Several weeks ago, I agreed to speak to a Misericordia University Media Literacy class. I have no problem with helping young people, but I am not a fan of talking about myself.
Adding to the degree of difficulty, I would participate in the class via Zoom. You would think that would be easier because I wouldn't have close contact with the students and feel their piercing eyes, but I would have preferred that. It would be more of a discussion, more personal.
My day arrived on Tuesday of last week. I decided to do it from WNEP rather than home, even though I was on vacation. I've participated in Zoom meetings before, but I still wasn't confident in my tech skills. If I ran in to a problem, there would have been plenty of people at WNEP who could help. Another plus: I wouldn't have to straighten up my cluttered home office area.
Long story short, the students and the instructor were great. The 80 minutes flew by and it was a lot of fun. There were no technical issues. Thank you for the invitation.
Having said all that, I understand the need for distance learning, but I don't know students and educators do it. Education is supposed to be personal, an experience. It's really tough to do that while you're staring at a screen and looking in to a piece of glass. It was frustrating, and I only had to do it for 80 minutes. I can only imagine what a full day session would be like.
One can only hope and pray we're all back together soon.
