Ok, two hunters are in the woods when one of them suddenly collapses. He isn’t breathing and his eyes looked glazed. The other guy grabs his cell phone and calls for help. He shouts at the emergency operator: “I think my friend is dead! What do I do!?”
“Calm down”, the operator says in a soothing voice, “I can help you. But first, we need to make sure he’s dead.”
The phone goes silent for a second. Then the operator hears a gunshot. “Ok”, says the hunter, “now what?”
I know, I know, pretty bad. But sometimes while working through an online course I feel like that hunter who calls 9-1-1 and then shoots his friend. Yeah, the operator’s intent is pretty clear, but the hunter standing there with a gun misconstrues the intent. I have found that sometimes I misconstrue the intent of directions/assignments in my online classes. Nothing too dire or lethal, but I don’t always process everything in the directions.
In my mind, I follow directions pretty, well. At least as well as most. But I have found that in this online education universe, I don’t always catch every detail. It might have to do with information being posted in different places, a book vs. a module vs. a discussion vs. piazza vs. email. But I think it has more to do with my personality and my preference for dealing with people. Sure, I understand the assignments. But it’s talking it over with the instructor or students in that casual way that happens in hallways or over coffee that I thrive on. I do not get the same from discussion boards or emails, or at least not yet.
I am definitely a people person, this is no surprise (at least to me or anyone who knows me). But the lack of human-to-human interaction is more difficult to overcome than I had thought it would be. My VARK results were not all that surprising, I learn best through Reading and Visualization. I learned this while doing my first college degree, the need to repeatedly rewrite and review, to use flashcards, and to create flowcharts or other graphic interpretations of how concepts tie together is what kept me in the library nights and weekends.
My results from the Multiple Intelligence test revealed that my strongest intelligences are Linguistic and Interpersonal – again, no surprise there. One of the recommended strategies for learning is “Engage in Socratic method.” Ha! That’s me to a T. But how to do that in an online setting? Is there a way to post “stimulating” questions and answers on a message board without sounding like a know-it-all? Am I doing it now?
So, what does this all mean for my future online education career? Obviously, the interaction aspect is not going to change (unless any of you want to come out to Phnom Penh and help me study!). So I expect I’ll be organizing myself better to systematically verify assignments and requirements. This is no biggie – I now repeatedly check these things to make sure I have no more … miscontru-ations(?). I see it as another form of organizing: organizing my online life. And though messaging isn’t the same as talking with someone, I am doing my share of sharing!
And if I ever need a healthy dose of human interaction, I’ve got a 3 year old girl and a 5 year old boy both bursting to give me all the human interaction I could possibly want!
Now, when’s this blog due…?
That is by far the best analogy that I have ever heard when it comes to talking about being an online student! I feel like I spend more time trying to figure out what and where to find the assignments than I do actually doing to homework. I too also feel the same way about blogs and discussion boards as you do. It’s just not the same as talking with class mates face to face.
Thanks! And I know exactly what you mean about having to hunt around for info. I’m always nervous that I’m missing something, especially an assignment. I have found the calendar very useful, but for some reason I don’t trust it 100%. I think it has something to do with the fact that I don’t input the info, it just shows up on its own, magically. I think this is something I’ll get over with time — trusting in the assignments posted on the calendar, not the believing in magic thing! — as long as I don’t get burned by it. And I think the key to a lot of this, at least for me, is getting used to these new tools that an online student has to use.
I have to say that you can certainly capture a person’s attention! That’s super! Say, as far as talking with a classmate or two, Skype comes to mind. I have not yet tried it even though I’m signed up for it. My husband, Skypes piano lessons. We just moved from Reno and one of his students came up with this idea. It works pretty well…..and my husband will tell you: “if he can do it, anyone can” Thank again!
Love Skype. I’m super impressed by your husband teaching piano over Skype…I have never heard of that! I use Skype all the time to communicate with family and friends. I haven’t yet used it to communicate with another student. Skype seems like such a personal thing and in my mind it would be difficult to ask someone to Skype. I’d feel like I’d be asking someone for their phone number or something. But as I wrote those last 2 sentences I realized something: “Skype as a personal form of communication” is totally my perception of Skype! Skype is just a tool and should be used as such, right? Wow, this has been a good session. How much do I owe you, doc?
I also have some issues following the information through the different formats. I worry that I may have missed an important step. I think every person is different in the amount of interactions that they like or require. I am okay with small amounts of contact daily, but I don’t like not having any interactions. Some people require constant contact with other people and some none at all. For me, it’s easier to contact someone via email or messaging of some kind than to deal with them in a face to face manner unless it is something that I need to be able to read body language on. As for studying, I don’t think I would like to travel that far for a study group, but there are online meeting places you can have one.
You’re right about everyone being different! I’m pretty much a people person, whereas my wife is a total introvert. I do well working alone, but like the face-to-face when dealing with someone. We just completed an online group assignment in the computer science course I’m taking, and though the dynamics were much the same as when you meet in person, (out of 4 of us, 2 were active, 1 inserted “Ya, sounds good” every so often, and 1 just never showed up), I feel like we didn’t push the programming as far as we could have. And perhaps it’s just me having to learn better techniques for persuasive online writing, but I think if we were sitting in a room together, hammering out some of the finer points, we could have arrived at a far superior understanding of what we were trying to accomplish.
The thought of an online meeting place is not really all that appealing to me. But I have never tried it! So I think I see something new to try in the near future!
