It is time for the moment of truth then…
I had a lot of different feelings at the time of starting this course, having fun was not one of them, for sure. As a rather “shy” social media user and a person who was not born to be a writer, I considered this course a bit of a challenge for me since there was a lot of written work to start with and meeting deadlines with all the coursework. I guess this was what I had to learn to adapt to, given the personal weaknesses of mine.
After “creating” my first assignment, I thought that I actually had some creativity within me and perhaps it was deep down where no one had visited for a while or paid enough attention to it. My creativity had awoken again with the next assignment and further with my Reflections as the major blocks of the course advanced.
From that beginning, the peer review process was introduced and as I mentioned throughout the blog, I have found it truly invaluable. To have another perspective, constructive criticism of your own work provided by a team member was very educating and simply…priceless.
When compiling all the written work into this Web Folio, I became a reviewer of my own pieces and I had a chance to look at them again, and make additional corrections. I think that being able to retain even a little self-criticism to your own writing is quite a healthy approach.
Challenges and Strengths or the other way around…
Being very detail oriented could be a weakness or strength depending on the view and the situation. Or perhaps, the fact that I am a perfectionist translates to taking a while to get the work in a written format. On the other hand, taking the time minimizes the number of grammar/spelling mistakes etc. which can have a big impact on the work as well. So, that’s on the positive note.
Where was the fun part? The answer is: “Everywhere”. Along the way, throughout the course, in the way it was designed, just to mention a few sections.
Our outline related to creating the Web Folio and LinkedIn contained Dr. Paterson’s lines that:
…my profile on LinkedIn is quite whimsical and a little off-beat for your average academic; this is because I want to represent myself as a unique educator. I am not interested in the average academic jobs…
What did she mean by that? Well… If you have been in her class, you will know… It is the way she designs her class program (the study material), writes her emails, the Instructor’s Blog, and interact with students in the online environment. I never took a “fun” English class before. This is a first one!
So, this self-assessment reflection turns out to be a little …bittersweet…
As I review my work during this course, I can say this has been quite an accomplishment, which I did not think I was fully capable of. I can honestly say that it was very much worth the effort as I have gained strong writing fundamentals I can continue building on. I am also a lot more confident in my writing skills and style.
I am a little sad that the course has come to an end, but on the other hand, I am very happy I had the privilege to be one of Dr. Paterson’s students because she really is a unique Educator. Thank you, Dr. Paterson and also, thank you to the Technical Knockout’s Team Members and Everyone in the Class of the Summer 2016 for your creative writing skills, the peer reviewing and your great attitude towards it all. This has been such a great experience I will take with me on my writing journey whatever that turns out to be.