I was excited to see this as an optional activity for this week because I love Shelley Moore but I have not yet had a chance to participate in her online book club that I have heard so much about. I chose to complete this for Topic 3’s optional activity because it is so important to gain experience with new resources before you implement them into your own classroom. Additionally, as a full time worker and part time summer student, I needed an outlet for myself and the book club has acted like a “brain break” for me because it was so fun! I have been following her on Instagram from my personal account for a while and it made me think about starting an educator Instagram page to connect to even more educators. This made me curious about what other educators think about using Instagram as PLN. Is it comparable to Twitter? I love following other teachers because I am such a visual learner that the videos and photos they constantly post are inspiring!

I am currently working full time as a summer camp instructor so I was excited to discover that Shelley posts all of the previous book club episodes on her youtube channel. Here is the link to episode 1 of reading “Potlatch as Pedagogy”, which was written by Sara and Robert Davidson. Although I wasn’t able to participate in the live chats and interactions, I was able to make it work and gain a lot from this experience. I connected this to the importance of synchronous vs. asynchronous learning; ultimately, I find that I learn better in synchronous settings because it holds me more accountable and I can ask questions to get an immediate response. With that being said, asynchronous learning environments can also be beneficial when you are self-determined and willing to put in the work. This was a busy work week so having the option to listen to the videos whenever I have my own free time really helped me succeed through this activity! What a great chance for me to step into the shoes of my future students.

I have created a 5MM Bookclub Mind Map to showcase my experiences which will help me empathize with my students one day.

Ultimately, my experience following allowing with Shelley Moore’s book club connects to the #edci339 course outcomes number 4 and 6. This provided me with practical experience in an open learning setting. Even though I was not able to participate in the live chats I gained a lot from the asynchronous learning environment which goes to show the importance of providing options to ensure equitable access for all. The more I am able to put myself into the shoes of my future learners the better teacher I will be; empathy and patience are crucial traits for a teacher in an online setting.I know that my experience with the online book club has inspired me to implement this in my class and it has also provided me with confidence because now I know what it is like!