It is spring 2020 and I have never been so active online before in my life, also I have never been so isolated from my colleagues and students.
The ONL-course coincided with Covid-19, which made taking part in the course more difficult, while, at the same time the ONL discussions and seminars made me better prepared for quickly getting all of my courses online. One week, before everyone else, I knew what Zoom was, I had taken part in breakout rooms and polls online. When suddenly everyone was force into a crash course about how to go online I actually could help some of my colleagues in the process. I guess another benefit of the course was that I had a forum where I could discuss online learning. Also, ONL201 helped me think more long term about the work.
My learning will influence my practice, especially considering how to plan and organize online courses. Taking part in the course made me understand the basics of online teaching, but also the emotions and difficulties involved. Moreover, I learnt how to structure a course, what tools are available and what terminology to use.
I hope that what was done out of necessity by so many teachers during this spring will develop into something fun and professionally satisfying – moving from isolation to inspiration.