Online Grad Class

I have one more class to finish before I get my final library certification. The class I need is only offered online at the University that is about 15-20 minutes from my house. Every other class I've taken has been face to face. This online thing is a first. Basically everything we'll be doing will be in the form of an online discussion. Our first assignment was to write a brief summary of ourselves including where we work, etc. When I signed on and started reading, I was amazed. I'm located just outside of Milwaukee, but was amazed at the locations of the people in the class. There are students from California, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Texas, Ohio, Bahrain (Middle East), Minnesota, Kansas, Indiana, and New Hampshire! Wow, what a collection of experiences we will be sharing with each other.

This brings me to the idea of getting K-12 students involved in something like this. Most schools aren't even close to being ready for something like this, but isn't blogging a start? It brings people together who have a common interest with the hopes of learning something - or at least being entertained. Sure, a class requires people to "be there" where bloggers can stop by if they want, but getting the variety of experiences and backgrounds can really lead to some fascinating learning. While I was not originally thrilled with the idea of an online course (extra $ and no set time to meet) I'm beginning to get excited to see how all of this plays out. Will I find myself more engaged, checking the message boards, emails, and IM's more often? Will I miss the face to face interaction with classmates and the instructor? I guess we'll find out.