Our ONL181 journey has come to an end…  I started out thinking that I would write about me, my adhd and the challenges that are related to teaching and learning in a digital world when you have adhd. In a way I have but I have also managed to explore other matters related to online learning… things I didn’t know exist…

I think that one of the things I am taking away from this course, apart from knowledge gained, is the experience of being a student again, and of having a look into what the world might look and feel like for students of today… in a different era than when I started my studies and using different tools. This course, and my thoughts on student experiences, has also reminded me of work life experiences I have had and how they have shaped me as a person and also shaped my life…

Fifteen years ago before I was diagnosed with ADHD, I had a boss who nick-named me ‘The Duracell bunny’. I felt that he saw my strengths, not my weaknesses. He pointed me towards the goal but let me find my own way. He let me grow and when I outgrew my position he wished me good luck in the future and told me to go and conquer the world.

So onward I moved… towards a new job, new responsibilities and new studies.

Seven years ago I had a boss that told my Ph.D. supervisor that I was like a chicken…, He was referring to my ADHD, he claimed I could easily get distracted and that he needed to ‘throw me treats to keep my attention’ and by doing that he kept me on a straight and narrow path. My supervisor was shocked that he used this analogy, especially in front of me. I, on the other hand, was numb and felt that there was a point to what he said. I felt that I was lost and that I wasn’t learning anything of value in that job. I left not long thereafter.

Guess which of these two ex-bosses that I remember with warmth, that I remember as a good boss, who made me a better person and who changed my approach to life and learning… yes, boss number one. I can only guess that teachers have very much the same effect on students. We can inspire or we can kill the joy a student feels when they are interacting with us or in our courses.

During this course focusing on online learning and teaching, and on using new and different tools, I learnt a lot. So many new things and yet ‘nothing new under the sun’ as they say… whatever the platform, whatever the tool the most important thing is the learning experience. It is something we need to focus on and we need to spend time cultivating an atmosphere that is good for learning. We need to take this in to account when designing and teaching our courses. I want to be the kind of teacher that inspires and that makes students become the best version of themselves that they can be. In a small classroom I have been able to do this, now I am going to challenge myself to do the same online and with a bigger group… wish me luck!!!