Module 5 Reflection

The biggest takeaway from this week's material were the readings regarding effective communication techniques and behaviors. I think that some of the time communication seems very instinctive; however, leaders can slip into ineffective communication practices due to being busy or making efforts to be more efficient. The most useful strategies from the readings were the intrinsic practices to keep in mind when communicating with others. For example, recognizing when you are getting frustrated in a conversation and taking the time to internalize what is being said before responding. This is important to ensure that communication remains respectful and open and that nothing is said on a whim without being thought through carefully.

 This week I learned that my results for the interpersonal skills self-assessment were as follows: Listening Skills (52%), Emotional Intelligence (68%), Verbal Communication (77%), and  Communicating in Groups (83%). I also learned from colleagues that we all have communication skills that we are striving to improve. As the profession of education is constantly in flux with diverse people and backgrounds, I wonder if we will ever truly master the art of communication? 

 Using screen cast technology is useful, especially in an online course. It allows the instructor to demonstrate and provide step-by-step instruction similar to a face-to-face instruction. I do find Canvas Studio to be a struggle sometimes because if you record the video through Canvas, there is no way to download the video until it is uploaded to the Canvas site. So, if there is an issue with bandwidth, and the video does not upload, there is no way to download the video that was recorded through Cavas Studio to the computer. I would much rather use Screencast-o-Matic or the software on my Mac, then save the recording to my computer, and then upload the file to Canvas. This way my work is not lost if the file does not upload due to weak bandwidth. 

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