Class format and assignments

One of my "official" assignments for this blog is to comment on my experience of this class, Media and Technology in Christian Education, in conjunction with the final portfolio we compile. Here's a start on my reflections...

How did the reading assignments in this course support your learning? Were they relevant, pertinent, accessible? Which ones would you keep for future versions of this class, and which would you discard?

I liked the reading for this class, and I particularly appreciated the reasonable amount of reading. I thought most of the material contained a nice balance of theory and stories that illustrate the points being made. I found Shirky’s book a little repetitive, but I did learn a lot from the information he was conveying. I thought they were all useful enough, and complemented each other well enough in scope and focus, that I would keep them for future classes. (Then again, it’s hard to imagine not keeping them when I don’t know what alternative options are available.) I liked the addition of the video lecture, particularly because that material would have been difficult to explain adequately without the video clips from YouTube.

How well did the design of the course support your own learning? Was the structure of the class clear? Did the assignments support your skill development? How would you improve the course design?

The hybrid format worked better for me than I had expected it to. I’m always a little apprehensive about several hours of class in a row, but the time was used effectively and I stayed quite engaged. This course is particularly well-suited to this format, since the online work is really integral to the subject rather than having to be contrived or adapted from an in-class approach. The assignments were quite helpful.

I already had a Facebook account, but I can see how starting one would be a helpful assignment for those who didn’t have one already, because the best way to start to understand social media seems to be just jumping in. I struggled a bit with the blogging assignment, because I’m so used to the traditional papers and tests, and I tend to be a procrastinator about those things. So I don’t feel like I used my blog as effectively as I might have because I ended up condensing most of the posting into a week or so. That was just a matter of my own study habits and the fact that I took another class immediately following this one; it wasn’t a problem with the assignment being ineffective.