Self-reflection helps!

We human beings  avoid self-reflection many times, because of the bad experiences or the mistakes we have made in the past. If we are living with an old feeling and we don’t self-reflect to a recently gained experience – that means we are not living in the present.

Writing self-reflection  is actually a great exercise to help  remember something. If you go deep enough you may even be able to heal a past hurt/bad experience.

 Holding on to heavy feelings only makes a more lasting impression. Writing those feelings let them go and makes you  free from excessive mental pressure and harsh feelings.

Self reflection help encourages us to do hard work and constantly trying to strive for excellence.   When I started writing the reflections in ‘My Anablog’, I set goals for myself. I promised myself I will not stop until I reach them.   Once I have reached my long term goals, I will then form more goals.   I believe everyone has purpose and we have to work hard to find it.   This affects my life and way I perceive things and other people.

My answers to 'Self reflection' assignment:

 Q1: Things I need to work on in the next class:

Time management

Communication skills

Trustworthy public relations

Teamwork

Research abilities

Which ones are most evident "in you" that may have been much weaker 5 weeks ago? Why?

I think I had problem with the time management initially, but after 5 weeks’ time I know how manage my time to take care of my daily chores and spend time in front of ‘blackboard’, finishing my assignments. I learnt time management as the days passed and I reflected on what works as a best schedule for me and my family.

I think I need to work on my communication skills and my written skills more. Sometimes it becomes a little difficult for me to understand the comments made by the classmates. Indian use English in British context, so a few things sometimes bring out some other meaning when people use ’urban dictionary words.’ For example, I haven’t yet understood the comment of one of my classmate-My two-cents before chores and bed.

Q2: Think back to your expectations at the beginning of the course, then reflect on what you learned throughout the course. What would you have liked more of? What would you add? What would you remove?

I learnt research-based elements to design an online education. I also gained an idea on how to assess student learning needs, especially disabled, organize content and what are the engaging technologically-based activities to achieve learning outcomes. I would like to read more in the course material area, which, perhaps I’ll do in other courses and gain better understanding of the concepts related to eLearning. I think, I’ll not remove anything from the course!

Q3: Ah, technology!

What was your best experience, or Aha! moment, with any of the technology used in or used to access the course?

It is so easy to learn with technology. I felt like I’m sitting in a classroom!!

I liked the links to online reading assignments embedded in the course material and opening in new window. I also found emailing all class members in one click. The grading area  secretly reports grades on assignments.

I wanted to use my online storage feature in the blackboard, to keep a record of some interesting websites I came across or the fact and figures, I wish to keep handy. But, I couldn’t know how to do that. Perhaps, I should spend some more time in exploring that area.

Q4: I know myself a bit better too!

Learning is never done alone. It usually involves all of you - the reading and writing skills, your part as a member of the team, your communication, planning and time management skills. There is so much involved in order to have a successful whole life learning experiencce.

Reflecting on the "web of learning," say what you have discovered about yourself in this learning experience.

It’s been a while that I really did ‘something’ in terms of intellectual work. I like to learn new things. This course made me feel young again. I could recall the time some 8-9 years back when I was in college. There were lectures, reading, group work and assignments. Although, I am not physically present in the class but I get the same feel of it. I thought that I won’t be able to cope up with the tight schedule of the course but I could do it. Your mind is a place where your thoughts, (both positive and negative) and judgments about yourself and your environment, combine to create your reality. Our perception about our own identity is very important. If you believe you are a person who cannot succeed, then success will evade you. You will subconsciously create failure as a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you are a person who can succeed, then you will act accordingly! Again, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy! 

Q5: I want to sincerely thank you for adding a great deal of yourself, your background and your perspectives to this course. You have been an important part of the success.

Related to your classmates, what have they offered you here and for what would you like to thank them?

All of the classmates come from different background and thus bring a unique set of experience with them. I would like to thank my classmates for  being supportive, providing honest feedback and sharing their experiences.