After a stimulating eleven weeks of digital submersion, all whilst challenging any perceptions of learning I previously had, the BEMM129 Digital Business Models course has sadly come to an end. This blog will see me critically reflect on my experience using Gibbs’ (1988) reflective model.
Description
BEMM129 has been a module like no other. Located entirely online, I felt that this module had two key objectives:
- To inform on how digital innovations are revolutionising the world we live in.
- To help students feel more confident in a digital environment.
This course has seen me write two blogs, one on the changing role of the retail banker and the other on Monzo. I have also thoroughly enjoyed reading the work of my peers and giving my thoughts on their blogs, all whilst contributing to the weekly discussion topics:
Feelings
My main feeling entering this module was apprehension. I had never labelled myself as being particularly imaginative, a quality which I had associated with digital success. This was clear in the early topics where I was reluctant to post any comments.
As the weeks progressed, my confidence grew, and I found myself participating more and more in discussions. I feel like a lot of this came from seeing my peers interacting with each other, which definitely pushed me to interact more with the module content.
Evaluation and Analysis
The best experience from this module for me has been discovering a new learning style known as connectivism (Siemens, 2005), a social learning process based upon the connections through digital avenues (e.g. blogs, comments, MOOC, ELE and other trusted online sources).
The use of blogs as the format of assessment made the learning experience more enjoyable. This opened my eyes to a more expressive style of writing and forced me to step outside my comfort zone.
I felt I struggled with the more creative side to the module, such as when creating graphics. I felt like this limited the scope of my blogs and was compounded by only having the free version of WordPress.
I felt that throughout the module I used a good mix of original and additional sources, however sometimes I was reluctant to give my own thoughts without any evidence, which is an area I still need to work on.
Conclusion
My experience on BEMM129 has been incredibly insightful and enjoyable. I now feel like I am more comfortable in a digital environment and I intend to continue this journey.
Action Plan
Word count: 414
References
Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3-10.
Ellis' Blog 