New Class

In a moment of something or other, I asked to pilot an on-line U.S. History class this semester. I like technology, have been thinking that brick and mortar schools are outdated, am always seeking a better way to connect with students, like a challenge, and really never have understood why we need to meet face to face with high school juniors five days a week.

I'm in day two and will check my e-mail right after posting this to see how many questions tonight. Oh, did I mention that now students hunt me from 7:00 a.m. until I shut down and quit checking e-mail (last night it was 9:00 p.m.). I never thought about the fact that I would be blending a traditional work day schedule with demands of students needing to talk (e-mail, text, etc) to me of an evening because that is when they work on an on-line class. I have an advanced degree with a few hours beyond so a thought occurred that this is a great way to extend my current work day from 6:00 a.m. (when I arrive) until 3:15 p.m. and then another 3 hours of an evening. Last night the additional time was 4 hours and it wasn't getting a chance to work ahead, it was problem solving for students new to on-line learning and new to not being walked step by step through every situation.

I may have gotten a bit short when one e-mail asked "Is there anything due tomorrow?" Uhhhh, nope, not answering that, look at the announcements, the calendar, and they will tell you. I can't get thirty e-mails every day asking if something is due because a student doesn't want to look for due dates. Oh well, it's going to be an interesting semester and the questions keep me sharp and learning new things. Oh, what system are we using? BlackBoard. No comment.