Class on the Couch

After having the experience of having class through an online conference I realized how useful technology can be. Even though it was snowing we were still able to have class from our homes. Although this was useful in an emergency, I would not want to have class this way everyday. As marvelous as technology is, it is not always reliable. Sometimes the audio would cut out and some people could not get their microphones to operate properly. It was time consuming and tedious to get responses from the whole class. I did not feel as if we were having an open discussion like the ones we have in class. I feel much more comfortable in the classroom where I can see the expressions of the instructor and my peers. This got me thinking about my own virtual classroom. I think it would be very challenging as a teacher to try to teach online everyday. It is more difficult to keep your students engaged. The could be very distracted by the things going on in their own home. If something happens to their internet or computer they could miss class altogether. The combination of all these aspects made me realize how frustrating it could be to teach online. That being said, I am excited to use video conferencing in my classroom occasionally to connect with people we otherwise would be unable to communicate with.