Fred,
We also connect with others through professional development and see how others deal with things in the learning environment and learn from them. Thanks for your continued posts in these forums.
Thomas,
We have to investigate our strengths and weaknesses in all that we do in life. It's especially true in teaching. The professional development can help. Thanks!
It certainly allows instructors to see different ways to manage their resources and their lives in general. As we become more tech savvy, it's strange to see that we seem to be working harder rather than smarter.
It allows an instructor to build on their strengths while also reducing their weaknesses. For example by focusing on use of a new tool or software element that could be included in the course or a new technique for presenting material to students.
Steven,
Tailoring training can be timely, but effective. I love to continue to learn, but like you said, it does take time. Thanks for your input.
I think most training is good, just so long as it can be tailored to ones needs – which is not always that easy. One reason I like professional development courses is that usually there is a list to choose from, and one might be more appropriate than the others. But, only at the present time, e.g., the following year another course might be more appropriate.
One reason I like professional development courses is “bad habitâ€, not that it teaches bad habits, but when someone does something too long, they pick up bad habits, and these courses are sometimes a reminder/refresher that you have indeed picked up some bad habits and need to adjust your style. I also think that issue is a time, even professional development takes time, and therefore it must be considered into the overall strategy of the instructor. During a previous question we were asked about time management, I build slack time into my schedule each week, just for this very purpose – I may not use it each week, but it’s there if I need, and if not, it’s like free time ( of course, I have very little of that it seems)
Suzanne,
I'm happy to give you anything I can. There are two conferences I especially like to attend. One is the Quality Matters Conference held in October (I think) each year at various locations throughout the U.S. (https://www.qualitymatters.org/5th-annual-conference-2013-0) and one is the Sloan C Conference held also in October(I think) in Orlando each year (http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2013/aln/welcome). At each conference you will be able to attend sessions that are applicable to online teaching, learning and designing. It's a great way to network and learn from others. I do not personally have a blog, but I do have examples of things I have done with online students (http://www.hrsm.sc.edu/facstaff/tcrews/onlineexamples.html) and I hope they are helpful.
Suzanne,
Great! Glad you are learning new things. The more we learn and work on our workload management strategies, the more we'll have time to do other things. I'm thrilled you are implementing some new things you are learning.
Dr. Crews:
Could you provide us with some resources such as conferences that you would recommend? Perhaps you have some blogs or other materials you would also suggest?
Suzanne
Taking this course has acted as a workload management strategy as I have learned some great ideas for managing my workload through the process of completing this course. There have been some suggestions on formative feedback assessments which I will implement with my next course. Many of the suggestions will help me be more efficient and effective.
Suzanne
Karen,
Right on! Anything we can do to implement a workload management strategy is key. The more we learn, just like our student, the better we can perform. Thanks!
Faith ,
Great. I hope these courses have been helpful in doing just that. Take care.
Participating in professional development courses can serve as a workload management strategy because they can assist the instructor in developing skills that help balance the various duties and tasks. In order to have an efficient workload management strategy the instructor must be organized and be able to prioritize tasks so that everything that needs to be done is accomplished. By attending professional development courses the instructor gets the opportunity to learn how to be more effective which in turn helps to manage their workload.
I find online professional development courses helpful in evaluating my strengths and weaknesses and observing how courses are presented to students.
Theran,
You are quite modest. You have good advice to help others excel in the online classroom. Keep sharing. Thank you.
Inasmuch as I have been teaching for only 14 years I am still a novice, and can certainly learn from others.
Participating in various programs such as this one offers me an opportunity to learn from others, there are those that have been through situations that I may encounter and seeing how they worked through these learning experiences gives me critical guidance. I do like to read the comments made by my peers.
Why not take advantage of these opportunities and strengthen ones WMS? Wouldn't we be foolish not to, and wise to do so?
Frank,
You are right. We learn so much through our professional development that we develop good workload management skills. Thanks for your input.
Participating in professional development courses serves as a good workload management strategy for me because it helps me to gain more knowledge about how to effectively manage the online teaching environment without burning out or over committing my time. Over the years taking professional development courses has helped me a great deal in being successful as an online instructor.
Frank Nolan
Anne,
Ah - I love learning. If I could be a permanent student, I would do that. But - those bills don't pay themselves. Ha! Becoming more efficient in our lives and work world is essential. Thanks for your continued input in these forums.
Anytime we take time out to learn we learn something new. This is true even when we know we won't learn anything new! That new learning element can result in a new way to teach, deliver or evaluate. In our crazy, hectic lives we must look for better and more efficient ways to do our work. We have to seek out those efficiencies from our peers.
