Goal 26: Let Them Know You Learned From Them of The 30 Goals Challenge for Educators
“Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all he can do.” ~ Henry Drummond
This year’s 30 Goals Challenge theme is, “This is MY Moment.” Each goal focuses on getting educators to believe their plans of action now will lead to positive changes and transformation in their teaching and learning environments. Join our our 30 Goals Facebook community to vote on goals and receive support.
My Reflection
This week has been somewhat emotional for me as I go through my students’ Final Reflection ePortfolio Presentations and see what they have accomplished in the last 3 months. I am on the receiving end of this goal as they tell me what they learned from me and I’m touched by their words, work, creativity, and growth.
They are teachers from mostly Spanish speaking countries who are very new to web tools and are currently teaching full time. The course is task based and online. Designing the course was a challenge for me as I came up with doable web 2.0 projects that teachers could learn then use with their students. Teachers created AUP forms, avatars, storyboards, movies, mobile learning lesson plans, comics, support materials, collaborative stories, multimedia presentations, screencasts, and so much more. They kept an e-portfolio of these tasks with Pinterest and shared their work on Twitter. For many of the teachers, this was their first time using these social networks and web tools. I was worried because in the first week many dropped the course and I started to doubt myself as a course designer and teacher. However, these final reflections speak volumes and I’m so proud that the students who met the challenge feel they have grown so much. Below are 2 of the final reflections. And below are 2 quotes:
First of all, I would like to thank Shelly for her insightful comments. l have learnt a lot of new things, despite my difficulties to cope with some tasks. I thought I would never reach my final project and here I am. And last but not least, I would like to thank my colleagues. Their tasks have been a great source of inspiration. by Soraya
I wouldn’t like to say goodbye without thanking all of you, dear colleagues. I’ve loved every single bit of this course, I’ve already recommended it to my colleagues. I’ve loved sharing my creations and learning from you all. A very special thanks to Shelly. What a know-all you are. I admire your work and kindness. You’re a great teacher, you’ve been most inspiring and helpful from the very start. by Eva
I have made it a point to tell each one how much I have learned from them. I believe it is important we let our learners know before they leave us that their time with us has mattered and as teachers we grow from what they contribute. Our students do not have to give their all, but many do. They do not have to trust us or go on the learning journey we invite them to, but many do. Through this process, I learned from my students and the other teachers how to be a better support, what works in online course design and assessment, and which web tools and apps are the best to recommend out of the 1000s out there.
Two e-Portfolio Reflections
For this goal:
Short-term goal– Let your students or a teacher know you learned from them.
Long-term goal– Make it a habit to let those you learn from know they helped you. I recently did this with my Edublog Award Nominations.
Challenge:
Let your students or a teacher know what you learned from them.
Please leave a comment that you accomplished this goal by either posting your own video reflection on Youtube, using the hashtag #30GoalsEdu, posting on the 30 Goals Facebook group, or adding a comment below! All goals are organized in this 30 Goals Livebinder.
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