Week 1, Topic 1, Activity 3 – Vision of Online Teaching and Learning

My vision of defining online teaching and learning aligns with Joksimovic and colleagues (2015) in that the Internet is used to teach and learn through various instructional platforms. The online world encompasses various methods of instruction, such as blended learning, asynchronous and/or synchronous. Personally, I feel that online learning and teaching provide flexibility due to the ability to sign in from anywhere around the world. People can engage in self-paced learning and/or physically tune in at particular times. Furthermore, not all courses are instructor-led, empowering individuals to take charge of their own learning. Online learning and teaching provide options to read articles virtually and/or print them for those who prefer hard copies. Additionally, resources such as videos, podcasts, and online games (Kahoot) make the experience fun and engaging. 

Despite being a learner who prefers in-person instruction, I have more opportunities to learn online. For example, I use social media such as Instagram regularly. I’m able to gather valuable information from experts just by scrolling on an online app. 

During COVID-19, I was in nursing school, giving me first-hand experience at the challenges associated with the immediate change to online learning. I understand that anything new and different requires time, adaptability and adjustment. I found myself struggling to focus during online instruction and lacked motivation to ‘learn’; it became more of an opportunity to simply finish the assignments. As time progressed, I began to appreciate the flexibility, the self-sufficiency and the resilience I built through online learning. 

EDDL5141 Week 1, Topic 4 – Course Audit

The course I have chosen to audit is ‘Understanding Depression and Low Mood in Young People’ on Future Learn. The course runs over 5 weeks focusing on signs and symptoms of depression, healthy lifestyle factors, treatment options and education for family involvement. I chose to audit this course because a goal of mine is to become a full time teaching instructor in the psychiatric nursing program, making this course relevant to my practice. As someone without previous teaching experience, the course will provide me with an overall concise picture of the important information I should be sharing when I start teaching. I hope by auditing this course, I am able to learn about the different tools that are available to share information making the experience fun and engaging for students. Contrarily, if the course does not turn out to be fun and engaging, then I know what to watch out for and/or enhance in my own practice.

Week 1 Discussion – Introduction

Hello! I have attached my canva link to my introduction 🙂

https://www.canva.com/design/DAF5C0se2eU/EMlYs444lBcBnuTKm_-SEg/view?utm_content=DAF5C0se2eU&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

WordPress How-to Guide

We are here to help you create your ePortfolio, so do not hesitate to ask for technical support. To get started on creating your ePortfolio we suggest the following steps:

The first steps:

  1. Log in if you have not already logged in; get familiar with the WordPress dashboard and administration interface. You can also watch this short video for more information.
  2. Remember: When you are in the site administration area of your ePortfolio, you can get tips on what you are doing by clicking the “Help” menu on the top-right corner.
  3. Review your settings, start by changing your Site Title under Settings>General. You need to hit the “Save” button to save your changes. Learn more about the WordPress General Settings area.
  4. Add a new post. You can pick one of the existing categories by checking a box on the sidebar of the authoring interface. You can manage your categories on the right-hand sidebar as well or in the main Categories section of your site. You will need to hit the blue “Publish” button on the right-hand side before your post appears. You may want to review the Post Visibility options if you would prefer to keep your content private.
  5. We have created your ePortfolio with four main pages and a blogging area. You can add more pages, or you can delete what is there. Maybe start by changing your About Me page by introducing yourself and sharing a little about yourself.
  6. You are welcome to change the images and upload your own. Before you get started you may want to watch this short video about using images from Google.
  7. Check out Creative Commons Search, the Wikimedia Commons, and Unsplash for copyright-friendly images. Be sure to to use the appropriate Creative Commons license and attribution for any images you use.
  8. Probably the most common question from students is how to customize the menus on the navigation bar.  You can manage or update your navigation menu from the Appearance>Menus section on the left-hand sidebar. Check out the WordPress Menu User Guide and review this video if you would like more information about customizing your site menu.

How-to section:

Getting more help and information

Take a look at the following resources:

If you have any additional questions or feedback please feel free to contact Thomas Sandhoff in Open Learning at tsandhoff@tru.ca.