Module 2 Reflection: Development of Survey

This week began with the creation of my Mentor Survey. I utilized Google Forms to
send Mr. Averett a brief (4 - 5 questions) survey that allowed me to learn more about his
background, educational preparation, and the class that he is teaching. I tried to
incorporate my personal interest in online learning for the survey as well as the necessary
questions from the module’s instruction. The completed survey is included in my GAVS
Internship page of my website, and was sent via email to Mr. Averett. (See Mentor Survey
on GAVS Internship Page)
Mr. Averett responded quickly to my email, and provided me a mentorship time slot
for meeting with him (Wednesdays 4:00 - 5:00). He also completed my survey and
provided me insight into his educational background and philosophy concerning online
teaching. After reading over his responses, I was excited to see that he came into the
educational forum through the TAPP program (Teacher Alternate Preparation Program),
which made me feel that he saw a need in a community and felt that he wanted to make a
difference in that community's educational experience. He did mention that he was
mindful of finding a venue that would enable him to be a caretaker for his own child, and
the GAVS instructional site provided him the ability to use his classical culture degree in a
manner that would be beneficial for both the community and his family. I feel that this has
provided him growth as an educator, and allowed him to become more adept in using his
education for the betterment of the online learning community.
I loved his response dealing with accommodating every student, even those with
disabilities. His philosophy of meeting the needs of every student instead of focusing on a
class as a whole; mirrors my educational goal when I entered the Instructional Technology
field. I feel that the anonymity and freedom to work at an individual pace encourages
reluctant learners, and it is obvious Mr. Averett shares this ideal. After briefly looking
through his recorded online chat, his classroom’s demeanor is encouraging to the students,
and he has provided many different tools to assist individuals in the Latin 1-B classroom.
His goal is to provide instruction that is designed to meet the needs of every learner. He is
open to any concerns and questions, and provides the students with plenty of examples for
lessons and has compiled relevant resources that will enable them to be successful in the
class.
Mr. Averett also stressed the need for ethical online teaching by demonstrating good
digital citizenship. Students should be prepared to interact with instructors and other
learners in a responsible manner that demonstrates understanding of ethical and legal
repercussions of online learning. His study of this aspect of online learning and his
contributions to a blog (TOOL) reinforces his commitment to flipped classrooms, and the
entire online learning community.
I look forward to working with Mr. Averett in the mentorship and I feel that his
expertise will enable me to become more aware of issues that are reflective of the online
learning community. This understanding will be invaluable in my pursuit of becoming an
instructor that utilizes technology to meet student’s needs, whether in the “mortar and
brick classroom”, or in the exclusive online learning community.