MY RESPONSE
(Original posting can be found below)
Donna Tracy said...
Oh my, what a memory! That group project was certainly a lot of fun and memories of our virtual celebratory trip to the Second Life bar seem as real as a first life night out on the town! Heck we even have pics. Who would have thought that seven diverse students living in six states and Canada would be sitting together for drinks and a chat after class - all while never leaving the comfort of their own homes.
But you certainly have it right, staying up late to work on projects rarely means a lonely night. Even now, at 2:58 am EST, at least four other class members are a mere click away for advice, help, a chat, or even just to help remind you that getting through this journey is not the solitary experience I expected. The bonds of friendship we have created will extend beyond the completion of this program. Many relationships are sure to continue long into the future as partnerships, friendships, and simple networking keep us connected on our future career paths.
Thank you for the reminder of what we can accomplish together.
And "Thesis Coming To Town" is certainly an appropriate song to revisit!
ORIGINAL POSTING by Bob Walker
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010
Week 1 Blog 1 - It Takes a Group to Earn a Degree
Oh my, what a memory! That group project was certainly a lot of fun and memories of our virtual celebratory trip to the Second Life bar seem as real as a first life night out on the town! Heck we even have pics. Who would have thought that seven diverse students living in six states and Canada would be sitting together for drinks and a chat after class - all while never leaving the comfort of their own homes.
But you certainly have it right, staying up late to work on projects rarely means a lonely night. Even now, at 2:58 am EST, at least four other class members are a mere click away for advice, help, a chat, or even just to help remind you that getting through this journey is not the solitary experience I expected. The bonds of friendship we have created will extend beyond the completion of this program. Many relationships are sure to continue long into the future as partnerships, friendships, and simple networking keep us connected on our future career paths.
Thank you for the reminder of what we can accomplish together.
And "Thesis Coming To Town" is certainly an appropriate song to revisit!
But you certainly have it right, staying up late to work on projects rarely means a lonely night. Even now, at 2:58 am EST, at least four other class members are a mere click away for advice, help, a chat, or even just to help remind you that getting through this journey is not the solitary experience I expected. The bonds of friendship we have created will extend beyond the completion of this program. Many relationships are sure to continue long into the future as partnerships, friendships, and simple networking keep us connected on our future career paths.
Thank you for the reminder of what we can accomplish together.
And "Thesis Coming To Town" is certainly an appropriate song to revisit!
ORIGINAL POSTING by Bob Walker
TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2010
Week 1 Blog 1 - It Takes a Group to Earn a Degree
After a long day of work on a Wednesday evening (or maybe a Tuesday, Thursday, or all three), I sit at my desk, turn on my computer and log in to go to class where I join up to forty others with the same goal. The goal of earning a Master’s Degree is what bonds all of these people together, tied by the thread of the internet. Working alone late at night reading, and writing papers for the next twelve months is a long, hard, and lonely road to travel, yet an expected scenario when entering online learning.
Time to look at what really happens. No one will be up late alone working on papers. Everyone will be in a group working together on creating projects in a variety of mediums. When a group project is not an official assignment, classmates and instructors are at my desk ready and willing to lend a hand when asked. Time is not a factor, the problems are not a factor, someone within this class of forty has an idea to make difficult tasks easier. These ideas are not held in secret, they are shouted from the top of the internet. Posted in social network sites, uploaded as tutorial videos, and emailed directly. If I get really lost one of these friends will put their screen on mine in order to help solve a problem.
I did not know what to expect when entering the task of earning a degree. I did not expect to make bonds and friendships with people from throughout the world. I did not expect to be able to work together, struggle together, celebrate together, and play together for twelve months.
The success I have experienced in this program can all be attributed the group I am on this journey with. The open sharing of talents and ideas is where the learning takes place. I did not earn this degree on my own, we all earned it collectively. Without the group, a video like the one posted here would never exist. This is not the work of one, but a creation of many.
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