I've had a difficult few weeks in which I have scarcely been able to do any useful work for H817.
- What I have realised is that if you do fall seriously behind, the complexity of this project and the need to get to grips with the website can be bewildering. So what I have learned is that a project such as this one does need allow for students not to be available all the time. What about a week off in the middle?
- There seem to be problems with Elluminate but our Skype session today was really useful. David and Patrick spent ages getting me up to speed after my absence, and helping me navigate the website. Thank you so much!
- I found it very hard to carry out some of the activities when I was reliant on an iphone or ipad, partly because of lack of internet connection, but also because I couldn't perform some of the functions eg I didn't find a way of saving and embedding the persona templates
- I have always managed to keep up-to-date with my OU work so in fact I think it has been a salutory and informative experience which I will keep in mind when I have online students of my own.
- We seem to be making the Discussion Forum our main vehicle for keeping in touch, and we are also adding Twitter to our armoury.There is also a weekly video conference session
- I have learned that you don't necessarily have to have 100% input into each part of the project and in fact it is a strength of our collaboration that so much good work has been done without much input from me up to now.
- I'll report back in a week, hopefully to say that I am fully immersed and up-to-date!
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John I am very glad to hear that you have had an opportunity to work with the team and get back into the game. The point you make about teams needing to have this sort of flexibility is important, it is never practical to have an entire project stand or fall on the basis of the availability of a single member. What is interesting here too is the stress you put on communication and the need for multi-channel communication with each tool performing a different role within this. One to think more about later and identify where each is effective?
In your earlier blogs about how the Block 1 project proceeded, notably without a leader or clear vision, lookng now at designing here, do you think that it would be possible to design in the same way, without a shared vision?
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I've lost it with my ODS group as well. Sad to say, but it's heartening to realise other groups are struggling with this block.
Personally, I'm finding that my broadband speed is curtailing my involvement in Google Hangouts - our chosen team catch-up forum. Last night I could see but hear nothing. Without the group catch up, something vital is missing, and I feel very much on the periphery. Despite good team leadership, enthusiasm, back up behaviours and the rest of the big 5 etc, without connectivity, your easily stuffed.
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Hope all is well John. Your post has reminded me of something a friend of my parents said when I announced I wanted to teach. "Always make sure you are learning something new every year" It is only recently that I realised she meant not learning new knowledge, but keeping grounded in the real issues learner s encounter in order to be empathetic.