"Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know that so it goes on flying anyway."------Mary Kay Ash
I have to admit I feel very simpatico with the bumble bee. When I started this series of courses, I really was not “aerodynamically” suited for this environment. I had never taught an online class and knew very little about pedagogy or learning objectives, let alone designing a course. I had had quite a bit of experience as an online student and I had definite opinions about what I liked and disliked about my online courses, but that did not give me the tools or any where with-all to be an online instructor.
I felt very intimidated by my peers with a litany of teaching experience when I entered class one. How could I possibly hope to soar with so much to learn? It seemed improbable to say the least. “To bee or not to bee?” that was the question as I started the cyber journey through the certificate program. I readily admit there have been moments of indescribable exhilaration and moments of extreme frustration as I have bumbled(Notice a pattern in the word usage here?) and stumbled my way through this series of class experiences.
I was horrified by the prospect of leading the class in a synchronous session in Class II and I had heard horror stories about the difficulty of the design process in Class III. Through all of the trials I have experienced, I just kept these buzz words(can’t help myself now) in my head----YOU CAN DO THIS-----ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY. The fear I once had for my fellow classmates became admiration and I also realized how much I was gaining from reading and listening to their own personal tribulations. The instructors also were more than willing to assist me and recount the solutions they had found for their own sticky online classroom issues and experiences. Every time I have felt overwhelmed or uncertain I have just made a beeline to my teacher or a fellow classmate for clarification.
Now, I find myself standing on the precipice of assuming a new flight pattern for class IV---the final class in this series. I look back at the first three classes and contemplate all that I have gained and I look forward confident that this class will also be a great learning experience for me. Ideas are swarming in my head. I look forward to learning how to properly actually generate my first online workshop for our student population. I look forward to learning about many new and unfamiliar tools and technologies that will help me to “flesh out” my class in a positive and inviting manner. I am very aware of my novice status in these endeavors and I am also aware that creating a viable workshop will be an ongoing, dynamic endeavor that will be continuous long after this series of classes is completed as I continue to comb the web for new modalities.
However, I can promise you that you will hear more from me in the future because I have been “stung” with a passion for the cyber environment since the first day I entered the realm and I will not be content to just hover on the fringes. I intend to keep humming along, choosing to focus on the flowers and remaining undaunted by any weeds that may spring up along the way. All in all, I expect this to be one “honey” of an experience----(you must excuse me I did not start out intending to drone on and on) AND even though I may not be aerodynamically correct for this endeavor I will make up for those shortcomings with my passionate feelings for cyber learning/teaching. So "BEE-WARE" cyber world because here I come!
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