Wednesday, October 29, 2008

from its hiding place

from its hidingplace

love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.

zora neale hurston


about a month ago, i found this little gumwrapper heart on the ground. days later, i found a tiny saint charm which is the size of a pencil eraser. on some days, the sprinkling of pennies, saints and hearts is what keeps you going, isn't it?

after being turned on to plato & his allegory of the cave, this photo is a perfect shoutout to my roundtable homies.

tuesdays are my favorite days. i have a class in which we read copious amounts of teaching theory and discuss our thoughts with our beloved visionary/teacher. every tuesday, i am reminded of an old children's illustrated Bible that we had which showed little flames of fire over everyone's head, illustrating that they were speaking in tongues. that concept always fascinated me. this class is so intense, so real and so human that i always think of those old illustrations. it needs its own flame nestled in the tangle of overhead lights.

yesterday's topic (okay, one of them) was regarding online learning and online teaching. this concept really worries me for some reason. i had been told that this is the wave of the future and i immediately clung to the comfort of the classroom. i still do, because of the tangible humanness of it. how do you tell online how that student is or if he/she is having a hard time drawing a perspective or getting their idea out of their head and into the pencil in their hand? would you miss the numerous nuances of your student (or your teacher, for that matter) behind the veiled wall of the computer?

yet, after i was getting my worry on, i thought of blogging. you do get the gist of that blogger and you don't get cheated out of glimpses of their soul. i have friends for life whom i have never met through forums and blogs. when i think of how their very essences came though in their typed words, i am now rethinking the idea of the possibility of this new wave.

to fall in love with a book or its author, do we have to be sitting at their feet? you get that treasured soulconnect with their words. their humanness in print, if you will. is that possible to capture in an online learning/teaching environment? do you necessarily have to be in the same room to connect?

hmmm.

anyway, this all has my little brain working and makes me think that i might be eating a my words sandwich for lunch one day.

11 comments:

~S said...

It really depends on the class and the type of on-line course as to whether it works for me. For example, literature classes are more fun in person, it can be done on-line but the spontaneity of the discussion is sometimes lost. If the on-line class is video on demand then it can be done at your time schedule but if you have issues with something you must wait to get help through email or phone, so time is wasted waiting. I have also taken webex training where the teacher holds the class at a specific time and you login and watch them. You ask questions and such. Again depending on the class it can leave a lot to be desired in the learning process or for say a math class just perfect. :) Hope you have a great day!

Anonymous said...

What a lovely lovely image, Dawn. I love listening to your soul musings.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

I love the photo and the Hurston quotation and the image of flames over our heads. I agree with ~S that the best way to learn depends on the subject.

Anonymous said...

ooohhhh. food for thought. indeed.

in digesting this, i agree with your new thoughts- (and for obvious reason)

if you could develop a forum, a method of teaching that would encourage interaction rather than task checklists or right&wrongs - it would be successful.

being a hands on learner my gut reaction was 'no way' - but - I also remember being in class, wanting to ask but did not in fear of being perceived as dumb.

this issue has many sides.

Gin said...

I agree, but also think that learning is best done with an open mind and it's easy and okay to open your mind on the internet. I do it all the time.

Amen to having friends I've never met, that are like sisters and brothers to me...we've touched across the air.

Real Live Lesbian said...

Interesting ideas. I am always amazed at how just the written word can make me feel connected to some bloggers.

But, I too love to be in the company of the people with whom I am speaking.

martha brown said...

I've tried online classes (as a student) and I have a difficult time with them. I've tried photoshop and some technique classes and I think that I need to be there, with the teacher, feeling the group vibe, the enthusiasm and handling the samples. So far, I DO need to be in the same room to connect. But re: blogging -- I do feel a connection with the soul of the blogger.....I'll keep thinking about this.... thanks Dawn!

Sis said...

I can honestly say, my blogfriends and forumbuddies know me better than 99% of my face-to-face friends.

XOXOXOXO

The Landscaper said...

This is also a fascinating concept that I too struggle with. Technology has created a wonderful convenience and we are seeing this CrAzY RaPiD ChAnGe before our eyes. We live in such an amazing time. I believe this concept is great for adult students, but I am concerned about our children learning this way. My fear is that this movement of growth will eventually create a total environment of unsocial people.
It is important to me that we stay in human contact and have the option of reaching out to touch
someone.
I personally am a little afraid to lose that element of "Humanness"

Thanks D.
XXOO

Brown Bee Studio said...

Now I can't get that Phil Collins song "Invisible Touch" outta my head mammasita! lol I think at some point we ALL hafta eat an 'ownword sammich' now and then. It's just food for the soul. It's my belief that there is a balance somewhere between this somewhat intangibility that's the Internet, and the very tangible human presence. The key will be to strike and keep that balance. I know I've felt an immediate connection with certain people I've met here. =o) xoxoxo Andie

Diane said...

the pros and cons are mind boggling, and thinking of them make me want to think about them more.
your little picture & story is exactly why i love reading your words and knowing your thoughts.
and you my friend have been tagged. do it if you want, and don't if you want~
i will love you anyways~
=)