I learned a lot in this unit about how technology is transforming our educational structures. Digital online infrastructure has given us a new platform that can be utilized independent of distance of location. I very much enjoyed the forum discussions at the end of some of the modules. I also tried to blog on a regular basis, although it was difficult sometimes considering I am taking four units. I posted things I found to be fascinating on Twitter. To be honest, the units felt like they blurred together a little bit. There was so much crossover between them it felt like I was taking one huge unit. This was difficult keeping up with readings and things have been tough considering the spreading of virus. At times, I wanted to withdrawal because I did not feel like I could keep up with the workload. But I persevered and now I only pray that I pass all of my units.
As stated in my blog, “Update (Hard Work)”, I have been learning a lot about what it means to be an educator in the 21st century. There are many different theories and pedagogues and sometimes it feels like I am lost in a jungle. Some work felt above what I was capable of. Because of how hard this semester has been for me, I have decided against doing the Masters and instead just graduating with a graduate certificate. I don’t need a Master level qualification, and I am afraid that if I do another semester of this then I will sink.
It has been extremely enjoyable being able to tailor the content of my assignments to my own interests and life’s focus. I am not a typical teacher. I just teach whatever I want online. It was great to be capable of completing these units despite me being an alternative style teacher. I loved the focus on a multimodal approach to academic presentation. I was glad to be able to use my own platform for my digital essay. I was presently surprised that I was able to read from Gee (2014) for my book review. It opened my eyes and ultimately assisted me with all four of my units. There was so much crossover between the units and all the information helped me for every unit.
Ultimately, this unit has assisted greatly in my life projects. I ramify my writing. I ramify my videos. And I am literally creating a digital game. Gaming is my life and I would very much one day like to be employed by a gaming studio. I think that I would be able to greatly assist with design and I would love to be a voice actor. After I complete this semester I will be looking for work. It has been a long time since I have worked, so I am weighing up my options. It was great doing this graduate certificate in education because it shows where my interests are on my Resume. It was a tough choice choosing between a degree in philosophy or a degree in education. But I chose to do a degree in philosophy with a focus on the philosophy of education. Obtaining an education qualification completes my formal studies and now it is time to go out and try and find work while also remaining as an entrepreneur.
This semester has been a very strange one considering the pandemic. It has been very stressful but I have worked very hard and hope that I pass everything. It was a mistake to take on 4 units at one time but I did not realize the amount of content in the courses. However, even though this semester has been rough, I have learned so many wonderful things that are directly applicable to my line of work. I very much appreciate my teacher, Lori. Thank you, Lori for helping me through when I was struggling.
Reference
Gee, J. P. (2014). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (Second Edition). St. Martin’s Press.
thanks for sharing your final reflections Wendell. I am amazed that you were able to carry all 4 subjects through to the end. It has been really interesting having you in the cohort and hearing your perspectives and experiences which are very different from my own. You seem to operate almost entirely in the online space whereas I only employ it in an adhoc basis when it seems to be useful.