I’m not fond of the multiple formats. I especially did not care for the Pearson’s portion this week. Canvas is much better than Blackboard though. It probably didn’t help that Pearson crashed my system to a complete reboot. Ugh. Hope you have better luck.
Well, that was interesting and a very different way to start a post. I think most of us enjoyed something to laugh about though. Not enough people get to laugh anymore. We are all too stressed about life and its hardships. It seems like you really got a good sense of who you are and what your learning styles already are. So good luck with the rest of class and hopefully you’ll be able to interact with some more adults now!
Thanks Carrie. I agree, a little humor at the right time can make a world of difference. But I think the crux of the joke — misinterpretation of information — is something I am currently struggling with, how to make sure I’m doing the right things properly. I’ve been through college once and am now back to refocus a stalled career, so I’ve spent some time examining my strengths and weaknesses and have tried to use my talents the best I can. I’m 48 now, and going back to school is a bit frightening. The convenience of online education is great, but I didn’t have much option living in Cambodia. So here I am, trying to rekindle that fire for learning that once burned in me. I guess what I’m saying is that I might have a sense of my learning styles, but I need to dust them off and get a kick in the pants to start me off in the right direction. Time to do some educational house cleaning!
I love this! Misinterpretation of the information is one of my biggest challenges. And it is really hard to not be able to lean to the person next to me to clarify things when I need to. There is nobody there to ask! Of course, I know I can always email the instructor or post a question in the Q&A forum but it isn’t the same. It’s also not instantaneous which means I then have to put aside whatever I have a question on and wait for a response. Which then makes me lose my focus. I also like to ask lots of questions and in different ways which is pretty difficult to do in an on-line setting without looking like a complete moron.
I also miss the interaction with other students. One thing that worked well for at my other school was video chatting. They would place us in learning teams that you would work in all term. One of the getting to know each other assignments we did was to have a video conference with all of our team members. It was nice to be able to put a face to their names and made it all feel more personal. Maybe you could find a group of students to do this with:)
Hi Star:
Yes, I totally lose focus because answers aren’t instantaneous (and with me 14 hours ahead, I usually have to go to bed and wait until the next morning to get answers, if the question was answered right away — Brandi, our instructor, has been super fast at getting back to me!).
The flip side of this, and something I wanted to get to in my blog but felt I had rambled enough, was I sometimes feel like the emergency operator — not specific enough with my online interactions. “Check to see if he’s dead” would have resulted in a totally different outcome. I find that my use of humor can sometimes cloud what it is I’m trying to say, something that wouldn’t necessarily happen in a face-to-face!
I like the idea of a video conference for the start of a class. I find that I have a mental picture of each of the students in the ALS class, based on their introductions and what they have written. I would love to see how my perceptions stacked up against reality!
Sometimes, I find it difficult to find all the assignments as well. I have one instructor this term, though, that keeps forgetting to post assignments and tests, etc. It is driving me crazy. Even through all my procrastination and disorganization, I am a really good student, but I’m afraid I’m going to fail this course simply because of late work or not getting assignments completed at all. I’m managing to do well so far, but it is really stressing me out.
Aaargh, not posting assignments?!?…I would be going crazy! I can’t say I’ve figured this out yet, but if I were working through a module and suddenly a new assignment popped up that wasn’t there before, I’d have a serious problem with that. Unless, of course, the class was some sort of study in how to drive students insane…
Good luck with that class!
I say post those Socratic questions and see who bites and how (it’s online… how bad can it hurt?). I have a feeling you will liven up a discussion board with the experiment – although from your writing, my guess is that you are pretty lively in discussions already! Great blog! Your initial post is fun and worth the read, for sure, and I appreciate that you take the time to respond to your replies. Really great!
Ha! I just might. Thank you for the compliments. I love writing and frequently do it professionally. But I’m not used to this kind of forum, this kind of sharing. I’m a very friendly person, but also fairly guarded. Opening up online is new to me, and still quite difficult. It takes me a while to write anything about me that’s getting shared… review, edit, change back, re-edit, make it more casual, too much detail, delete it, not sharing enough, put it back… But if I’m gonna do this, might as well jump in with both feet! (So, I have this sore on my toe…)
I would have to say that this analogy sums online learning up perfectly! Also, I have the same problem…it seems like there is something about getting directions in an online class…I feel like the way I understand them and the way others do are two opposites.
Ya, and I think every class is different. Our ALS class has assignments posted by week number and order number, so the first assignment of week 2 was 2.1, the second assignment of week 2 was 2.2, and so forth. That is so helpful and clear. Compare that to the person in the comments here who said they’re instructor forgets to post assignments and tests. And there’s a whole universe in between! I guess it’s best to have that open mind and be prepared for anything. But how to do that, I don’t know!
Like many of our class dealing with the different online classroom tools it can be difficult for me as well but at least this term all my classes are on Canvas and not both systems.
I understand Canvas has made online learning a little easier than Blackboard. This is my first term, so I guess I’m lucky to have missed the transition. I could see how it would be a challenge going back and forth between systems. Ugh.
I usually follow instructions well, but I had a group assignment last week where I thought I understood the assignment directions but missed a very faint but important detail, and to make matters worse, I was accusing my team of not understanding the directions. It was a little embarrassing, but I am perfectly fine admitting to mistakes as I make them frequently. So I can certainly empathize with your situation.
Good for you for owning up to it. Nothing worse than being sure you know what’s going on only to slowly realize you were the one not understanding… At least you put yourself out there and tried to explain your point of view. I think it’s too easy to just go along with the crowd — and that’s the times when my understanding of the problem is correct! Ha, ha, oh well.