I can honestly say that 80% of the time I devoted to this project was spent on the ascetics of the autobiography. I spent time creating a background and layout that reflected who I am and my style as opposed to heavily textually representing myself, with which I struggled. I tried to keep my audience in mind when choosing what to include but that seemed to be even more problematic. I found myself asking "Do I really want my students to know that?" and often times the answer was no. As a result, I only included the bare-bone facts about myself that you could probably discover through a standard Google search, my hometown, my education, and my aspirations. I clearly need to work on how to professionally present myself in an online format.
I'm planning on teaching an online course this summer and I do plan on introducing myself to my students in some fashion, however, I'm not sure if it would be in this way. I found Gloggster awkward to use (I was even less impressed with Narrable) and I often thought about how much easier it would have been to create this through PowerPoint. I know that would have been much more limiting as far as the types of media I would be able to include, but I think it actually it would have allowed me to be much more original and creative.
I like the organization of your digital autobiography, and sweet tractor! I liked the direct link between changing your study habits in uninteresting classes and your achievements. Student motivation is a really big deal, and now I wish that I had mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteI realize that you wear and use black and gray for virtually everything, but how does that reflect you as a person? You're very positive, outgoing, and friendly. I think you can do the same types of things in PowerPoint as on Glogster, and then just post it on your course website. I like that approach as well, since I don't really want my digital autobiography to be on the Internet.
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DeleteI can say that the time you spent in the development of the website wasn't a waste. It's very well developed and I think my first thought was, "Yep, Tara made this." Like you I had the same thought of, "Do my students need to know this?" I think that's a solid question to ask yourself. Unfortunately that question will never go away. You'll find that you'll always have students that believe that it's too much, just enough, or not enough.
ReplyDeleteI do have to agree with Jon, in the fact that there is a good flow from you as a learner to an instructor. I think that including how impacted you have been in seeing the grow of your students was a fantastic addition. Showing students that you care is something that has a great impact on them, and it will most likely showcase you as a caring, personable person.
It looks very nice, Tara! Very classy, and Stella looks great. Your background was brief, but still works well. I, too, spent a lot of time wondering just how much I needed (or wanted) to share. I also like how you focused on student motivation. There are a lot of things that we as DBER people focus on, which I think would feel a lot like word vomit to a student reading this, so I think it is a good idea to pick one important aspect to bring to light. I think my favorite bit of your autobiography is how you addressed yourself as a learner. I really liked how you focused not just on identifying your weaknesses, but more so in how you have worked to overcome them. It's helpful for students to see that they could overcome lack of motivation or whatever it is with which they are struggling.
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