This week in class we talked about blended, online, and multi-access learning environments. Last March when classes went online I was very concerned about  being able to maintain focus in a distance education environment. I have been in a distance ed situation before and was extremely frustrated by it the first time, but I am happy to report that as rocky as the midterm transition was it ended up being okay. In fact, I completely attribute being able to complete four summer courses to the fact that everything was online. The course load was so condensed that I basically woke up, did school work, ate sometimes, then went to bed. That being said, I still prefer face-to-face classes. Lets plot out the pros and cons:

 

Pros:

 

Being able to take on more courses than should be humanly possible

• With no commute and asynchronous classes there is more flexibility in scheduling 

 

Studying and attending class at home

• I have a dog with severe separation anxiety so being able to stay with him all day helps his mental and physical wellbeing (he will chew on walls/doors/metal door handles when left alone so the lower vet bills have been nice)

 

Spending less money on food/coffee 

• Since there is no travel to class or staying late at school to study overall cost of dining out has gone down.

 

Breakout rooms 

• I get a chance to talk to more variety of classmates

 

Working on Docs

• Since we are all on computers already it is easier to share a doc and work collaboratively

 

Cons:

 

Feeling like it school work never ends

• There is less of a separation between “school time” and “relaxation time” because the physical space is the same for both activities and there is always more work you can put into an assignment.

 

Constant headaches

• Between my eyes being on a screen and my headphones clamping onto my tiny head I have been getting headaches daily at this point in the term.

 

Focus is easily lost

• My mind easily wonders in Zoom classes so I’ve gotten a supply of squishy balls/other shapes to keep more focused during classes. 

 

Forgetting to go outside

• There are days that I just park myself at a computer and stay there for hours. Thankfully I have a dog that needs walks, so I get reminders but I still miss going out some days.

 

Missed connections

• There is less chance to make connections with people over Zoom, this goes for fellow students, teachers, and guest speakers.

 

Less chance to ask for clarification

• I find that there are fewer chances to ask for clarification and have more voices in class discussion. There are people who are just less likely to speak up over Zoom. As someone who likes to ask and hear others questions on a subject I am really missing those interactions.

 

We also touched on Synchronous and Asynchronous learning

 

For me, and the cost of education, I really like the idea of watching recorded lectures and meeting as a class for more discussion and theory about subjects. I think it is reasonable to ask students to watch a lecture and attend a synchronous class, especially if the lecture and class are manageable time lengths (say 60-90 minutes). 

 

Overall, I am still not a huge fan of online classes. However I do see how some subjects can still be taught effectively over platforms like Zoom. I really hope that in Fall 2021 we are back to face-to-face, or at least a mix.

 

Also, the robot person thing looked really cool and I wish we could have seen that in person.

Until next time!