It is the wee hours of the morning, the house is quiet and the white glom of the full hunter moon is shining in through the windows. I have been quietly sitting in the shadow of the moonlight reflecting on the journey I have taken during the course of this series of online teaching classes.
Before this class I was content to be an attentive member of the online audience, content to listen and learn as the melodious strains of harmony from the orchestration of good online instruction floated past my ears and engaged all of my senses. I recognized the beauty of the music of effective cyber teaching/learning when all of the sounds of the instruments are brought together in a near perfect balance by the conductor/teacher.
I have listened and learned from many different maestros of the online environment, all the time constructing my own melody of learning in the recesses of my mind. This music I wish to create for interpretation by a potential audience of students haunts my mind now day and night. It must evoke emotion yet elicit learning. It must strike a chord with the listeners that will spirit them forward long after the performance has stopped.
When I came to this third cyber class, I was asked to move from my comfortable seat in the audience and step onto the platform, assume the podium and pick up the baton to conduct the orchestration of my very first original composition ---my own symphony of cyber learning. As I now stand on the podium, I know that as conductor I have been given access to all of the complements of a successful orchestra. The resources, the technological tools, the able assistance of the maestro and the knowledge that I have gained from others while listening from my seat in the audience are all freely available and await the movement of my baton.
My role has changed from attentive listener to that of creative conductor/teacher. The tools are all here as I look out from the orchestra pit, but it is now my job to take all of the potential that lies before me and conduct the varied instruments so that their tones flow together into something harmonious that is pleasing and meaningful to my ultimate audience, the students.
Although I have a clear impression in my mind of the melody that I want to produce/teach, I have struggled these few weeks with getting the right mix of “brass to woodwinds”. I have learned the importance of not letting the percussion section overpower the sweet soft strains of the strings and take over the orchestration. I have learned that the music must envelop and seep into the listening audience without being harsh or unpleasant to their ears. It must not be out of tune with the listener. It must not be too sharp or too FLAT.
In order for the music/design to be synchronous a delicate balance must be struck. It is up to me to meld the beauty of the individual instruments and to conduct and create the light and shadow of the music I wish for them to produce. It is up to me to build in the pianissimos and the fortissimos. I must create the crescendos as I use my baton to direct the elements. How to take all of the complexities of the instruments and mold them into something that is simple enough to be easily comprehended?
The ultimate ambition as conductor is to be the conduit that allows the music/design, to become the bridge between the instruments of the orchestra (the knowledge) and the minds and hearts of the audience (the students) so that the ultimate goal---learning, can occur.
As the conduit, I have also struggled (of my own volition) to compose my own original score instead of trying to conduct someone else’s work. This has made my role more harrowing, but I know my own heart and I would never be satisfied if I did not learn to successfully compose and conduct my own unique score.
A score that has now been struck and restruck as I endlessly try to create that elusive piece of music that my audience will identify with and respond to; and that can evoke some of the same emotions that I feel when those same electrifying strains of online learning echo and play over and over in my own mind. I struggle to create harmony from what at times has been chaotic cacophony.
Every note must be examined because although it may show promise on paper, it may not translate to the ears of the audience when played. If I as composer/conductor cannot convey the possibility of the feelings that the music is meant to exude to the audience why should I be allowed to stand on the podium? What will be gained from the experience for the student? Could all potential passion and love of this medium be lost with one sour note?
Before this class I was content to be an attentive member of the online audience, content to listen and learn as the melodious strains of harmony from the orchestration of good online instruction floated past my ears and engaged all of my senses. I recognized the beauty of the music of effective cyber teaching/learning when all of the sounds of the instruments are brought together in a near perfect balance by the conductor/teacher.
I have listened and learned from many different maestros of the online environment, all the time constructing my own melody of learning in the recesses of my mind. This music I wish to create for interpretation by a potential audience of students haunts my mind now day and night. It must evoke emotion yet elicit learning. It must strike a chord with the listeners that will spirit them forward long after the performance has stopped.
