wk1: there is always first time for everything (part1)

It did happen. Yes. It did. I think I am very lucky to get a very good group. They all seemed eager, at least through the webcam anyway. Now, how well it went is subjective. Overall, I think it went okay but still was surprised at how much slower things went.

What I like:

• Students did interact with me. They asked questions, smiled, took notes, nodded. Best of all, they all seemed very lovely.
• A small group, a little smaller than I expected but still a good size. We will be able to individualize according to everyone's goal.
• Each student had a computer. This made the experience much more interesting. I wonder what would it like for the undergrad when not everyone will have a computer.
• 義斌 is a teacher so he will join the class remotely. This is great! He will be able to experience a "real" online learning and share with us his unique experience.
• I like 義斌's question - Chinese or English. I read both. :-)
• I like 婉玲's question - give her a suggested list of references about elearning. I like challenging question. Of course I like easy questions too. :-)

What I don't like

• Things went much more slower than I like. I think the connection speed, the voice break ups were very distracting. Unavoidable, of course.
• I cannot hear them very well. I don't know if they can hear me okay. I am going to ask them to introduce them to me again using our discussion. I wanted to know them better.
• I did not get to many things I planed to cover. I wish we could discuss the class goals and syllabus a little more.
• I am unfamiliar with the system. I typed their goals, as they were telling me, onto the discussion notes. But I forgot to save them.

Action Items:

• See if there are ways to mute their microphone. This way, when they want to say something, they will have to let me know and I will release the microphone to them.
• Need to get more familiar with the system.
• Consider making this class more blended rather than 100% synchronous. If I have short videos for class instruction, students could watch it prior to class. During class time, then we an do more important stuffs, such as discussion, question, and such.
• Remind students to put the microphone very close to their mouth.
• Next time, remember to record the class.

Oh, by the way, I think I need an upgrade to my computer, with a much bigger screen!