This is not news but…a very interesting and extremely useful component of on-line learning is the flexibility to watch & learn on your own schedule. Also, to stop a lecture or interview to listen again and/or to reflect on what is being said.
Erin Bush’s advice to rethink the syllabus caused me to ‘rethink’ the way I am thinking about Learning Objectives. I have been considering learning objectives as a checklist rather than a scaffold. My process had been to designing a course and then return to the objectives to assure they were all being met. However, thinking about objectives as “engagements” and then layering them into a course in a novel idea for me. Her reflections on considering what resources she would have to create, also stimulated my thinking regarding how I am approaching resources. These considerations will be impacting how I design my fall courses.
The challenges expressed by Wieringa and Sharp, were similar to the issues that stimulated my interest in the George Mason Digital Public Humanities course. Their goal of practice, which mirrors my own concern with developing historical writing, helped me recognize that shorter length and greater diversity (actually lowering what was demanded in each assignment) might help meet the ultimate goal in a more realistic fashion.
Examples and interpretive styles demonstrated in the Hardy, Swain and Pethel & Gris interviews have expanded my awareness of tools. Specific application and adaptation of: Smithsonian resources, guides that others have created and utilization of the wider array of primary and secondary sources online; will need development. The stimulation renews my enthusiasm and energy for thinking more carefully about the essence of teaching and learning.
I appreciated Andris Straumanis’ reflection, not so much for new ideas, but significant disciplinary insights. His comment on helping students understand the role of poetry in 19th Century journalism reminds us of teaching the details of historical context. His recognition of the significance of working with other students in this course reminds us of the importance of collaboration, not only with fellow students, but with colleagues inside and outside of our disciplines. As internet resources become vaster and we collaborate on-line with other experts in our own areas, it is important to remember that talking with people and listening to the experience of others can profoundly impact our awareness.
