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e-Journey 2.0.
That’s how I’d call the first online listening course held at the school I work for. I had this dream some time ago, but was never able to fulfill it until earlier this year when the administrators at my school contacted me as they felt how urgent it was at that point to offer elearning opportunities for our students and for prospective learners. They realized they were missing an important part of English learners public because they didn’t have the online component. Of course, they’ve known that for a while. However, only then was the group mature and ready to give it a try.
As I was taking some courses at University of Florida, I told them I had already devised an online course for a final course project. It was an online listening course with objectives, weeks, and weekly tasks. They liked the idea and asked me what I needed to teach that course. First, I mentioned the need to have an edtech plan for the school. Planning is certainly an essential part of the game. Then, I told them that I needed technical support to install MOODLE and during the course. I got what I asked for. It seemed perfect and the course was already on paper. So, surely it would be easy to transfer the content to the online platform. Was I dreaming…
Reality is certainly different from implementing. I knew I would have some work, but not as much.
Well, things are never quite what we expect in the online sphere…Just when I started uploading the content, I realized that I needed tutorials for students, FAQ pages, as well as meaningful connectors among the tasks to add the human element to the class. I had to set up a blog, an online social bookmarking space, the forums, the online tasks. All the nodes were supposed to make sense to students in a cozy atmosphere in which cooperation and interaction would be key elements for the class success. Even the tasks, when I started adding them to the platform, I realized slideshows, photos, options of listening activities for students with different levels of proficiency, self-assessment tools were necessary for a successful online venue. I also had to make sure I knew the students from the beginning. So, surveys could certainly give me a clearer picture of my group and their level of proficiency and expectations. I spent dozens of hours preparing the course and joining the pieces of the e-puzzle.
Anyway, as the course moved along, I was pleased to see students evolution, to accompany their interest and motivation to learn. Some of them really excelled and used every single suggestion of e-tool I gave them. An e-learning course must have a direction, objectives, tasks, but there are parts that are “undesignable”. You can only add certain elements as the group progresses. It’s about listening to their queries, doubts, anxieties and providing them with the means to finding the answers. You have to tailor the course for your public according to their interests and needs. Caring is fundamental. Sharing primordial.
What you hear in this podcast is just part of what was a grand finale of this first learning stage for all. Yesterday, after six weeks of intense interaction, learning and sharing, students finally gathered in Real Life with Erika Cruvinel without whom I couldn’t have accomplished such a big job and Paula Pacheco representing the academic Coordination. Both of them were essential in this journey. Paula gave us the administrative support with Isabela Villas Boas encouragement, and Erika was always there with me for whatever I needed, be it some information about students or during our live sessions. She’s my dear partner and friend. Dennis Oliver, another fantastic partner, was online with me. We interacted with students via WiziQ. It was simply a blast. Everybody kept chatting, interacting with us online, and holding their Certificate of Attendance with deserved pride after such hard work. We were all connected and I told them that, in fact, we were connected forever in Ning, our network!
This was that kind of experience that takes us to another dimension of professional development, learning and understanding. What I’ve been apprehending through the online Communities of Practice for some time now was in full use during our course. Although my students, in general, were low-tech highly-anxious students, they started blogging, using online bookmarking, understanding the concept of podcasts and the power of e-learning to achieve their learning objectives. Some still haven’t finished the course, but, I guess, that’s the beauty of online learning, each one of us has an option and can choose our path as we wish and need. Persistence is also a key factor in the success of e-learning, on the side of the teacher as well as for the student. I tried to show them that we learn by connecting, sharing, collaborating with others. I reached them in different ways, but if just some of them see the power of the Web 2.0, my mission will have been accomplished and there will be more people joining me in this Journey 2.0!
I’m thankful for having had the chance to fully use the Web 2.0 potential and show the way to my learners together with the invaluable help of my partners, Erika and Dennis. That’s what really matters.
I learned in 2007 that no matter which e-tools you’re using, your human touch to the online environment is still what matters the most to create a meeting place that is inviting, that makes students comfortable to try out, a place in which they know they will have supportive feedback, that they will be heard. No matter what your approach is to teaching and learning online, the moderator’s facilitation can cause an impact on the learners if there’s a sense of confidence and understanding of difficulties to overcome. If dialog is established and the process is fed by feedback, then people are connected in a magic 2.0 fashion!
Now, back to Ning, my treasure of 2007, to keep sharing and learning with this fantastic group of cheerful learners!

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This post is in response to Learning Circuits Blog question: What did you learn about learning in 2007?