So...another night online, another "first"...the new (and hopefully much improved) online tool is set to make its' debut. Initial training, check; tutorials viewed, check; holding my breath and hoping for the best, check. Five more minutes til show time...
As the minutes tick by I grow in anticipation. This is the last time together with this group (we have only had really lousy online experiences together to date)and I want to end with a pleasant taste in all of our mouths regarding virtual teaching and learning. After all, I did move half way across the country to do this! It will be three months before I am back online with this group of graduate students and I do not want to leave them with a feeling of "I would rather be at the dentist than endure this".... My reference point for torture...others may not have the same childhood trauma...but you get the point.
Fast forward...class over...woohoo!!!
Finally...an online session where everyone remained connected in cyberspace for the duration of the class AND we could actually hear one another clearly and without lag time. Amazing what spending a little money for a virtual teaching tool can mean for the sanity of both teacher and students! Good bye Big Blue Button. Hello WebEx...my new BFF. Like all best friends in the beginning, we have much to learn about one another, but I already know that there is something there that binds us and I am feeling the love! I cannot wait to get better acquainted.
Unfortunately, I did not get to teach and try out all of the features in real time today. Today was about my students, not me. It was the day to share their final course projects. So, I promptly switched presenter roles with my students upon entry into my virtual classroom to allow them to share their multimedia projects. Although I would have liked to have clicked a few buttons, tried out a few tabs and links -wowing the students with my newfound ability to bring up a Power Point, cartoon, video segment, and documents with the click of my mouse-that skill set development will have to wait until I begin a new course in a couple of weeks. It is probably for the best, as I still have much to learn about the little nuances and idiosyncrasies of my new cybertool companion.
Besides, I can rest in knowing the likely anxiety my students were feeling about presenting from a completely foreign platform (coupled with the tragedy of the former online sessions where anything I attempted to share was rendered invisible or inaudible) quickly subsided once everyone was able to get on, hear one another just as clearly as if we were in the same room, and the first presentation went off without a hitch...well, almost...
It was almost perfect, truly! There have been times in life where I have wished for a do-over. Today was not one of them. A few kinks to work out, sure; a few questions to get answered, of course, but I actually look forward to these techie conversations over a cup of coffee with my personal cyber trainer BFF...
Starbucks, here I come!
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