Blessings

I received a card from my best friend yesterday. It has a butterfly on the front with the words "Flitter, Flutter, not a care...hope today will take you there!" Paul's words from Phillippians 4:19 are also included: "You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need..." (The Message).

She knows how difficult it has been to complete my assignments on time, work full-time, and take care of my mother. So far, I don't get much sleep, but things are going rather well.

I haven't been able to see my friend since the week before the beginning of the term; we haven't even called or e-mailed each other much. We're both so busy.

However, I think she senses that I'm getting very anxious about the long drive to the campus on Friday. I'm going to keep her card on the seat beside me and then in my pocketbook as I go through the on-campus experience.

She is such a blessing.

Almost Time to Travel

On Friday, I'll stop sitting in front of my computer and will instead sit behind the wheel for about six hours and drive to the university campus for a required visit. I'm looking forward to this (the visit, not the driving) for a number of reasons. For one thing, it will be great to meet the people that I know only from the course discussion boards and lecture videos. I was told by friends who take online courses that personalities come through on the DBs, and it's true. My cohort members, professors, and teaching assistant are all friendly, helpful people, and I'm looking forward to spending time with them.

Getting ready for this experience is a challenge. I've had a lot to do at work in preparation for being away for more than a week, and I still have a lot of reading to do for Understanding Information. I wanted to have my car with me, but now I wonder if I should have bought a plane ticket so I wouldn't lose all that reading time.

Also, I'm very concerned about my weekly assignments for the technology course. I'm keeping up, but will I be able to finish this week's installment before I leave? I need my laptop for it, and we've been told not to bother bringing laptops. Does that mean that the assignment is not really due until after we return home and that the time frames are only guidelines? Our professor and teaching assistant have been strangely silent this week. I think they're watching and waiting as we figure these things out for ourselves within our class.

Online LIS

I've been meaning to share this article about studying for my MLIS online. Even though I'm sleep deprived, I feel that I chose the right program. I don't feel the sense of isolation that the author describes. In fact, classmates' postings on the various discussion boards are very helpful. I'm looking forward to meeting other people when we meet on-campus for a week. This is a great component of the program.

The teacher/trainer in me wants to help others via the DB far more than I have been. Hopefully, this will be possible as I get more experience with the technology. I have a big fear of leading someone astray with wrong information right now. I need to be more confident. Also, by the time I near the completion of an assignment (usually on the due date!), I assume that no one needs any more help!

The Online LIS Experience - 4/15/2007 - Library Journal

First Online Quiz

I took a quiz online for the first time on Tuesday morning (for Introduction to Information Technologies). The experience was a bit nerve-wracking - because of technology itself, not the content of the quiz. Before I turned on the computer, I noticed that the cable modem lights were not "right." I decided to wait a little before trying to reset. I used the time to continue to review. What if I didn't get an Internet connection in time? The computers at the closest public library are on the same network as the library where I work. The so-called "speed" is often incredibly slow. Whose computer could I borrow this morning? I calmed down, and the lights returned.

I had been merrily clicking on "save" after finishing each question. All of a sudden, the screen froze. Now what? Again, I decided to calm down and wait. Finally, I was able to continue to work.

When I checked the course announcements during my dinner break at work that evening, I learned that some people had been unable to submit their tests. I put myself in their places and realized that my morning had been relatively good! Our professor made adjustments for the problems, of course.

Now I just have to wait for my grade!