Week 1: Here's To New Beginnings

Welcome to a new academic year on Pedagogy First. I am thrilled to be your tour guide again this year (for those of you who returning), and I look forward to reading the insights, ideas, and questions of our newest community members (yeah, yeah, let's have a shout out for Cohort #3!!).

Each week I will be posting a prompt with some reminders here at the top of the blog. All work in response to that post (and in response via comments to your fellow bloggers) is due by the following Wednesday. So for week one, the prompts are up by September 1 and you have until September 8 to respond to them.

Cohort #3: Joining Us for the First Time This Fall

(Along with weekly posts and comments, you will complete a mid-semester self-assessment and a summary post with links to all of your contributions to the blog at the end of the semester)

Week 1 Prompt: Introduction

Read through the POT site & find out about the program.

Introduce yourself to the community on the blog.

Research and check out a few educational blogs on your own and share what you discover with our blog community.

Cohort #2: Began the Program in January 2010

(Along with weekly posts and comments, you will complete a mid-semester self-assessment and a summary post with links to all of your contributions to the blog at the end of the semester)

Your prompt will remain relatively consistent throughout the semester. Here is the language from your Cohort #2 page on the POT web site:

"The second semester consists of application to one online, on-site or hybrid class. Choose a class in which to implement some of the strategies you learned in the first semester. Participate weekly at the Pedagogy First! blog to (1) document your work and (2) help your colleagues."

Week 1 Prompt:

With this broad framework in mind, I recommend beginning your semester of contributions to this blog by identifying the course in which you plan on implementing the strategies you explored here last year. Tell us about the course and your big picture plans for applying your online teaching and learning ideas and pedagogies to the course.

In future posts, I will be asking you to keep us updated on how that process is going and to lend a hand offering advice, reactions, and feedback to our new community members from Cohort 3.

Thanks everyone. See you in the blogosphere!

Jim Sullivan

PS. For a helpful overview / review of the POT certification process, check out this video of Pilar's flex workshop.