When I came to this third cyber class, I was asked to move from my comfortable seat in the audience and step onto the platform, assume the podium and pick up the baton to conduct the orchestration of my very first original composition ---my own symphony of cyber learning. As I now stand on the podium, I know that as conductor I have been given access to all of the complements of a successful orchestra. The resources, the technological tools, the able assistance of the maestro and the knowledge that I have gained from others while listening from my seat in the audience are all freely available and await the movement of my baton.
My role has changed from attentive listener to that of creative conductor/teacher. The tools are all here as I look out from the orchestra pit, but it is now my job to take all of the potential that lies before me and conduct the varied instruments so that their tones flow together into something harmonious that is pleasing and meaningful to my ultimate audience, the students.
Although I have a clear impression in my mind of the melody that I want to produce/teach, I have struggled these few weeks with getting the right mix of “brass to woodwinds”. I have learned the importance of not letting the percussion section overpower the sweet soft strains of the strings and take over the orchestration. I have learned that the music must envelop and seep into the listening audience without being harsh or unpleasant to their ears. It must not be out of tune with the listener. It must not be too sharp or too FLAT.
In order for the music/design to be synchronous a delicate balance must be struck. It is up to me to meld the beauty of the individual instruments and to conduct and create the light and shadow of the music I wish for them to produce. It is up to me to build in the pianissimos and the fortissimos. I must create the crescendos as I use my baton to direct the elements. How to take all of the complexities of the instruments and mold them into something that is simple enough to be easily comprehended?
The ultimate ambition as conductor is to be the conduit that allows the music/design, to become the bridge between the instruments of the orchestra (the knowledge) and the minds and hearts of the audience (the students) so that the ultimate goal---learning, can occur.
As the conduit, I have also struggled (of my own volition) to compose my own original score instead of trying to conduct someone else’s work. This has made my role more harrowing, but I know my own heart and I would never be satisfied if I did not learn to successfully compose and conduct my own unique score.
A score that has now been struck and restruck as I endlessly try to create that elusive piece of music that my audience will identify with and respond to; and that can evoke some of the same emotions that I feel when those same electrifying strains of online learning echo and play over and over in my own mind. I struggle to create harmony from what at times has been chaotic cacophony.
Every note must be examined because although it may show promise on paper, it may not translate to the ears of the audience when played. If I as composer/conductor cannot convey the possibility of the feelings that the music is meant to exude to the audience why should I be allowed to stand on the podium? What will be gained from the experience for the student? Could all potential passion and love of this medium be lost with one sour note?
What good is the talent of the orchestra if the conductor does not bring out the best of it? What worth if the composer does not give them an exceptional score to play? The music means nothing if it is dissonant and no one is enticed to listen to it.
Thus it is as I sit tonight in the moonlight looking across the cerulean landscape reflecting on the place on the cyber road of online instruction where I stand. I am midway between “useless noise” and vibrant melody as I continue to rescore the bars before me. I know that a place on the podium is earned and I would not covet that position were it not so.
I also know that I can create music for this realm and that I must successfully transform it into a symphony of learning for the masses. Parts of the score that I have committed to paper are quite good and other parts are nothing but incomprehensible bits of noise. I knew from the outset that this task would not be easy and that great compositions that unite the composer/conductor, the orchestra and the audience would not just leap to and from the paper, at least not for me.
I could lay down the baton and walk away content to assume a plush seat back in the audience, except for the fact that the symphony still lives in my mind, the orchestra awaits my direction, an eager audience stands in the wings---and there is always a place in this vast cyber realm for a new composer/conductor to create his/her own interpretation of the potential beauty and value of online learning.
With the morning light, there will come a new opportunity and a fresh new perspective on the task before me. I will once again humbly bow to the audience, look to the orchestra, raise my baton and resume work on my symphony. I venture forth confident that I can become a credible conductor who can convey the potential through the music. The dream is that those that listen will hear a harmonious score of all of the instruments and the audience will produce their own interpretation of the melody they hear, and create their own lyrics for what they perceive.
I am just the conductor; I can only raise my baton and do my best to orchestrate the instruments (elements of online instruction) and attempt to create a connection through my music. Music that can make the invisible visible. . . The shear magic of music that can draw an awaiting audience as it has me deeper and deeper into the aura created by the distant sweet strains I have heard of the unlimited potential for learning that permeates this realm.
