Sharing Our Blessings

I’m learning and loving it!

Take a look at my first assignment for #Etmooc,  an online learning experience, part course, part community.

The task was: “Create an introductory post, video, podcast, slideshow, etc., of yourself.  Tell us a little bit about yourself – perhaps, where you’re from, what you do, or what you want to be when you grow up – and let us know what you’d like to gain from #etmooc? A few paragraphs of text, or preferably, a form of visual or auditory media lasting between 30 seconds and 2 minutes is ideal. These are very rough guidelines – feel free to break every one of them if you wish.”

I took the challenge and decided to try to have some fun in the process; creating a voki and finding a way to present an introduction in 60 seconds. It took some thinking and tinkering, but I am proud of what I accomplished.

And, I’m enjoying the learning. For the first time since I finished my doctorate almost 15 years ago, I’m back in class as a learner. Only this time, it’s not a brick and mortar classroom; it’s on-line courses I can engage with on my own time, in my own space, and at my own pace. I’m participating in: Charting a New Direction for Online Learning with Online School for Girls, #Etmooc, coming soon Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application and recently completed #Leadership20Series.

I’m also learning regularly with two very special on-line communities of practice with which I am involved: #educoach and YU2.0.

In our #educoach chat on January 9th, 2013, we discussed: Moving From Knowing To Doing, inspiring me to move from “knowing” that one can easily podcast or vodcast without great levels of technical expertise, to actually “doing” and creating my first voki.

I have similarly been motivated to learn and expand my skills by some recent robust conversation on YU2.o on podcasting and vodcasting including: Why Not Use Avatars to Create Vodcasts by Cindy Zemel, Podcast in the Classroom by Amy Bond, Changing My Ideas About Podcasts and Vodcasts by Elyse Haber, Podcasting in Education: @TeacherCast – A Great Resource by Rebecca Penina Simon, Uses for Podcasts and Vodcasts by Elana Schwarzberg, and Advantages of Podcasts/Vodcasts by Chagit Alpert. All of these conversations on YU2.0 stem from the Yeshiva University Institute for University School Partnership Educational Technology Certification program taught by Rabbi Meir Wexler.

So, in celebration of my steps forward into a new world learning, I want to thank all who are part of my learning journey!