Facilitating is a really exciting (if exhausting) part of my job. This is the last week of my third time. The plan is that in January, someone else will join Terri (Amanda) and in May someone else will join Amanda in facilitating. I'll miss it but it is a great experience and something that others will enjoy and learn from as well.
As an instructional designer, facilitating ISWO helps remind me what it is like to teach online and to by empathetic with instructors I work with. It drives home some of the issues they face... participants not understanding what I thought were perfectly clear instructions, participants having a different logic than I do about where course elements should be placed... participants who are uncomfortable or insecure in the Moodle environment and are hesitant to jump in... participants who have emergencies or totally unexpected events that keep them from fully contributing to parts of the course... participants who don't like my choice of readings... and on and on.
It also lets me feel the joy of watching 'aha moments'... of seeing someone (or helping someone) find their way out of a puzzle or problem... hearing/reading all the experiences and ideas related to course topics... being exposed to different perspectives... hearing someone say "Thank you"... etc.
I think ISWO participants probably feel much the same way about gaining insight and understanding of the online student perspective. The experience of being in "someone else's shoes" is a powerful one.
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Hi BJ
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the most useful aspects of taking this course (apart from learning about cool new technologies) is knowing what it is like to be an online student. Like you, I am now able to empathise much more with my students - especially those who can't find their way around the site and don't get the logic of how I've set thing up. It's been a really positive experience so thanks for that.
Lauren