I’ve taught more online than off. From the start of the portion of my career in “academic” pursuits at Kent State University, it was mainly online with some sprinkling of in-person maybe one semester every couple of years.
Being a reasonably hammy individual, I am told I’m an amusing and effective teacher. I’ve done more video lecturing this past few months, though, than ever before. The response from students has been great – the missing link in most online coursework is the sense of relationship.
For example, at Kent, we had a system to record voiceover for slide decks. Not PPT, and not separate, it basically displayed the slide and you talked over each one. pauses, re-dos, no problemo. We don’t have that here at BGSU, so we have other apps that make that stuff happen — Camtasia the most notable.
While I was waiting for my software approval for Camtasia, I bought an inexpensive substitute with the hilarious brand name of Screencast-o-matic. Veg-a-matic I’ve heard of, but Screencast-o-matic? The thing is, it’s great. You have the option of slide only, slide and thumbnail of speaker, or just speaker. Not bad!
The only issue is there’s no virtual background, so everyone is seeing my dining room furniture (and probably getting all judgy…)
Anyway, the worst thing is that one feels like one is talking…into the void. There are no smiling (or bored, distracted, uninterested…no, none of those…) faces. No reactions, or questions, or comments, or cross-discussions. It’s pretty isolating, especially after a half-semester where we HAD all that visual feedback.
Nonetheless, I feel like I’m still giving of myself, still telling anecdotes, still making points from the readings, illustrating theories, putting things together. I assigned reflection posts each week in one class, to drive home the need to start assembling in our students’ minds a general point and purpose to what we have been studying.
And, yet, I really miss class. I miss the students. Even the ones opting to remain silent. Here’s hoping that life comes back, and soon!
Note: Do you miss college? Come back for graduate school. BGSU is waiving the GRE and application fees, and you could start this summer or fall! Check out the online Masters in Media and Communication with specialization in Strategic Communication and Social Media.
