Hi,
I share Borje's and other student's doubts about this course. For now only new thing I learned is existence of Scrapblog, which I found nice for kids but don't see opportunity for using it for my professional eportfolio. Instead of it I used Mahara, and learn alone how to use it (http://mahara.org/view/view.php?t=n06afssmV7lVIsOBk5G8).
I joined this course mostly because of Action Research which is very interesting topic and I wanted to learn more and use experience form this course for my PhD. But I'm loosing my motivation rapidly :-(. There is no communication among students in this course, and even if we want to communicate we don't know where is place for it (someone's blog, some group board, forum in which Moodle course??). Just too many empty, silent places.
I tried to find AR plans our colleagues had made. For this I tried search on Elgg with different keywords, looked on board messages, looked on blog postings, looked on files, looked in Scrapblog, and looked on all forums in all Moodle courses visible for me. Too hard work with almost no results. And tutors are expected us to comments each other plans and help improve it. How, if we cannot find it? I found only one useful comment on someone's plan – but it's buried in someone's blog and I don't want to search for it again
Even mentor comments are very short with no positive feedback or directions for further improvement. Well, only comment I got for now is "pass", which says nothing to me.
Many of Croatians colleague and I, finished one year programme E-learning Academy, and we know how quality feedback looks like. You even have here mentors and authors of E-learning Academy. Why don't you (tutors and authors) use their experience? And I'm sure that other participants have lots of experience to share.
I don't understand why you (all mentors and authors of this course) are not trying to make this course a better place? Obviously topic and course plan are interesting, otherwise you wouldn't get so much attendees. Students are here, and they want to interact with you and with each other. We want to learn from each other but you just put us in so separate boxes and drawers we can't see anyone.
Now I'll post this letter to all group boards, forums, blogs that I can reach (and find) and I'm calling all of you, tutors and students to do something.
Let's start talking and writing. Tell us: what do you expect form this course, what do you like or dislike in it. Share you thoughts about making your own portfolio, about plans for Action Research. Compare technologies we are using in this course and point out you favourite one.
Suggest one or more places where we can meet each other and talk about serious and less serious topic.
Well I think that would be a good start for New Year :-)
Hope to hear from all of you soon.
Lidija Kralj
PS. Do you know that there are 71 participants in New technologies of e-learning and 149 in Action Research. How many of them you wrote to?
