Mid-semester Reflection

As I near the middle of the semester, I feel it's important to look back on what I've learned so far in my Face-to-face and Online Learning course.  In this post I'm going to first discuss how this course has inspired me as a teacher and second, I'll discuss some things that I've noticed about my  use of e-mail.

Online Learning as Inspiration

I will admit I was quite intimidated by this whole 'online learning' idea when this semester began. I've never been one to use a lot of technology, especially in the classroom (except for the occasional PowerPoint or video).  However, I've found that some educational software such as Wimba and Elluminate are pretty user-friendly and fun to use as well.  Most importantly, using this software has inspired me as a teacher.  I've already been trying to think of ways to use not only Wimba, but some of the other tools on Blackboard in the classroom.  I may never teach a course that is entirely online, but I think it will benefit me and my students if I start using these tools more.  Today's students are a lot different than students 10 years ago.  Teachers who have been teaching for quite awhile have a hard time understanding this fact.  They also have a hard time changing their methods of instruction because they are comfortable with traditional methods.  As instructors, we need to be open to new ideas and ways of teaching.   Since we are dealing with students that have grown up in a technology focused era, we should start using more technology in the classroom.  

 "Of course I know how to effectively use e-mail...err...maybe not so much..."

So, I will admit that I may e-mail a bit too often.  I can't help it, "My name is Katie Rasmussen and I'm addicted to e-mailing". I e-mail the students on my speech team at least once every other day (they include updates, reminder, etc.). Some people may not think that this is too much, but I also have to admit that my e-mails can be pretty long.  Since they are so long, I don't think my students read them, which is a problem since they contain really important information. Perhaps I need to make these e-mails less overwhelming and make them shorter. 

Also, I've come to the realization that I may need to work on my e-mail etiquette.  I don't think I'm horrible, but I noticed when I was working with Julie on our assignments how great she was with adding such an excited AND genuine tone to her messages (thanks, Julie!).  I'm always afraid of coming across as corny or fake - this is something I will be working on...