Reflections on PP104 (the course)

PP104 was memorable—one of the best learning experiences I've ever had, in fact. In thinking about why this was the case, I believe it happened because of two factors: the facilitators and the small, committed class.

The facilitators, Dafne González and Teresa Almeida d'Eça, were oustanding in many ways; here are a few that come immediately to mind:

• They were living proof that online learning can work—and work well (since Dafne was in Venezuela and Teresa was in Portugal).

• The course they put together had just the right balance of structure and flexibility: it was easy to know what we were to do and when we were to do it, yet there was nothing lock-step or unyielding.
  

• They encouraged community-building and the importance of interaction from the first day of the course until the last.

• They varied the group dynamics—individual, pair/small-group, and whole-class tasks were built into the course activities.
  

• They were quick to offer help and encouragement when it was needed or when they knew it was needed, even when it wasn't requested—and did so with no delay.

• They offered regular, timely feedback—and it was always stated positively, even when their comments might really have meant "I think it would be better to do ___ this way" or "___ is a problem that you need to fix."
  

• They were models of being unafraid to try new things—as demonstrated by their own personal "stories" ofhow they came to use technology more and more.
  

• They made the course "value-added" by arranging chat sessions at another website each week and by collaborating to build a website that duplicates the course materials but will remain available long after the PP104 portal has closed.

• They included an excellent list of online resources related to the course content.

• They were genuinely nice people—and eminently approachable.

My classmates were also part of what made the course so special:

• They were varied in terms of background, teaching experience, work setting, degree of proficiency with technology, and familiarity with online teaching and learning—all of which combined to provide a rich learning environment and a non-ending supply of fresh and interesting insights.

• They were located in the southwestern, midwestern, and eastern U.S., Hawai'i, and Greece—so with the facilitators included, four quite different geographical areas were represented.

• The projects they completed were all of good quality and some were outstanding.

• They were all mutually supportive and the more experienced were happy to share what they had learned—and to learn themselves.

• Those with less experience demonstrated remarkable progress and improvement.

And I could go on. The bottom line is that the course was always interesting and there were always new things to try and new things to learn. I left the course feeling more sure of myself and with a head full of new ideas.

Thank you Dafne, Teresa, and my classmates!

D. O.