It always amazes me how quickly the week spass when I'm facilitating this course. It seems like it's Sunday night and I'm sending out the emails, beginning another week, and then it's Wednesday and the week's almost half over. I turn around and it's Sunday again.
Week one went very, very well. I was surprised at how much everyone posted to the Self-Introduction on Nicenet. Yay for everyone! This is going to be an incredibly active and supportive learning community. I just love to watch as everyone joins the conversations and creates a community. It never ceases to surprise me how close course participants become and how much they miss one another once the course is finished.
I think that it is fascinating how closely connected a group of virtual friends can become. I feel a real sense of closeness and connection between the participants of this course--and we've never met face-to-face. One reason, I think, is because people are very accustomed to keeping in touch via technology and virtual communication has become a norm. I think we hold face-to-face meetings equal in importance to virtual meeting. I also think that we've become very, very comfortable with virtual meetings and communication. It is not awkward; sometimes virtual meetings are less awkward than face-to-face.
All of the above works to the benefit of an online course--thank goodness. I think this is going to be a great term.
Onward!
Donna
Dear Donna
ReplyDeleteYou've shared great thoughts on Virtual Vs Face-to-face meetings. I think, asynchronous communication is less awkward because one has all the time to think and compose one's message. To me, virtual meetings are like networking of brains where we can share and access each others mental products! I sometimes feel that as a student of this highly interactive online course, my consciousness extends into a real extended family. A little tug in one of these discussion threads and my neurons start firing! We are wired and the chemicals in our heads are released and upheld as we try to entangle or disentangle these threads! :-)
Muhammad Rashid
Dear Donna and Rashid,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are both enjoying this course as much as I am. I also have a feeling that we are a great online community, like friends on Facebook, or even better because we did not choose each other we were chosen as the best applicants and that makes us feel very special. Since it is such a privilege we are all trying to do our best and make the most of this course.