Unit 11 Still!

Well, it's Wednesday, past my bedtime (did I say I'm OLD?), and I'm just submitting the remainder of my drop box assignment. It still wasn't complete but I was able to come to some understanding of inner, left and right joins. Don't ask me tomorrow if I could explain it to you! But I have it archived on my desktop if I need to refresh the old gray matter.

Here are some things I like about online learning: 

1. I can do it when I have the time. I can study for half an hour, put in a load of laundry, study some more, get ready for work, work all day, come home, get dinner started and study while it's cooking, eat, study some more, and so on. I'm unable to focus for more than an hour at a time anyway!

2. I like the different modalities of learning and the ability to pursue avenues of interest at the moment. Like a digital native, I could get used to this non-linear approach to learning. (I would never claim to BE a digital native, just like I would never claim to BE a Tucson native. I've only lived here since I was 9. True natives get testy!)

3. I like having everything I need at my fingertips on my laptop. I can look at screenshots of my database and listen to instructions in the tutorial while I'm using the command line bridged to my demo machine to try queries. Most of the time it's just me and the mac, no paper. Very green.

Here is the ONE BIG THING I don't like about online learning:

Working in real space with classmates allows for sharing, not only ideas, but feelings, facial expressions and body language. As an adult learner, I struggle with my own ignorance. 

In my work environment I am the "go to" person for research, reference, teaching strategies, and technology. I am constantly learning new things but there is a vast store of knowledge I can pull from to move me forward and make me feel confident in my abilities. I get strokes from the positive feedback I get from my colleagues.

In my family I'm the "go to" person, the matriarch of my nuclear family and my extended family. People come to me for wisdom and advice.

In virtual space, in this class, I'm a child. I am struggling, feeling insecure, working hard, failing, approximating, and creating partial understandings. Sometimes I imagine I'm the only one. The blog helps. I can read that others in the class are dealing with their own demons, but it's not quite the same as being able to commiserate face to face. 

I invite anyone in Tucson who would like to meet occasionally to let me know. I plan to continue with this program one class at a time. If it would benefit any of you to have face time with fellow students, I'll arrange time and space and coordinate schedules.

I don't imagine we would spend a lot of time talking about left joins, but who knows? And beer always helps. We could even videoquaff with those of you far away. Email me if you're interested. My email is on the course home page under email.