With technology being at its best in this era, the accessibility of learning online is more convenient and it is catered to the masses. As more classes are offered online, it is obvious that it is the wave of the future. Our society leads very busy lives with no time to waste for any reason. Due to this, there has been an influx on classes that are designed to help and accommodate the needs of working professionals. As I read through the plethora of posts about online learning, I noticed that most of my peers support the idea of asynchronous instruction. According to ochoateach�s post dated Oct. 3, he noted that the reason why he prefers online meeting is due to the �flexibility��where we are given the opportunity to finish their course at their leisure�. A few other individuals who support his idea due to their busy schedule of work, children, and school validate this viewpoint. In agreement with ochoateach, paulawilliamson posted on Sep 29 that �on-line offers much more flexibility�personally it saves me a 3-hour round trip drive�. As I read these postings, I felt like an oddball because although I support the convenience of online instruction I would have to disagree with some of my peers. With such a hectic schedule myself, often times I find it extremely difficult to have the motivation and drive to attend class let alone, finish the assigned homework. However, I push myself to show up to class because I am a visual and auditory learner. I need to hear and see the content repeated over and over before I can master the concepts taught. In an article that paulawilliamson shared Sept. 29, she identified that most of the male students were dissatisfied with the online class due to a �technical nature�. She attributed the problem to the inability to receive hands-on experience and assistance when needed from the professor.
I myself have encountered such obstacles with a class that I am currently taking. I had a technical problem with a post on blackboard, so I emailed the professor for assistance. She responded a day later asking me to work out the bugs on my own and in which I did. I figured out that certain options that are offered on a PC do not exist on a Mac. With this newly found knowledge, I used a PC and went into blackboard to delete the post that I made a mistake on. Evidently, not having much experience with Blackboard somehow or another I ended up deleting three other critiques under my assignment. Instantaneously, I realized what I had done and I tried for an hour to figure it out before emailing my professor for help. Actually, I called a couple of friends first before I resorted to emailing the instructor for help. Once again, she proved to me that she did not have time for technical issues or problem-solving strategies to offer me, all she insisted that I do is to post a comment asking the two other students to repost their work. I knew that not everyone backup or save their files or work, so I was left in a very awkward position. I complied with what my professor suggested and along with that came the negative complaints from my peers. They were extremely upset that I had the power to delete my work, which also deleted theirs. I felt horrible before and after the whole ordeal. There were so many thoughts that ran through my mind but the one that really mattered was that my professor who was suppose to guide me, did not and due to that I was left with a feeling of despair, frustration, and sheer disappointment. This is only one of a few examples but I know I should not let one bad apple ruin my viewpoint about online learning. I have seen the bad and good nature of technology, and hopefully with enough positive reinforcement I too can learn to appreciate the convenience of the future.