https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs EDUC 755 - Reading Reflection #5 en-us 2019-07-02 02:14:10 UTC 2025-10-25 23:47:11 UTC hello@padlet.com https://imgglb.padletcdn.com/v13/image?t=g_auto&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpadlet.net%2Ficons%2Fpng%2F1f469-1f4bb.png cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892683 The greatest advantage for my learning as an adult in the digital age has been access to online learning.  When deciding to pursue my master's degree, I reviewed several different options.  Most teachers in my district opt to complete a cohort program through Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS).  This program has many benefits, including AACPS paying your tuition upfront, taking courses in county schools (less driving), and completing your courses in sequence with a group of students.  While some aspects of this cohort program are appealing, I desired more flexibility to work with my busy schedule. I ultimately decided to pursue the M.Ed. in Secondary Education at Towson because of the ability to enroll in face-to-face, blended, and online courses.  According to Merriam and Bierema (2014), The U.S. Department of Education reported that blended learning was a more effective instructional model for adults than face-to-face or fully online courses (p. 198).  These findings align closely with my personal experiences.  For example, the hybrid course I took during the spring semester met on campus every other week.  During the face-to-face sessions we engaged in discussions, participated in activities and had several debates based on class readings.  The online weeks were reserved for online activities, reading, writing, and specific tasks related to developing our final project.  This class structure was beneficial because the debates increased my understanding of the course content, and were not very successful when we tried to compete them online (kialo.com).  Additionally, the online work felt meaningful as it was all building toward a final project and could be completed independently. The online component of the course was also well organized as Blackboard was used to house all of the necessary instructional resources. In the blended learning environment, I experienced the most professional growth while feeling as though my time was respected.]]> 2019-07-02 02:21:14 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892683 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892746 Information overload is a natural consequence of adults being connected to the internet 24/7 (Merriam & Bierema, 2004, p. 200).  In the text, the authors describe how we will not allow people to work 20 hour shifts in a factory, but we often expect individuals to respond to emails, texts, and social media communications at all hours of the day.  This lack of disconnection is not healthy for our brain functioning.  I have certainly experienced this phenomenon as an adult in the digital age and I feel it is detrimental to my learning.  For example, often when I am working on course work for my master's, I am distracted by email alerts on my phone from parents or messages from my students on Google Classroom. This is especially prevalent toward the end of the marking period or during science fair when my students are submitting assignments. I actually had to delete my work email and Google Classroom apps from my phone so I am not distracted from other tasks.  I have also decided next year to set virtual "office hours" so my students know when they can actually expect a response via Google Classroom. As this is a great tool for communication, I want to find a way to use it effectively where it does not hinder my academic studies and my teenage students learn to use the technology appropriately.]]> 2019-07-02 02:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892746 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892801 According to Knowles, adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 53). Engaging in online learning affords adults the flexibility to work and attend school at the same time, which they may not be able to do otherwise. In attending school and working concurrently, adults can easily apply their learning to solve problems in the professional environment.]]> 2019-07-02 02:22:13 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892801 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892817 As many adults in the digital age are connected to technology 24/7, they may fail to engage in several important mental processes (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 200).  These mental processes include physical time (movement) and time in (reflection), which are both key components of embodied learning.  Information overload may hinder adults from engaging in embodied learning processes which refresh and revive the brain, keeping us healthy.]]> 2019-07-02 02:22:25 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369892817 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897274 -Blackboard was very well organized, making assignments and resources easy to find

-Announcements and important course updates were sent via email

-Students were introduced and invited to use a variety of online tools for reading reflections

-Students were introduced to twitter as an academic discussion tool

-Online scholarly article discussions were arranged so students can respond asynchronously 

-Instructor provided detailed and prompt feedback on assignments using Blackboard and Google Docs

-Synchronous online video sessions were provided as an optional support

*This course was very engaging and I feel I learned a lot due to the way it was set-up and organized. Thank you so much!

]]> 2019-07-02 03:02:55 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897274 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897280 -The meeting times for synchronous online video sessions were not decided on as a class. Due to prior commitments, I was only able to attend the first session as this was decided on using a poll.  I would have liked to participate as I enjoy the online discussions and getting to talk to other students. If a course is going to have synchronous sessions, I believe a time should be chosen and displayed when registering for the course (I'm not sure if that is possible) or the polling tool should be used for those weeks.

- While I found the social cognition activities valuable, I always find it challenging to complete group assignments in online classes.  I liked that for the first two assignments we worked with the same group. I would have liked working with this group for longer since we had figured out an effective way of communication and had gotten into a good "flow".]]> 2019-07-02 03:02:58 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897280 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897351 This infographic describes the characteristics and populations best suited for different models of blended learning. ]]> 2019-07-02 03:03:47 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897351 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897633 6 Models of Blended eLearning Infographic - e-Learning Infographics. (2013, November 07). Retrieved July 1, 2019, from https://elearninginfographics.com/6-models-of-blended-elearning-infographic/]]> 2019-07-02 03:06:56 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369897633 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369898082 Merriam, S.B. & Bierema, L.L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.]]> 2019-07-02 03:11:15 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369898082 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369899437 According to the Business Insider (2015), information overload contributes to a phenomenon  known as decision fatigue, where the act of making daily decisions, even small ones, becomes overwhelming. I'm pretty sure I experience this phenomenon any time my husband and I get into an "argument" because we can't decide where to eat for dinner! Contributing to this phenomenon are media companies which use our data to make recommendations (i.e. decisions) for us (think: Google, Amazon, Netflix, etc.).  ]]> 2019-07-02 03:23:59 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369899437 cbresl2 https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369900398 Business Insider. (2015, July 15). Information overload is killing our ability to make decisions. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/information-overload-is-killing-our-ability-to-make-decisions-2015-7]]> 2019-07-02 03:33:40 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/369900398 ltwiss https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/371010100 2019-07-12 22:45:46 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/371010100 ltwiss https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/371010135 2019-07-12 22:46:43 UTC https://padlet.com/cbresl2/52bji9tulrjs/wish/371010135