members roles were very important. As team leader, I did much of the organization and everyone volunteered on what they wanted to do and split it up evenly accordingly. Overall, I would say that our roles pretty much intertwined and were not much different. All of us have our strengths. I did a lot of the numerical organization, while Peter and Nancy did a lot of research and editing.
The learning value of this project would be about a 7. Although I feel that I now know how to create a PBL project, it has been so stressful along with the other major projects in the course. It would have been such a meaningful project without the stress of the other project. My view on these courses is one major project, with the writing assignment, and the readings. Two major projects running with the other things in the course just create too much stress to get much out of either of them. I am just rushing through everything and feel like if I could concentrate on one, it would be more beneficial.
* Persistence: "I keep on trying to find the answers or the solutions, even when the questions are hard or confusing."
I rate myself a 7 because the question is so unclear that there are many different possible answers. It is different for every person, so studies vary, but I keep looking for more information.
* Accuracy: "My work is careful, exact, and without errors."
I would rate myself a 8. I am a mathematical person and am very exact and careful. I try to be this way in my work, especially with the numerical assignment!
* Open-mindedness (unbiased): "I am open to the opinions or ideas of others. My views can be changed when I learn more facts about an issue."
I would rate myself a 9 for this because I went into the topic not particularly caring what the result would be. I think I've been open to all ideas and results.
* Talk about your experiences developing a PBL project: is this the first time you developed a PBL project? If not, how many times have you developed one before? Have you used technology with your previous PBL implementations? If so, how?
This is the first time that I have done (either created or executed) a PBL project. It has been difficult and time consuming, but splitting it up within the group has helped. I do not feel that doing something like this alone would be beneficial. The stress would outweigh anything I learned!
* Report on your group members' experiences while you were constructing the PBL project; were the group members' skills and roles in the process different? If so, how? Rate your response to the learning value to the project from 1 to 10, one being not at all and 10 being very valuable. Explain your rating.
All of our group members roles were very important. As team leader, I did much of the organization and everyone volunteered on what they wanted to do and split it up evenly accordingly. Overall, I would say that our roles pretty much intertwined and were not much different. All of us have our strengths. I did a lot of the numerical organization, while Peter and Nancy did a lot of research and editing.
The learning value of this project would be about a 7. Although I feel that I now know how to create a PBL project, it has been so stressful along with the other major projects in the course. It would have been such a meaningful project without the stress of the other project. My view on these courses is one major project, with the writing assignment, and the readings. Two major projects running with the other things in the course just create too much stress to get much out of either of them. I am just rushing through everything and feel like if I could concentrate on one, it would be more beneficial.
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