Setting up week 2

It's interesting to reflect on how Jim and I work together in facilitating this course.

Firstly, I'm glad that there are two of us! There are twenty participants, which may not sound like very many, but it's surprising how much input is needed to ensure the course is a success. Not only do we need to log in regularly in order to respond in a timely way to postings - particularly in the first few days of the course - but we also need to check that the course is set up correctly, ready for participants to engage in activities.

Even with two of us, it helps to have clear plans as to who will do what, when - mostly we achieve this successfully, but we are human and make the occasional mistake! And we value your feedback on all aspects of the course - the materials, our support, the activities, and anything else you can think of!

Benefits - or otherwise - of e-learning

Just a quick entry, reflecting on some of this week's discussions.

It's interesting how a discussion on the benefits of e-learning has stimulated just as much debate on the potential pitfalls and disadvantages! Being a generally cautious and questioning person by nature, I feel this is a positive thing - it's better to be realistic about it than to assume that all this new technology is to be embraced without question.

I also feel that we need to be aware different teachers' and learners' styles; we can't assume that everyone will take to the online environment.

I am fascinated to know what direction education will go in the future...

The start of a new week!

It has been good to find out a bit about those participating on the course over the past week - who they are, where they work, what they hope to learn, and so on.

As a tutor, I am always keen very early on in the course to ensure that participants feel that their postings are valued, and also that any queries they have are answered as quickly as possible. It has therefore been important to log in reasonably regularly at this stage, so that people can see that Jim and I are around for them if needed.

Before week 1 gets going, I will 'take stock' of the activities in week 0, and make sure that everyone who has signed up has logged in and posted a message - if there is anyone who hasn't, now is the time to check that they are okay and check whether they need any support.

This week, the tasks will be a little more labour intensive, and participants will begin to comment on each others' input more, so the dynamics will change - this in turn means that our role as tutors will change.

Mary

My first posting!

Hello there!

I thought I'd set up a blog for the Online Tutoring Course for June/July 2009! I am not an expert on blogging myself, as I am not a person who spends all my life in front of a computer, and I don't generally have time for such things! But I know many people who spend a great deal of time either writing or reading blogs!

I'll try to record any key thoughts I have as the course progresses - but I don't intend to write too much - only short and sweet entries!

Happy blogging!

Mary