I will be utilizing PD opportunities online now and in the future. Having a busy schedule with kids and a spouse who also works full time finding time to take a class at the college or at a university would be very difficult at this time in my life. It is hard enough just to make it to the PD opportunities offered at the ISD and its only a few minutes from my house. Online PD is the way to go especially for those with a busy schedule. You can work on it virtually any time, no drive time, don't have to worry about the weather, don't have to line up a babysitter/daycare, and you can work from the comforts of your home. Wow! What more can you ask for. Some disadvantages include face time with an expert in the area your learning about especially if you have questions and concerns that need addressed immediately. Another disadvantage would be class time with fellow people in your field. You often learn a lot from talking and interacting with them. Another disasdvantage is the motivation/commitment factor. How many people start an online PD course and acually complete it. Being online people may foget about it or put it off or don't realize all the work that needs to go into it to complete it.
I would like to see online PD on the various software teachers could utilize such as power point, excel, google.docs, and many of the things I learned about through 23 things but covered in more depth.
This online class was a lot more work than I realized. Was it worth it? Yes - it helped me gain a better understanding of the many things that students as well as other educators are using. The course felt like a college course if you take into consideration all the time and energy it took to complete it. I will use or at least have some kowledge of some of the things I learned. I will be able to hold a conversation with someone and actually have a clue of what they are talking about and may be able to add my own two cents to the conversation.
1 comment:
I'm glad you thought this class was worth the time and effort. And you're right, that without a hard and fast deadline, or a definite scheduled time like a weekly college class, many people don't make the necessary time to complete a class. The need for SBCEUs is enough motivation for some, but I wish we could reward teachers with a piece of technology, like a microphone, or a webcam for completing a class like this. If only I had a budget!
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