Blog Journal #9

 My experience as a distant learner has been smooth and just as useful as any other way of learning. I think majority of this successful learning is due to the resources the university utilizes. Being able to use canvas makes it easier to learn because all the information is organized. It has calendars that show when upcoming assignments are due, and has the contact information in tabs so communication with the professor is still achievable. I like distant learning because it allows me to be able to make anywhere my classroom while I still handle the responsibilities of my daily life. The only thing I dislike about distant learning is that does feel less personal and this makes some classes/ assignments feel less engaging. As a teacher, one thing I would do to increase the experience of distant learning is making more fun activities to bring the excitement from a classroom to the students. It’ll be refreshing and give new life to their learning experiences.

Open educational resources are great assets for students and their learning curve. OER’s like open textbooks, course materials, and software like Khan Academy are all useful tools that cost nothing to access. I feel like that is the part of OER’s is the fact that they cost nothing to access and utilize. This helps students reach their full academic potential because not every student is privileged enough to pay for extra help. This article below talks about how impactful OER’s are around the world and the difference they make. In addition, it talks about how these resources serve the world and that they change communities for the better. https://www.oerafrica.org/FTPFolder/SharedFiles/ResourceFiles/36197/33584/33564/Open%20Education%20Resources%20Serve%20the%20World.pdf

The main new skill I learned from doing the two Power Point assignments was how to use my voice over for the presentation. This is a skill that would greatly benefit my presentation skills in the future as an educator or an representative. That on top of the editing skills I already have with Power Point help bring a different dynamic to my work. Another small skill I picked up while doing the assignment was how to insert speaker notes on slides as well. These are little side notes that can be viewed just in case I missed something on the voice over, or to clarify anything that could be confusing.