Well, here we are at January 7, 2012. Classes begin again Monday next week.
If you are like me this time is met with all sorts of feelings, some excitement, some concern. What will the teacher be like? What will my classmates be like? Hoping you don't make a fool of yourself with your first post, maybe worried that everything will work ok if this is your first online class.
First, a few words. DON'T PANIC! If this is your first online class, something always goes wrong somewhere along the line, hopefully it is minor, an internet outage for an hour or two, not something serious like the teacher disappearing for six weeks and no real instruction. That did happen to me once. No explanation the instructor vanished, no reply to e-mails, no grading, the class meandered on as the students pulled together to try and help each other. At one time a positive experience and a very frustrating time. In the end grades were good, but I never did hear from the instructor herself.
For the most part all of your fellow students will be like you. Nervous and eager. Don't worry about making mistakes, no one will see your blushes, no-one will recognize you in the street as the person who made a gaff in class. But remember to read your posts aloud, or be like me and use a screen reader to check that they make sense when read aloud. People use their inner voice to read their own work and sometimes their inner voice doesn't read exactly what is written, but what it thinks was written. Meanings can become confused very easily when you are writing on a computer screen.
Remember to use the apostrophe when shortening words. People like me, the blind, who use screen readers, can get easily irritated and so will your teacher when they read Ill instead of I'll or well instead of we'll for the twentieth time in a day.
By now you should be prepared to begin your classes. All your books neatly ordered, paper at the ready for notes and a supply of pens for writing those notes. Most of your preliminary reading should be done and you might even have ideas for your final papers. Given that you have one day to relax and have fun before the headlong rush towards your class ends. Take time for yourself. Go see a movie, go shopping, go to the ocean, mountains, fishing, cycling. Spoil yourself. You will need the rest.
If you are like me this time is met with all sorts of feelings, some excitement, some concern. What will the teacher be like? What will my classmates be like? Hoping you don't make a fool of yourself with your first post, maybe worried that everything will work ok if this is your first online class.
First, a few words. DON'T PANIC! If this is your first online class, something always goes wrong somewhere along the line, hopefully it is minor, an internet outage for an hour or two, not something serious like the teacher disappearing for six weeks and no real instruction. That did happen to me once. No explanation the instructor vanished, no reply to e-mails, no grading, the class meandered on as the students pulled together to try and help each other. At one time a positive experience and a very frustrating time. In the end grades were good, but I never did hear from the instructor herself.
For the most part all of your fellow students will be like you. Nervous and eager. Don't worry about making mistakes, no one will see your blushes, no-one will recognize you in the street as the person who made a gaff in class. But remember to read your posts aloud, or be like me and use a screen reader to check that they make sense when read aloud. People use their inner voice to read their own work and sometimes their inner voice doesn't read exactly what is written, but what it thinks was written. Meanings can become confused very easily when you are writing on a computer screen.
Remember to use the apostrophe when shortening words. People like me, the blind, who use screen readers, can get easily irritated and so will your teacher when they read Ill instead of I'll or well instead of we'll for the twentieth time in a day.
By now you should be prepared to begin your classes. All your books neatly ordered, paper at the ready for notes and a supply of pens for writing those notes. Most of your preliminary reading should be done and you might even have ideas for your final papers. Given that you have one day to relax and have fun before the headlong rush towards your class ends. Take time for yourself. Go see a movie, go shopping, go to the ocean, mountains, fishing, cycling. Spoil yourself. You will need the rest.
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