My First Online Learning Experience: The Story Continues--PART THREE

That first week in my first graduate level online experience was tough! So much reading and the questions posed for the discussion board were challenging. I was intimidated. Was I up to the challenge? I didn't know. The students in my class acted so confident. They seemed to know how to navigate this seemingly complex online world. I was worried I had gotten into something that was going to be over my head. For heaven's sake they had all put up digital pictures of themselves within a few days. I did not even own a digital camera or know how to use one, much less know how to put up a digital picture of myself in the online classroom. I had a lot to learn and I worried that this online learning stuff was not going to work out for me. Then what would I do? I had no job. What was I going to do with my time? How was I going to figure out what to do with my life? I had to make this work. Help!

Despite the stress, challenge and worry, I hung in there. I packed up my Mac laptop and headed for Borders. It was just two miles down the road from my home and it would get me away from other distractions at home. It would get me away from distractions like real estate agents, potential buyers of my home, dogs barking, laundry, the phone...Borders became my home away from home. In a way it became an extension of the online classroom. I could get a cup of coffee, connect to the Internet, read, and reflect on my answers to the discussion board questions and ponder the meaning to my life. In this relaxed and enjoyable environment, I started to formulate my answers for the discussion board. I was in my own world. SEE PART FOUR!