I am really enjoying my Distance Education class at IllinoisState University!
I went into the class thinking I knew more about online
education than I probably did. I’ve found the concepts that Dr. T. has
introduced to be stretching mentally for me as I’ve worked to learn about and
then apply technologies that are new to me. I’ve felt overwhelmed at points and
I think this class might work better as a full semester course instead of being
taught in six very short weeks.
I am developing more confidence in the online course content
that I’m producing as I move through the class. I am becoming more involved
with several RSS feeds that I get on Twitter (@ajbeaty)and Google Reader so that I am
able to stay current with changes in distance education. I was also exposed to more
information about mLearning which is an area that greatly interests me as it
relates to options for global theological education. 
While I have experimented with doing some audio and video
messages for online classes, I will use the Yodio audio recording tool often in
my future classes. I’m already evaluating how I can integrate it into the
mentoring that I’m doing. The three schools where I’ve taught online courses each
utilize a specific college-wide course management system. I’m evaluating how I
can incorporate some of the skills that I’m learning in this class to improve
courses in those schools…even if they are in a “more rigid” environment.
One thing that I’ve learned that will stay with me is the need
to keep on top of the rapidly changing field of distance education. I need to
keep reading, watching, researching, and questioning on a consistent basis in
order to not fall behind the current trends.
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