Hopes fears expectations
One of my hopes is that I will be able to use the course to enhance the learning experience for the Maths students I teach; I hope to do this by using some of the new techniques, I learn and fine-tuning them to be relevant to the Maths course content.
Pressures that may occur are time constraints, competing demands from work, family and the course, and dealing with this in a calm and measured fashion. Their will undoubtedly be a certain amount of fear and trepidation coming from the challenge of producing genuinely interactive resources and integrating these resources effectively into my teaching, such as new computer applications which will have a real benefit for the students and not just be a distraction, or implementing IT in such a manner that it does not improve their overall understanding of the subject area I am teaching. On-line group work is another area I am not familiar with, having little experience of it in the past. Dealing with the potential demands of deadlines in group work and conflicts that may arise over who does what, work quality, and co-ordinating project work are potential sources of disharmony in group work in the future.
Working effectively in groups and ensuring the timely delivery of work of the required quality, up to and exceeding group expectations will be another challenge for me. Improving time management techniques by learning and implementing new strategies. Deadlines are always with us, I think the best way of avoiding pressure here is good timetables, not leaving work until the last minute, working out a day to day work roster, to cover material and to enjoy the content. I have some group work expectations, in that there are certain advantages to group work, I hope that a creative door can be opened by the flow and interchange of ideas, resulting in new ideas, new outlooks, and novel ways of using eLearning resources.
I hope the course will motivate me by involving me in new learning experiences. I am looking forward to working on the modules especially Supporting Virtual Communities. I hope to also enjoy in participating in the development, implementation and final evaluation of an eLearning resource within the eLearning Project module.