I walked into this class on August 12th ready to get my assigned seat and syllabuses. Well, I didn't get that, it turned out to be something else, as a class we chose to write blogs over the usual textbook and notes. I am one of those quiet students that just stays in the back, does her work and goes onto the next thing, but blogging never done any of that. So it was like opening the door expecting one person but seeing someone else.
When we first met Dr. Preston we didn't know anything about him, like how he is as a person or that he did a Ted Talk. But he somehow trusted us enough to give us about 10 minutes alone in his classroom. I believe he told us later during the semester he did it to show that he has trust in us and he hoped we did too.
During the semester, I did come across challenges. I think we all do no matter how much we try to hide it. Mine is the videos and memorizing the poems. It has always been hard for me to remember anything, I can barely remember what I did last weekend. I didn't want to do the videos, I didn't want to record myself, I didn't want any of it.
Then I figured what is that doing for me not turning in videos that are just reciting words. So as long as it took me I turned them in. It was the hardest thing more me to do yet to others it is so easy. I never liked recording myself and seeing how I looked and sound. Knowing my friends would laugh at it, which some did. It takes a lot of confidence and maybe that could be my new goal to accomplish this next semester.
I started this Fall semester a quiet girl hiding in the back waiting to get a textbook and start notes. Now, I am still that girl sitting in the back but so much more. I have been introduced into open-source learning, I participate in class activities like giving feedback, my journals and blogs have more effort in them, and I have this big question. I grew as this semester past, I knew who I was then and now who I am today.