Reading http://tomooc.edublogs.org/2013/09/06/0-week-reflections, I had an unrelated thought: How do I know when I've spent enough time in an online class?
I know when I've "spent my time" in a face-to-face class: the bell rings and the hour / 90 minutes is up for our meeting.
But how do I know how much is "enough" for an online class? If I spend 35 minutes battling the course-management system to get to the right place, and then 15 minutes reading, then 15 minutes writing a semi-thoughtful post, then the system deletes it without posting it, so I spend 10 minutes re-creating the post, how much time have I spent in the class? It has been (35+15+15+10 = ) 75 minutes of clock time, that feels like 2 hours since I've had frustrating time. So I feel like I'm done for the "session", but it has only been 15 min of reading and 15 min of first creation of post, so 30 minutes somewhat focused on content.
That disparity between the 30 minutes "on task" and the actual 75 minutes and the perceived 2 hours is a problem that I'm not sure how to fix. And I show my allegiance to the tyranny of the clock. I'm used to classes taking time, when in reality they take focused attention, and self-reflection and wrestling with ideas that sometimes takes hours when the time is not ripe, and perhaps only moments in a "taking a shower" satori.
How as instructors do we best help guide learners who are used to spending time in most traditional secondary schools to adapt to the new online learning.
It's almost like the old term-paper assignment. A first year teacher says "make it as long as it needs to be in order to cover the subject completely." A more experienced teacher says 1500 words, in 12 point Times Roman with 1 in. margins, but the danger is getting over-focused on word count, and losing the idea of making each word count for something.
Have I spent enough on this post?
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