A New Semester Begins!

Posted September 19, 2018 by Sarah Callanan

My fall class (LIS 488: Technology for Information Professionals) started last week.   As I’ve mentioned before, while this is an online class, it’s a bit of a new adventure for me because there are a few “live sessions” incorporated in to the schedule.  These live sessions aren’t in-person, they are GoToMeeting sessions where everyone is online at the same time and we can see and hear the professor.  Our first day of class had one of these live sessions and it was very exciting!  I’ve done videoconferencing for work and for group projects via Skype and Google Hangouts, but I’ve never done it for class before.  I did have some technical difficulties connecting to the meeting, but once I got them ironed out, I really enjoyed the component of the live session.  We had a segment where we were able to introduce ourselves and we could see and hear everyone, which is an element that I’ve missed from in-person classes.  While I really love interacting with my classmates on the discussion forums, the live session was really nice because I could see and hear everyone, both the students and the professor, and it was almost like being in a classroom.  Online classes have been convenient for my schedule so far during my time at SLIS, and while I plan on taking classes in person at the Boston campus in upcoming semesters, the discussion forums and live sessions have been a great way to participate and interact with my fellow classmates.  

I’ve also mentioned this previously, but I was very nervous going into this class because of how technology-focused the material is.  However, when we went around and did our introductions in the live session, and all the members of the class posted in the discussion forum, I realized that a lot of the people in the class are in the same boat as me with technology: lots of everyday usage and can adapt quickly, but not a lot of familiarity with coding and programming.  This put me at ease, and I think I am going to enjoy this class, and I know it will be good for me both personally and professionally. 

I hope that everyone is having a great start to their semester!