Hi, you’re doing it right: Introductions

As I’ve explained, I started my master’s program a few weeks months ago. Through an online program, I’ll have a Master’s of Teaching and Learning in Curriculum and Instruction in 14 months. It’s my first time in an all-online learning environment. They’re doing it wrong right.

With the advent of the new school year at SLA, a new term is also beginning for my grad program as well. This means a new course, a new “Academic Specialist” and new material.

They’re small, but the signs thus far point to the idea that Course 2 will be a different experience than Course 1.

I’ve received two e-mails thus far from Academic Specialist 2.

The first was a general welcome greeting us and talking about the University’s move from WebCT to BlackBoard:

See what AS2 did there? That’s right, admitted her own learning in front of us. I actually felt a little better about the move because of this e-mail, and I wasn’t even feeling timorous about the whole thing. (Truth be told, I’m no fan of monopolies, but moving around in BlackBoard is, so far, much better than moving around in WebCT).

Looking at the e-mail again, I realize it’s exactly the kind of thing Harry Wong would support. For the first few years of teaching, I returned to The First Days of School just before the start of the year each year. Even this year, I’ll probably skim through it. I’ve read it enough to surmise that AS2 has at least a passing familiarity with Wong’s “7 things kids want to know on the first day of school.”

Turns out, they are the things I want to know.

The second and longer of the two e-mails from AS2 truly worked to set the tone for the class.

and:

and, finally:

Did you catch that?

Throw out everything from the last class? Check.
No need to find the book, all you need for learning style is available through a web search? Check.

Facilitator, research practitioner working daily in schools, open lines of communication, using the web when it makes sense – in two e-mails, we’re miles ahead of the last course.

Hi, you’re doing it right.