Media Mediation #3 How to Talk Your Way out of a Speeding Ticket

Photo: http://connectwithyourteens.blogspot.com/


This semester I am taking my first online class here at Champlain College. Well, its not completely an online class, but it is a hybrid class that incorporates both online and in class discussions and meetings. It meets every few weeks in the meeting room upstairs in the library.

The course is Digital Social Interaction I guess it's appropriate that this would be offered online. Not only are we learning about the difference between face to face and internet communication through readings and printed lectures, but we are also experiencing it by interacting with our instructor and classmates through the web.

This has been my first experience with an online class. When I signed up for the course last semester, I had no idea what to expect. When I arrived for our first meeting this semester on a Friday afternoon, I was already in trouble. Our instructor expected us to have readings done for the first class. At this point, it hadn't even occurred to me to log into Angel.

Needless to say, I am not motivated by an online course. The fact that this class meets about once or twice per month saves my life. I'm usually very excited to use technology as a resource for almost anything, but not in this case. I don't know if its the user un-friendliness of Angel or the lack of class meetings that gives me the impression that coursework is not important. I enjoy the class and I find I am learning a lot from the physical meetings. I wish I could say the same about the online meetings. And remember, I'm comparing this to 5 semesters and lifetime of other traditional class meetings.

In no way am I trying to complain about online courses. They are an amazing tool for learning, especially for those who are otherwise busy or cannot physically attend courses. Online classes open up a new world of education, as anyone in the world with access to a computer can have access to higher education. Colleges can benefit from online courses too because they can essentially have more students, without crowding their infrastructure. In fact, Champlain College is setting the standard for online classes.

Changing from traditional classes to online classes is a clear technological shift from analog to digital. Online courses have the ability to offer the same things that course meetings can offer. Discussions can be replaced with a forum type environment. One student and initiate a point while other can quote and respond.

Right now, It just makes sense for me to be in traditional classe. This may be why I have developed this opinion. My time at Champlain College is devoted toward going to classes and doing homework, with a part time job on the side. I can see myself taking an online class again in the future, when I have a career or even studying abroad.

Online learning can be exemplified in many different contexts other than college courses. There are hundreds of tutorials all over youtube that range from automotive repair to musical instruments. These are just a few examples to which people can be educated over the web.



I watched too many of these Howcast videos on youtube. They illustrate how easy online learning can be. Some of them are informative, while others are just funny and ridiculous. I wish I had seen this one earlier....