“The journey is the destination” (Dan Eldon). Learning is continuous and a life-long endeavor, and it is through the journey that we come to understanding the world and new perspectives. With this career, I don’t know if I will ever reach the final destination, but it is where you are heading that matters. My personal fulfillment comes from taking the path that is unknown and challenging, and seeing where it leads. I don’t foresee a dramatic change in my life as an educator from taking OLTD, but I do foresee that it [my life] will evolve and bring about positive change in my career.
The journey metaphor holds true for my work with students; I am not solely concerned about meeting the numerous learning outcomes of every course, but I do hope to see progress by the end of a course. Students, who show progress, are often the ones who are engaged in the material. I believe the most important aspect of teaching is provoking thought and actual engagement. If I want to see that “spark” within my students, then I need to bring new materials, new ways of doing things, and new ideas to the classroom. This is where OLTD comes into play; I have already started drawing upon the useful technology tools and teaching methods from 501, and I am learning from instructors and other practitioners who are on the cutting edge in this field. I imagine by the end of this program, I will have a solid repertoire and understanding in online education to share with students and my peers. From there, I can only guess as to where this journey will take me.
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." (Henry Miller)
The journey metaphor holds true for my work with students; I am not solely concerned about meeting the numerous learning outcomes of every course, but I do hope to see progress by the end of a course. Students, who show progress, are often the ones who are engaged in the material. I believe the most important aspect of teaching is provoking thought and actual engagement. If I want to see that “spark” within my students, then I need to bring new materials, new ways of doing things, and new ideas to the classroom. This is where OLTD comes into play; I have already started drawing upon the useful technology tools and teaching methods from 501, and I am learning from instructors and other practitioners who are on the cutting edge in this field. I imagine by the end of this program, I will have a solid repertoire and understanding in online education to share with students and my peers. From there, I can only guess as to where this journey will take me.
"One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." (Henry Miller)