Three LONG reasons why I hate digital civilization. (reader beware!)
- Time, time, time, time, time, time....
- I don't know how much time we're supposed to do each week outside of 3 weekly hours of class (Not that I make it to all 3 hours, but if I have the time available I'm there... wait, isn't that a class? aren't you supposed to make time? well, there are plenty of reasons why I don't. Top reason is because I pay for my schooling and I have to squeeze in odd jobs to make money every week and usually classes like this get the tail end of that situation.) but I'm spending way too much time... A list follows below.
- Exposure Explosion
- I keep finding cool things... I try them out... (I'm supposed to blog about it to prove that to be true...) But how do I integrate that into my life - I love the stuff I find, but I can't follow any of it enough to make it a life habit, a worthwhile use... It comes back to time. And forget connecting with others!!! Ka-boom! - figuring out how to do that is like walking on water, because I have a lack of faith - and faith is the catalyst to action - I don't act!
- How do I say this?
- Sort of like a break-up where you don't know how to put it... I don't know how to put anything into meaningful words! I don't like blogging about the subjects, I don't like commenting on other people's blogs, I don't like feeling compressed to certain posts especially when they are so wildly and rapidly changing (bullet point 2)! I would be happier to blog about what I like - but for credit I have to find ways to merge in the lesson topics and I can't!!! It takes me too long!!! (all roads lead to time!)
- Reading assignments:
- The research and time reading the subjects to know and the assignments posted usually equals about 2-3 hours per lesson - no joke. And I usually end up so stretched I'm blank as to what to do with it all. I always think what's the point and how do I synthesize this down into a quick blog? That's not something I'm used to feeling - I'm usually like 80's rock - I synthesize like a pro!
- Reading blogs:
- This could be easy if I enjoyed other people's blogs... but I read for two reasons: inspiration on what to write and something I think I can comment on (3 comments per blog right?)... and that's just with-in the class! Total time: approx. 2 hours per blog... Total blogs read: 10+ per weekly post.
- Outside of class I spend about an hour looking for blogs - honestly, I've been loosing hope and looking less and less. I find blogs I like, but they have nothing to do with class - as far as I can tell. And finding relevant blogs seems to be impossible, because I hate the ones I find!
- Digital Labs:
- I feel like I'm cheating if I "digital lab" the things I already use... So I learn about cool stuff but I have zero desire to use it! Time taken: about 15 minutes weekly - I'm running out of time as it is!
- And creating? really? How about I create when I have something I need to create? I just can't stop to make a coloring book from Photoshop, or a Prezi presentation that I wont be using in the near future (or just for a blog nobody reads), or making a cool word jumble because it's cool! It is! It's really cool! and when I need to make a cool thing like that I'm going to pounce on this cool web tool! but I just haven't the amount of need to justify the time!!! so time: 1minute a week if lucky - that's a general average...
- Teaching a digital literacy lab - I don't think I need to even talk about this, but let it be known that I'm stressing out about this whole lab thing...
- Other projects
- Mini-book club... I missed that day. My bad... But I bought groceries for the week. I have to find time to work sometime and when I know that I am going to read as much as I do and research as much as I do and re-listen to lectures (which I do - Time: 1 hour a week)... So I don't know who's group I'm in or who to work with... But I posted books I'd like to read (as if I really had time for it - but I really would like to read these books!)... I'll do my best if I can get the time to figure out where to start.
- Final project! Ka-Boom!
- Diigi bookmarking! Finding sites worth adding to the bookmarks = 2 hours a week of time wasted with nothing to show for it.
- Connecting to the world outside of this class - following people and adding my own followers...
- Actual Posting
- Between finding interactive things that are interesting to look at and figuring out what and how to say it (I try to be clever and it's the thought that counts... If I couldn't have that I wouldn't want to blog even a little bit), also making sure the post is somewhat relevant and that it has historical and literary (or at least other blog post) references... It usually takes me about about 1.5 hours a post...
Awesome rant! What a travesty it would have been if you'd kept this feedback to yourself. This is what will truly help us improve our approach. Dr. Zappala and I welcome honest, careful assessment of our methods and are willing to discuss the merits of any or all of our pedagogical choices. I hope that other students will read and comment on this so we can get some consensus and do a mid-course correction. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteWell, I feel much the same way Shaun. It just seems like we're pulled in too many directions--I always forget about the Diigo bookmarks and then feel guilty. I am all about routines. I set up a process for doing homework and eventually I become very efficient at it. Because the class requirements both change and cover such a massive web of possibilities (how much information is on the web, anyway?) it's taken longer to find a rhythm.
ReplyDeleteSo I read the professors' blog, several other students blogs until I find something worthwhile to say, several IP&T 261 student blogs, the assigned reading and compose my own post for each class (not to mention follow up comments for people who comment on my blog and something like this where I'm just trying to contribute to the conversation), though the order in which I do these things varies. I usually sacrifice quality in order to finish everything.
So, what do we do about it?
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to "just" rant... I'd like to offer suggestions to fix it... But I'm a little overwhelmed still to start a list of options rolling...
I am glad that I have one person who agrees, though... I wonder how many other people feel similarly?
Your not alone. I feel the same and wrote the exact same things in my class feedback questionnaire they just sent. I have also heard the same responses from other students in the class.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind stretching myself, and I enjoy doing so. I think that why we are all taking honors classes. But one class should not take three times as long as all of our other classes. (Especially when its not even one of our core upper level major classes.)