Last week we held our EDUC Technology class virtually. We had a Google+ Hangout instead of a traditional brick and mortar one. It was a learning experience with both pros and cons. This afternoon the idea was floated, by the lovely and capable Ms. Farheen K., that we try it again this week. Two thoughts leapt to mind at the same time - "Seriously?" and "Great!". So here we have the Seriously? and Great! list:
Seriously? __ Great!
wastes our class's good in-person chemistry good group to practice something new with
too glitchy for some of us good reason to practice more
I am uncomfortable being seen on screen this is the future, better practice
we tried it, isn't that enough? "once" keeps Visitor status, try practicing
can't see Far's shoes peeked at Jeff's extremely quiet child :)
Okay, jesting aside, what is the recurring theme here? Practice. Doing something more than once to gain familiarity with it instead of a fleeting meet and greet. I feel like there have been several of those meet and greets in this class - which is not a criticism, just a fact of Jeff trying to introduce dozens of ideas in a relatively brief time. My impression is that the expectation isn't that we master every single one, but that we find the ones that appeal to us - visually, organizationally, etc. - and really utilize them. Ideally, we can do that with sites that fall under different categories. Diigo for references, Storify for sharing presentations, edmoto for classroom management.
For me, there are levels of use, for lack of a better phrase. Things I know pretty well and am using on a daily basis. Things I am still practicing, but go to weekly-ish. Things I've marked to go back and check out again later. And I've tried to choose things from different categories to incorporate into my professional routines. Clearly, sharing through video chats, YouTube and the like is only going to become more present in the educational realm, and I need to be able to feel comfortable doing that. Comfortable with the technology that gets me there, and comfortable sitting at home being viewed by my peers. How to accomplish that? Practice!
So, yes. I vote for another virtual class, in fact, probably more than one.
I like it! Google Hangouts definitely take a little getting used to. I agree that practice is key in working out the kinks and getting people confortable using it in order to hopefully use it in the future--though I will also miss seeing what shoes Far is wearing that day :)
ReplyDeleteI must admit this week I wasn't so good with checking Edmodo. So thank you for writing your Blog post about Far's question regarding a google hangout because I just responded to it on Edmodo! I overall liked the Google Hangout, and especially if someone is feeling ill, I'm down to do it again!
ReplyDeleteI had a very similar experience like you... I couldn't get in for some time, but I also have pros and cons. I have never been one to take an online class because I am old school in that way and feel you need to be in class physically, I don't know I just am not too fond of it. But, I am willing to give it a try. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree practice is key, I guess for me, I've had a lot of practice in this realm, so I was actually more comfortable using the online environment for class. Comfort not only on my couch with my pupster but also just in what I'm used to using now. I'll ensure to take a picture of some of my shoes for future online classes so that you don't miss out on that part of the experience! :)
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