online class

What an interesting night Wed. January 9, 2008 truly was. Other then working online for one previous math class I took at MCC, this was my first experience with this method of communication. The class at MCC was just completing the work, not actually communicating live throughout the sessions. Things I found interesting included the knowledge and variety of speakers who presented to us. Honestly throughout the sessions I was thinking to myself "these presenters are all very intelligent and how am I ever going to get a PhD? Am I really as smart as them and will I be able to make it?" There were a few challenges that I felt during the vitural class. The first was the issue with cutting in and out when Jeff and the other presenters were speaking. Another is, not being able to see who we were communicating with, and a third was not being able to communicate back with words. For me face to face interaction works much better. I think that through typing sometimes what someone is trying to say is taken incorrectly and not interpreted the same as if I was actually speaking with the individuals on the other end. I think that one of the difficulties I was having as a result of the delay in communication was coming up with deep questions. I process information much better if it is continous. I was having a difficult time giving all my attention and found myself asking those around me "what was the question or what are we suppossed to be doing right now?" One helpful aspect was the knowledge of leadership that was offered through the various individuals. Another helpful aspect, could be helpful, is there aren't any bias' by anyone if you can't see who you are speaking to. I was free to ask any questions which I wanted to ask and the speaker/presenter had no idea what I was like on the other end. You had to make up your own interpretations of the others. I think being able to offer this virtual class during our "Leadership in the E-world" course helps us to think more realistically about the future. I think that in the near future, within a 10-year period the majority of communication within businesses is going to be through virtual communication. All in all I think this class was very useful, entertaining, and informative. I'm very glad that I was able to be part of it.