Course Reflections

1. Please describe your overall experience in this course? Was the course effective in getting you to "learn about constructivism by doing and experiencing constructivist instructional methods?”

I found this course very interesting. At first, I was very unsure as to how it was all going to work. However, with time, it all came together and made sense. I think that the course was effective in learning about constructivism by doing and experiencing constructivism. We had to research and discover for ourselves what constructivism is and how it works. It was a different approach to an online class, and I thought it was beneficial to learn by doing.


2. Please evaluate the emphasis on collaboration in writing the WikiBook Chapters.

I personally have a hard time with group collaboration simply because everyone’s schedules are different, and everyone’s work ethic and work timing are different. It was hard when I was ready to write the chapter, but no one else in my group had contributed yet to the Sandbox. However, it does teach you to be flexible, and patient with others. Communication is key in collaborating with others, and I think that makes a difference in the final product.


3. Please comment on your experience of others (e.g. WikiBook editors, external experts, other Internet surfers) observing and / or critiquing your writing in the WikiBook.

I enjoyed looking at other’s work in the WikiBook. I was able to be informed without having to do the research for that specific chapter, which was nice. I also appreciated other people’s thoughts and ideas as the chapter author on how to make improvements. It is nice to have another eye to look at your work. As long as the critiques are constructive, it is an important tool to have.



4. Please compare the experience of doing research and authoring a textbook for a class (like this one) versus the traditional way of reading and studying an assigned textbook for a class.

I would much rather do the research and author as opposed to read and study. I have to do the research and write myself. There is no skimming and finding an easy way around reading the chapter. By authoring the textbook I am more knowledgeable about the content than I would be had I been assigned to read and study a textbook.




5. As a result of your experience in this class, are you more likely or less likely to assign collaborative wiki writing assignments in your teaching situation? Please explain the reasons you are more or less likely to do so.

I don’t know if I am more or less likely to assign these assignments. I think I would lean towards less likely, but only because of the age of students I teach. I think that it is a powerful learning experience, and is a great way to combine technology with that. My experience has been ok. However, with fourth graders, it would take a lot of work and preparation. They are just learning how to keyboard and make presentations. Fourth grade is the first time that they have to research and write a five paragraph essay. To add a collaborative wiki writing assignment would be very overwhelming for them, and truthfully, there is not enough time in the day.




6. Please comment about building quizzes and answer keys, and on grading your peers. Did you learn or gain anything valuable from these experiences? Please explain.

Building quizzes and answer keys was ok. I think it is important to have some way to show that you read the material in the chapter. However, I don’t think I necessarily gained a lot from it. As a person already in the classroom, I make up quizzes and rubrics for my students all of the time, so it was not that difficult of a task for me personally.



7. What are your suggestions for improving the design of this course?

My main suggestion for improving this course has to do with the blogs. It was very hard to keep up and find resources and write reflections. The blogs are a good idea, but I think that students should post information on it when they are doing their research for their chapter only. Whatever sites or articles they find will be more useful to them, as opposed to just randomly putting articles just to make sure you have enough.