Getting started!

It is interesting being on the other end of 'E-learning in Practice'. This is my first time using the technology as an official student. I now understand my past student's blog-apathy! It is some how less appealing when it counts for something!

Doing a course that is entirely online has, so far, presented nearly as many challenges as it has advantages. In terms of studying whilst working, an online course is fabulous. It is flexible and accessible on my terms which actually makes it doable, particularly when you also factor in a children and happily busy life outside of work also. On the flip side it has been challenging to get started, the online community lacks a sense of real community that can be created very quickly in a physical community such as a classroom. That said, I am starting to feel at home online, and am getting better at navigating my way through the online minefield. This, for me, reinforces my idea that online learning is often at its most effective when it operates as an extension of a physical community (although maybe that's just my 20th century sensibilities struggling a little!!).

It is good also to realise that even as a relatively experienced (some would even say "ICT savvy") teacher, I still have a lot to learn. The fluid ever changing nature of the Internet combined with the speed of light advantages in technology and software (and near instant availability) means e-learning opportunities change and develop on a nearly daily basis. I am hoping becoming truly engaged in e-learning will stop me from ever becoming a teacher who rests on their laurels and avoids change.