Exhausting.
If one word will describe my first day, 'exhausting' would be the perfect term for it.
I admit that I underestimated the online classes. I thought this is easier than face to face education because you're in the comfort of your own house. But I was wrong. We've faced different technical difficulties while performing the test run. Some of us lost their connections, encountered problems with their device compatibility, faulty computer hardware, and even power outage.
Several hours of screen time is not good for our health. Yesterday, we managed to face the computer screen for almost the whole day; starting from 8 am in the morning to 6 pm in the evening. After the class, some of us reported headaches and eye pain.
Our university allotted one-hour asynchronous learning for every subject. Meaning, for between two subjects, there will be a one hour 'vacant' time for us to study off-screen. But I think these 'vacant' hours will not be fulfilled in its original intention. Let's keep in mind that we are 21st-century learners. We use different devices to learn. So, using a mobile phone or computer is inevitable.
Another problem is staying focus. There are different distractions in our home. Since we are online, we are more vulnerable to it. Let say Facebook Messenger for instance. My classmates keep on messaging about random things about our class. As a student who has access to the internet, I can receive the notifications. I can't uninstall it because I also need to keep myself updated.
I am the kind of person who has a short attention span, and because of that, an online class is challenging for me. After several minutes of just watching and listening to my teacher on the screen makes me bored. My yesterday's experience proves it. I tried so hard to keep myself thinking that I need to absorb all the information that my mentor saying.
My first day is indeed exhausting. Maybe I am just adjusting to the situation. Maybe in the next two weeks, we will be used to it. Who knows? Only time can tell.
Students will face different challenges with online classes. The internet connection in our country is the first thing to give attention to. Good for you if you have a stable internet connection, but I pity those kids who can barely connect to the internet because of financial matters they can't even afford a decent gadget to be used on their online classes.
My sister who's in third grade have their dry run a week ago and it's quite hard because she doesn't have her module yet, she's pissed about not being able to catch up with the activities and there's a lot of distractions too.
I know I can't understand the hardship you're going through with regards to online learning. But stay positive 💕
I hope this article helps: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/teenagers/ask/distance-learning/