Blog Post 1 - What really is all the fuss about EDM 310?

In all honesty, this class terrifies me. From the moment I changed my major to education, I have heard nothing but horror stories about the amount of stress causes by this class. However, I believe it is important to discover things yourself as opposed to constantly taking the advice of those around you. Conveniently enough, I am required to take this course to enter candidacy, but I'm really not dreading it as much as I thought I would-reading the checklist has shown me that, while the workload is a little intense, it isn't completely unbearable. I have yet to hear of a friend who failed this course, but I have heard from a few who came dangerously close because they failed to complete assignments or they just didn't try. While I have heard that EDM 310 is dreadful, I have also heard that Dr. Strange is one of the most memorable and helpful instructors that the education department has to offer. My biggest fear for this class is forgetting to do assignments because I will be planning my wedding during this semester, and of course there's the fact that I am enrolled in other courses as well. The amount of work that comes with online classes has become overwhelming in the past two years and I really don't understand why the university is slowing drifting toward mostly online courses. When you aren't in a classroom setting on a regular basis (ya know, more than 1-2 times a week), I think it becomes a lot easier to forget about those classes and the work you are required to do for them. The assignments themselves don't intimidate me, but the fact that I will have to remind myself to keep up with this course multiple times a week does.

The only course I can remember taking in college that compares to this course was CIS 150, but the material was completely different. EDM 310 appears to be more social media/user friendly based, where CIS 150 was learning how to use Microsoft Word and Excel and Windows 7...even though Windows 8 came out less than a year later. However, they were alike in the amount of work required to do weekly. I didn't think I would ever have an opportunity to be in a class that taught me about social media, much less one that incorporates it into the field of teaching. What's funny to me is that about 3 months ago, I decided to start using Blogger via my Google+ account, but I realized I didn't have as much time for it as I thought I would've, so maybe taking this course is a good thing for me right now.

At this point in time, I believe time management will be my toughest opponent because, as I mentioned earlier, I am planning a wedding this semester. I have never had a serious problem with time management because I was always taught to do everything I am supposed to do; I am unable to simply not do something assigned to me, it just isn't in my nature. I have heard from a few people that the grading in this class is often difficult to bear because the teacher and assistants want the students to take their work seriously, but the students find that hard to do because their work is all being done on a blogging site used for social media. I hope that does not become an issue for me, because I know I tend to have a dry sense of humor and like to have a good time and genuine conversations with people, but I never want to cross boundaries or say something inappropriate. The best way for me to address these issues is for me to use the checklist given to me in EDM 310, write down all of my assignments and delegate work to specific days. The most effective way for me to avoid having an unprofessional means of communication is to remain as serious as possible in all of my posts. If there are any other Christian folk out there (holla!), prayers are greatly appreciated, as I know I will be doing the same for my classmates.

My only other question about EDM 310 is if we are required to comment on one another's posts every week, or if we will be told when that becomes a requirement? I read the syllabus, but I was slightly confused because the only part that mentions having to comment on other posts is under projects and I just assumed that meant we didn't have to do that until the project came up. If someone could clarify this for me, I would be so grateful! Looking forward to a great semester!