The elements are all laid bare here before me; and that ethereal melody still resonates in my head, if I can only coax the fragile notes onto the paper . . .
Thus it is as I sit tonight in the moonlight looking across the cerulean landscape reflecting on the place on the cyber road of online instruction where I stand. I am midway between “useless noise” and vibrant melody as I continue to rescore the bars before me. I know that a place on the podium is earned and I would not covet that position were it not so.
I also know that I can create music for this realm and that I must successfully transform it into a symphony of learning for the masses. Parts of the score that I have committed to paper are quite good and other parts are nothing but incomprehensible bits of noise. I knew from the outset that this task would not be easy and that great compositions that unite the composer/conductor, the orchestra and the audience would not just leap to and from the paper, at least not for me.
I could lay down the baton and walk away content to assume a plush seat back in the audience, except for the fact that the symphony still lives in my mind, the orchestra awaits my direction, an eager audience stands in the wings---and there is always a place in this vast cyber realm for a new composer/conductor to create his/her own interpretation of the potential beauty and value of online learning.
With the morning light, there will come a new opportunity and a fresh new perspective on the task before me. I will once again humbly bow to the audience, look to the orchestra, raise my baton and resume work on my symphony. I venture forth confident that I can become a credible conductor who can convey the potential through the music. The dream is that those that listen will hear a harmonious score of all of the instruments and the audience will produce their own interpretation of the melody they hear, and create their own lyrics for what they perceive.
I am just the conductor; I can only raise my baton and do my best to orchestrate the instruments (elements of online instruction) and attempt to create a connection through my music. Music that can make the invisible visible. . . The shear magic of music that can draw an awaiting audience as it has me deeper and deeper into the aura created by the distant sweet strains I have heard of the unlimited potential for learning that permeates this realm.
The elements are all laid bare here before me; and that ethereal melody still resonates in my head, if I can only coax the fragile notes onto the paper . . .
Postscript to this entry: This was a metaphorical interpretation of how I have felt about learning to design online courses. This has been a challenging task for me. In the beginning I had difficulty writing good, clear learning objectives. These two links were helpful to me:
Learning Objectives:
http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/FD/writingobjectives.pdf
http://www.med.fsu.edu/education/FacultyDevelopment/objectives.asp
I also had issues regarding making good choices for interactivity in the course. It is very easy to try to over deliver and over promise. I love some of the new technologies
Learning Objectives:
http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/FD/writingobjectives.pdf
http://www.med.fsu.edu/education/FacultyDevelopment/objectives.asp
I also had issues regarding making good choices for interactivity in the course. It is very easy to try to over deliver and over promise. I love some of the new technologies
and am anxious to try to employ them. However, I have worked hard to tone down this early design and rely on the “kiss” method. (Rome was not built in a day!) This link was helpful for me in that regard:
http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol1_issue2/Guidelines_for_Establishing_Interactivity_in_Online_Courses.pdf
For me, the able assistance of my instructor and fellow classmates was the most helpful. Their support was appreciated and buoyed me up when I was struggling. This link was also a good one:
http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/conrad.htm
I was able to see the brilliance in the design of some of the more seasoned members of the class. I was also able to see the advantages of using a textbook (although I still wish to be able to successfully design courses without the use of a textbook also). I have not lost any of the passion for cyber instruction and I am confident that with time and experience I will be a competent instructor, if for no other reason than that passion that I have for this medium. I will ultimately be able to orchestrate an online class with aplomb and I am anxious to assume the baton!
http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol1_issue2/Guidelines_for_Establishing_Interactivity_in_Online_Courses.pdf
For me, the able assistance of my instructor and fellow classmates was the most helpful. Their support was appreciated and buoyed me up when I was struggling. This link was also a good one:
http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/conrad.htm
I was able to see the brilliance in the design of some of the more seasoned members of the class. I was also able to see the advantages of using a textbook (although I still wish to be able to successfully design courses without the use of a textbook also). I have not lost any of the passion for cyber instruction and I am confident that with time and experience I will be a competent instructor, if for no other reason than that passion that I have for this medium. I will ultimately be able to orchestrate an online class with aplomb and I am anxious to assume the baton!
