Drawbacks of technology

I am the first person to jump on the bandwagon and promote technology in improving the delivery of course content, distance education and a quality learning experience, that is because I generally have few problems with technology. This weekend though has been a totally different experience. One computer has been put on the "dead" list because of a virus and another is a bit older...and very slow on the internet.

This experience has not been a totally bad thing..it's good for us, who generally have all the access and up-to-date bells and whistles to have to experience some of the hurdles our students may have to go through to access education. Then we can realistically appreciate and value their persistence in achieving their goals through online education.

All too often our focus is on how to address issues of plagiarism, cheating, and lateness in submitting assignments without realizing the external factors that maybe impacting our student's lives..in fact I contend that it is all too easy to do that when dealing with an online student because we don't have that face to face interaction with them

Would commucation with students in a virtual world such as Second Life alleviate that..perhaps, but it must be acknowledged that the technology it takes to support Second Life is still at a level that maybe beyond the reach of most students.

My slow computer makes things "rez" super slow in Second LIfe today this is the only computer plugged into a 2m internet connection. I was thinking of the student who needs to review online materials, has a family and a job ..how willing would he/she be to wait for these course materials to appear on screen while cooking dinner?

It's a step back into reality, but a good one..something we all need to do from time to time! I am still an advocate for Second Life but think that educational experience using Second Life should be designed accordingly..with the student technology in mind. If nothing else perhaps a survey of the student's tech resources should be conducted before creating a course or learning opportunity in SL.