My birthday gift to YOU!

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When I was a little girl, like any child, I would get super excited before my birthday. It was always a very special day – a day when I felt really spoiled, and really special. My mom used to buy me candies or bake Russian cookies so I could take them to school and share them with my friends. I remember my friends’ eyes and faces would light up with joy showing me how much these little sweets meant to them. I couldn’t wait to get to school with my plate full of these delicious cheer bombs sprinkled with love and excitement. It was as if I was given special permission to say “I love you” and “I am thankful to have you in my life” without being laughed at or called a sissy.

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Today is my birthday and I want to share some gifts with you as a way of my gratitude and my appreciation for having you in my life and for sharing my journey. “Effective Online Teaching” blog started as a place where I shared what I learned about the field of distance learning. It became much bigger than I could have imagined. In just one year I did not only connect with exceptionally interesting people from over 50 (!) countries that have shared their advice, experience, their struggles and their dreams with me. It became a medium for me to express my true passion and my true calling.
Therefore, I have decided to take this one step further and give this blog a full shot, a shot that it deserves by launching Wired@Heart, LLC that helps professionals and small business owners in service-driven industries (coaches, teachers, trainers) to transcend distances online. Usually, such professionals rely on their face-to-face interactions with their students, customers, and clients. I want to show them that they can leverage their powers and still build incredibly strong connections online. My research and years of distance learning experience have shown me that the online environment is very emotional, very transparent, and very susceptible to building strong bonds.
Unfortunately, there are only a few programs and books out there that show you HOW to do it correctly, how to operate online so this environment does not overwhelm you but brings you joy, flexibility, convenience and the lifestyle that we all deserve. I am so excited to tell you that I co-authored a book with Dr. LaGaza dedicated to the idea of building a Golden Climate online- a climate that raises connection, engagement, performance, and enjoyment. It will be published in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned on how you can participate in the cause!
I hope that through my blog, through my book and through my other tools and services – together we can reach a place, where either in our online classes or online businesses technology disappears allowing for strong connection. I am sure that together we will be able to transcend and conquer that distance.  Some might regard it as a cause, others – a higher calling. I call it my reason for getting out of bed every day.
Thank you so very much for being a part of this vision. Thank you for being forgiving when my crazy website shoots you 6 messages in Latin:-). I feel like a kid again on my birthday… but instead of candies I am going to share my ideas with you, and I also compiled some very handy resources for your teaching and training needs, resources that anyone would like for a birthday as it involves games (50 online games to be precise)!  I hope you will find it useful, and that it brings a smile to your face.
With gratitude,
Marina

50 Resources on Educational Games

WHAT TO DO NOW:

In the comments below please let me know what you would like to see in this blog? What types of community building activies would you want to participate in? What topics would you like me to cover?

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If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy the following:

http://effectiveonlineteaching.org/2012/01/04/how-to-fascinate-your-way-to-students-hearts-in-distance-learning/

http://effectiveonlineteaching.org/2011/11/16/surviving-the-cyber-jungle-one-breath-at-a-time/

http://effectiveonlineteaching.org/2011/10/18/all-work-and-no-play-makes-jack-a-dull-boy-or-how-gamification-improves-your-online-classroom/

 

12 thoughts on “My birthday gift to YOU!”

  1. I actually am a student at the moment at Colorado Technical University working toward my Bachelors Science in Business Administration Degree with a concentration in Human Resources. I am planning in my future to become an online instructor. I have been a part of the online learning environment since 2007, and I love it. I find that this environment gives the non-traditional student much more room to grow. It also has given me many opportunities to have door ways open to me for my future that I never would have thought would be possible. Since being at CTUO I have realized that I have a passion for passing on what I have learned to others. Hence, my plans to become an online Instructor. Therefore, I am very interested in your website.

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    • Michele, Welcome aboard. I am so happy you are considering online instruction. It is truly a great environment that has the potential to help many students and make the learning enjoyable for both students and professors. I hope that this site will help you on your journey. I also have a book coming up that I co-authored with my colleague Dr. LaGanza. It is coming up in a couple of weeks and deals with online pedagogies. Stay tuned!

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  3. Hi Marina,

    First of all, my best wishes for a Happy Birthday showered with health, wealth and all things nice! And thank you for such a rich resource for educators – it is an impressive gift to all!

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  4. Thanks Marina. Although my future is in online learning, I have owned a karate school for almost 18 years. And regardless of where my personal career takes me, I will always be involved in the dojo. Your post really intrigues me, as I have never believed that something like the martial arts should be taught through distance learning. And I am a huge proponent of online learning. So I am very interested in where your ideas are going and if I could implement them into my business. Also, I’ve homeschooled my son for several years and I am going to pass on your list of educational games to my homeschooling friends. We are always looking for new & fun ways to engage our kids. So Happy Birthday and thanks for your post!

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  5. Happy birthday Marina – to you and Wired@Heart! Thanks for the ‘gift’.. hope your day is filled with similar generosity.

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  6. That would be fun. My main topic is how to use emerging technologies to effectively assess student. Gaming is one of the emerging technologies I may use.

    Right now my focus is on digital storytelling with the use of VoiceThread. I work in an Outreach Unit and one of our departments is Study Abroad. I have some faculty interested in using this technique for assessment.

    I have done one study on the World of Warcraft and find this a very interesting area to explore. There are so many exciting ideas going on and finding that special topic to narrow down and research for my degree is proving to be difficult. I feel like that dog in the movie “Up” chasing after all the different squirrels! LOL

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