One critical time management problem that I have had to deal with was trying to find the right time to sit down to work on my school work. Being a full-time mother, wife, and working a full-time job, makes it difficult to come up with the extra time that is needed to dedicate to school work. Juggling your time is very important when taking courses online for both the instructor and the learner. You have to prioritize and make a to do list, so that you do not forget about anything. West Valley College (2011) stated, “You’ll find that your time management skills will be critical in online classes. Why? Because it is very easy to spend too little time on coursework and get behind. Set designated blocks of time for coursework” (Time and Preparation, para. 2).
Online Classroom (2005) stated, “The time demands of teaching online can be overwhelming, but there are techniques that can greatly reduce the amount of time you need to spend in your online courses without sacrificing quality” (p. 1). Online Classroom explained that the online school or instructor can help avoid a lot of time constraints by making sure the technology system used for the online school is easy to use and understand. Online Classroom continued to explain that the instructors can make sure that all assignments are well explained, which will ultimately reduce time that the instructor may have had to use answering questions for the learners.
Another time management problem would be waiting until the last minute to complete an assignment. This can result in lack of rest or sleep, which is much needed for all the other aspects in your life. Another time management problem that can occur with both the instructor and the learner is trying to sit down at one-time and complete an entire assignment. The instructor and the learner should work on an project or assignment a little at a time.
References
Online Classroom. (2005). Tine management for online instructors. Online Classroom, 1-2.
West Valley College. (2011). How to succeed in an online course. Retrieved from http://www.westvalley.edu/dl/online_success.html.
Good points Jessica.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big advantages of many of the web based social networking applications that are finding their way into elearning is the potential for personal control by learners. If you can use your own set of tools and applications it means that you do not have to waste time learning how to use another system. You do your work in your own applications and when you are done you take those same tools (and the skill you have developed with them) on to your next learning experience. This also allow learners to more effectively integrate their learning with earlier learning, one of the essential tenets of constructivist pedagogy.
One example of the time saving available with one web based application for scholars is Zotero. This application has saved me hours of time organizing and managing bibliographic material and also serves as a overall repository of resources representing my past and present teaching and learning activities in many different areas.
I would highly recommend that you check out Zotero and I would be happy to provide coaching in its use. Let me know what you think.
Looking forward to your next entry.