Eye to the Future

I am standing here on the edge of my Lesley education, looking out at my Master’s degree which is only one course and a few months away. Entering into this program was one of my plans for the future. Looking over the list of courses in order to pick my final one, it was wonderful to see new courses being added by Lesley. The University is actively planning for the future as well.

What course did I choose? Building Online Communities/Facilitating Student Discussions - This course focuses on building the skills and understanding of what is needed to create a supportive and constructive online learning environment through appropriate facilitation techniques and strategies in the K-12 environment.

For an edtech geek like me, this is exciting stuff! To be real, I do not envision myself teaching my middle school students completely online. However, there are components of this that can be brought to my classroom. It would be fantastic to introduce these students to online learning through some activities and projects. Imagine if I could have all the middle school students in my school participating in one online community learning together even as they learn separately in their own classrooms. Quite a powerful lesson that brings to mind the idea of the Flat Classroom.

Additionally, with the rise of prolonged absences (illness, etc.) in schools, the ability to keep teaching and learning in an online community setting could be invaluable. This could be expanded upon and I could create learning opportunities that are fun and engaging over summer break. Students needing extra help could be part of an online learning community with mentors or tutors. Are there activities that students wish to participate in that the school just can’t fit in to the regular day that may transfer well to an online community setting? Would an online debate with another school be possible? As you can see, my ideas for this concept and the future are varied.

Yes, my degree is in sight. This goal for my future is almost complete. Honestly, I will miss the classes at Lesley, the camaraderie of classmates/instructors, and the trading of ideas. My future is brighter and clearer due to having participated here. If your “eye to the future” includes education and you are thinking of taking the plunge, from my own experience I can strongly suggest that you give yourself the green light and jump in!

Note: If you would like to connect – I’m on Twitter as MrsDi

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