Learning to Teach Online

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on February 18, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

I am a long way from teaching my online course, but as I read and research and learn, I am becoming more aware of the many things I will have to build into it as I design it. In the course I am now taking, we are in the midst of analyzing another course—a real one—based on six categories that range from instructional and Web design to support and resources for students. As an instructor/facilitator I will have to do the following: Continue reading →

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The Space Between Endings and Beginnings

Category: "Words To Live By"
Posted on February 17, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

Life transitions are confusing. Between endings and beginnings is a fallow space where nothing seems to be happening. Actually, it is a time of quiet creativity and renewal. Something new is in the works.

When most of us consider beginnings and endings, we usually start with beginnings–a new relationship, a new job, a new project. It may seem backwards to start with the end of something, and yet it is so logical. I first read this concept in a book called Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges and wondered why it had never occurred to me before. Continue reading →

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Needed: a GPS for the new world of distance learning

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on February 15, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

I am more than half way through my course: two modules down, half way through the third. Most of the time I feel like a stranger in a strange land. Despite all my years of using a computer and exploring the Internet, I spend a lot of my time LOST. There are two aspects to life online: the first is to complete the tasks; the second is to post it in the right place so that fellow students (learners) and the instructor (facilitator) can see it. It is the second aspect that is befuddling me. Continue reading →

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Marching Through the Modules

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on January 31, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

I am shocked to discover that the last entry I posted was while I was struggling with “orientation,” otherwise known as Moodle. Why I was so astonished at my own lack of sense of direction I don’t know. I am not intuitive about getting from point A to point B on a website or in the real world despite the best possible directions and a state-of-the-art GPS. Yet, somehow I made it through Section I and even received the maximum grade of 30 points. Beginners luck, I’m sure. The next time I turned around I was finished with Module I. Continue reading →

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Muddling Around Moodle

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on January 23, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

Orientation is just about over, and it has taken more time than I would have believed possible to muddle around Moodle. (Moodle is a free Web course management system [CMS] educators use to create effective online learning sites. This would have been a snap for anyone who has ever worked with Moodle (I haven’t). Continue reading →

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Murphy’s law, technology, and me

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on January 16, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

The big moment is almost upon me: My online class starts tomorrow! Last week I received an introductory email from the instructor. She reviewed her background, told me what to expect, and attached a course calendar and a syllabus. I tried to breathe deeply as I read them, alternating between anticipation and intimidation.

Why would I—a professional who has created a (bricks-and-mortar) class and taught it for seven years—feel like a first grader? Well, it has to do with technology. This class is ONLINE, a place where, if it can go wrong for me, it will—every time. Continue reading →

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Helping Writers Write

Category: "Words To Live By"
Posted on January 12, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

Whoever coined the phrase pay it forward was a genius. If you have achieved anything in your life, someone helped you, guided you, mentored you. You can’t pay that person back; you can only pass the gift along.

No one succeeds alone, no matter how talented, intelligent, or lucky that person may be. There is always another person–usually, many people–along the path who open a door, share words of encouragement, or in some way make it possible to take the next step. Continue reading →

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The Mystery and Magic of Starting Over

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on January 3, 2012 by Bobbi Linkemer

If it seems like a very long time since the last update on my online course, it’s because it has been a month, although I could swear it was more than that. Officially signing up for the course was an exciting moment—long anticipated and somewhat anticlimactic.

I read every word on the website and clicked all the links. I ended up on Moodle, which I described in my last blog post. There, I read and attempted to memorize everything I would have to know about how to access the volumes of information soon to come. Then, since there was nothing else to do, I waited until I returned to St. Louis to reacquaint myself with the process. Continue reading →

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Believing in Just Plain Luck

Category: "Words To Live By"
Posted on December 9, 2011 by Bobbi Linkemer

Never underestimate the existence of just plain luck. Call it synchronicity or serendipity or coincidence; but the fact is, sometimes you have no idea why something amazing happens to you.

Is there a magic formula for creating a successful life or career? There are all kinds of theories about how and why things happen in our lives and how much each of us has to do with the outcome.

Some people are committed to the concept of goal setting. “You have to know where you want to go,” they insist. “Then, you must set long and short-term goals and march resolutely forward until you reach your destination.”

Continue reading →

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Officially registered for U of I online course!

Category: "The Writing Life"
Posted on December 6, 2011 by Bobbi Linkemer

Today is the long-awaitedday to register for my online course—the most basic course offered for absolute newbies. I don’t think it assumes any knowledge whatsoever on the part of the student, but I still found myself a bit apprehensive as I began to click on links.

I signed up this morning before I was half way through my first cup of coffee. Immediately, I received an acknowledgment of my registration, followed by approval and an e-mail directing me to orientation. The screen read, “Welcome to the MVCR Moodle Walkthrough.” Continue reading →

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