4th Response (Online Classroom Week)

Well. This week has been interesting to say the least. I am not used to all of this posting. I know that this whole class is centered around communicating online, but I just can't get used to it. I currently have 3 log in names and passwords for this class, plus one to check my email, and yet another if I decide to check Facebook. I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed by logging in!

I used to think that I was somewhat up to date with technology and communication. After the first few days of this week, though, I feel way behind the times and old fashioned. I do not mind going to class and taking notes the old fashioned way. As a matter of fact, I have printed out everything that we had to look online for this week. I have been making notes and highlighting everything that way because I just can't seem to get the same amount of information out of material when I read it off of a computer screen.

I also used to think that online classes would be rather easy. I thought they were just about reading some things and writing papers. I'm just now getting the hang of knowing who I responded to and how many times I responded.

All in all, I feel like my mom this week. I just don't seem to be as savvy as I thought I was, but as it turns out, I'm totally fine with being less technologically advanced than others.

3rd Response

I just got done taking that test. I probably could have studied more, but then again, there's always room for more studying. Anyway, the point of this blog is that the entire time I was writing my answers to the 16 questions (heaven forbid!), all I could think was, "This hurts my hand! Why couldn't this be over email?"

So, what I am proposing or rather, just pondering is that I have become unconsciously dependent on CMC, not to mention lazy. My hand hurt from writing so much. It is rather obvious then that I am used to typing and much more fond of it. I mean, the computer never made my right hand burn from typing furiously, but my pencil on the other hand? We're not friends.

What else in my life is becoming dependent on CMC? I used to not like the idea of online classes because I thought it took away from the personality and experience of the class that you get when you walk into a classroom. How much more personality and experience can you get from a test? Am I hypocritical or am I just changing my ways?

2nd Reflection

So, today is the day that Westminster had a "delay". We all know it really wasn't a delay, but we do know that today there were a lot of classes cancelled. After I woke up and figured out that the email meant that only 8:10 classes were cancelled, I got ready and went to my 9:20 class. After unsuccessfully jumping over a snowbank and getting the bottom of my pants rather wet, I got to class to find that my professor was MIA. We waited for a while, and when she never showed, our class left. I was really frustrated. I mean, why didn't she send an email or call the secretary and have her send an email? I couldn't understand how my professor couldn't utilize such an easy tool like email to let us know that she wasn't coming to class. (Just for the record, after being frustrated for a while I did feel bad that maybe she was really sick or that something is wrong... I'm not a totally bad person.) Then I had the thought that prompted me to write this reflection. Before the times when email was used, students in my position would have walked to class, seen a note, and walked back to their room. They would not have gotten upset that the teacher forgot to email or that they had to walk a few yards in the cold to find out class wasn't happening. They simply would have been thankful for an extra hour of sleep when they got back to their rooms. Why, then, did I get frustrated that nobody communicated to me that class wasn't happening today? Is CMC taking over my life? Why couldn't I just be happy with not having class? It's almost as if someone cannot communicate with me through FtF communication, I expect it to happen via CMC. What was it like before CMC? Do other people think the same way I do?

Response 1

Well, here is my first real blog. We are supposed to be reflecting on what we have learned or what sparked our interest this week in class. We seem to talk a lot about the positive and negative aspects of CMC in our lives and the world around us. I have found myself relating to most of the conversations in class, and I can understand what makes CMC useful and what makes CMC a hindrance sometimes.

I feel like when used in moderation and for the "right" reasons, CMC is actually very beneficial for the world. I really only see CMC as a threat when it interferes completely with social interaction. Yes, CMC is obviously going to take the place of face to face communication occasionally, but as long as people know that there are times when face to face communication is more appropriate than CMC they are not out of line.

I feel that presently having CMC skills is very important, but face to face communication skills have been and always will be necessary. We can learn how to chat on computers and we can join online discussion groups, but as soon as we lose sight of what it means to talk to someone, we need to reevaluate our situations.

I think that is all I have to say for now. See ya!