The end of the first topic in this course is getting closer. It has been an interesting start of the course, getting to know my group members, becoming acquainted to the materials and trying to figure out how the course is structured. The first webinar was an interesting experience, since I have never participated in such a big group meeting online. I like the break out room function very much; it is exciting to see whom you pair up with! The insight I got during the webinar, is that interaction in large groups online doesn´t work very good, e.g. answering questions in a chat. Interaction is more rewarding in smaller groups.
PBL-work has been motivating and fun. It is
a privilege to have two truly dedicated facilitators. It is rare to have an opportunity
like this – to be the student yourself and have two helping mentors! I though think,
we still need to develop our group work, and find strategies that works for us.
We have been discussing a lot during our
meetings, not fearing to dig deep. We have had both an ethical and
philosophical approach to the topics, discussing how we define and recognize knowledge
in the online landscape of today, and a more practical discussion about
professional vs private appearance online. I think people in general are aware
of that what you share online stays online forever, and are thinking about their
personal brand or reputation. Schools in Finland are quite good at training
students in responsible media behavior. What I personally worry more about, is a
lack of knowledge of what stylistic level one should use when communicating
online or even writing essays. I see that many students have a vague perception
of the difference between informal and formal language.
The most interesting question for me is
what digital literacies I need as a teacher in an open learning environment
online. I really like Dough Belshaw´s list of digital literacies, which in the
picture is presented as elements in the periodic table. The elements summaries the
core of good pedagogy, which is reinsuring since I strongly believe online
teaching and learning has to build upon well- thought out pedagogy. The tools
or platforms we use are important, but they are still secondary to didactics and
pedagogy.
