The first module, TEL1, was really my kind of thing. I was already writing about presentation, publication and annotation tools and using them during my lessons, but in a non-acadamical style. I didn’t really know what to expect during IC1. The first session about innovation managed to excite me. I now realize life is full of innovation and we’re living in a very innovative time. It’s a challenge to find educational applications for all these new things.
But how about change? The third session was an eye opener. “Why is assessment needed?” If we are questioning assessment, why not rethinking every aspect of education? Change seems to be a thing I’m less confronted with than innovation. It’s the result of innovation.
I think this module stimulated me to be more innovative and think more about change.
During this module I tried to be innovative and achieve change:
During the module I noticed that the TELIC course uses connectivism and I tried to reflect on its influence on me. I listed the pros and cons:
- the impact of a curriculum is much greater when you discover it yourself
- the creation of a personal learning network is fascinating, although feedback is needed to point the right direction
- Getting feedback from strangers (unknown nodes) is intriguing
- The question raises whether this learning theory is appropriate for every purpose and course. At this moment I consider it as a paradigm in which the teacher has the role of a pedagogical engineer who chooses the right instructional approaches (Hung, 2001).
- I think the tutor has to offer some resources which form the base of the course. The student has to complement with own nodes.
Unfortunately I haven’t been able to attend every session. I tried to catch up by watching the recorded sessions and write on a regular base (2, 3 times a week).
The fact we are in a small group, isn’t always easy. When 2 people aren’t able to attend a session, the amount of teachers is double of the students. And as a teacher I can say that the students influence the quality of a lesson. Something to put on the list of “things to improve”: any interim feedback would be nice. It changes the student’s attitude and motivation and also gives a good confirmation. It would be nice if the Critical Commentary could have been reviewed earlier as I finised it 3 weeks before deadline, because of a very hectic May (had to do much overtime). Although I had to wait for this review, the feedback was very constructive.
Last but not least, I hope I can say I managed to improve my English by doing lot of reading, writing and some speaking.