June 26

love letter to my students

Hello:

please take the time to read and use the instructions that i took the time to create for you : )

please take the time to view/read/listen to the feedback that i took the time to provide to you : )
please look at the grades area and notice that i have left feedback for you there.

please let me know if you want me to look at some of your work again, so that i can consider adjusting your grade.

please let me know if i have overlooked something.

please help each other whenever you can.

please watch the due dates for the assignments.

please use the course manual to guide your course development.

please enroll in each others’ courses so that you can see how your classmates courses evolve and so you can learn from each other.

please check out the feedback that i give your classmates. you can learn from the feedback i give others.

please check out your classmates blogs. http://www.netvibes.com/alexandrapickett#ETAP640_-_summer_2013

please follow each other in twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ETAP640/summer-2013/members

please view the courses for observation and the presentations and videos.

please look at your blogs with diigo installed. I provide feedback on your blogs using the diigo highlighter and sticky notes features and i want to be sure you see that too.

please don’t post all your discussion posts on the last day or even in the last 3 days of the module. Spread them out over the week/module. Please.

please be patient as i catch up and keep up with you.

please try not to be so stressed about grades. I know it is hard not to be.

please let me know if there is anything i can do to help you. if you have questions or concerns, please let me know. I can’t solve or respond to problems that i don’t know about : )

if you are frustrated or confused with something, or thinking there must be a better way, don’t just sit with it. Let me know. perhaps there is something i can do, or that you can do differently, so that you don’t have to struggle.

You can do this. I believe in you. I am here to help you.

me : )

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June 26

Overwhelmed

I am overwhelmed… there, i said it. It is true.

I am struggling to keep up. I want you to know that even i have had thoughts of quitting!  Especially that first week : ) I get up almost every morning at 3am (seriously) to plow through assignments, posts, questions, and emails, and to solve problems, re-review work and provide individualized feedback. I spend ALL weekend, every weekend since the course opened, in the course. Even during my lunch time.

The problem is that this course was not designed for 20/30 students, it was designed for 8-10. More of a seminar. LOTS of assignments and LOTS of individualized custom feedback.

The enrollments in the program doubled or tripled and i didn’t know. I was taken completely by surprise by it.

I have had to modify things. I have reduced the number of required discussion posts. I have provided group feedback and need to do more of that.

Did i mention that google bought meebome and now i have to find another chat tool and there isn’t one.

Breathing….Module 3 just opened. The discussions are fantastic, the blogs are amazing, everything will be ok.

: ) me

 

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