So I’ve been asked to write about my experience with Adobe Connect, which is how we have our classes on a weekly basis. Adobe Connect is a website that allows instructors to host meetings with students who are scattered across the country all at once. Each week we have a designated time (usually Friday’s) that we meet at. The instructor leads, there is a video and microphone function so we can (at times) see and hear each other. The instructor can share notes, a power point, or visuals to make what they are saying easier to understand. There is also a chat function that allows us to type messages to the class, or individual students or instructors. It usually lasts around an hour and we go over the week’s material and get a brief look at the week ahead.
My online class
I do call my Adobe Connect meetings my class, because that is exactly what we are doing; you just have the option to wear pajamas without anyone knowing! You can have a snack, and a cup of tea. It is nice to be able to sit back and relax while your instructor goes through material. You can ask questions and get clarification on anything you did not quite understand from the course notes. This is just like a normal classroom you just have the option to log on anywhere.
It is an interesting experience to have classes online, but it is comparable in most ways. In classrooms the instructor mostly leads, occasionally looking for feedback from the students and that happens in the Adobe Connect meetings. You can raise your hand and ask questions just like you would if you were sitting in a classroom. It is just strange to not really see who is talking most of the time. You also do not often see any of your classmates, even though you hear them talking. That part is hard to get used to.
Adobe Connect benefits
The benefits to Adobe Connect are the ability to have all your notes handy, and you can take notes just like you would in a classroom. The meetings are all recorded as well so you can go back and listen to them over again if you missed parts or you need a refresher on things. You can record classroom meetings very easily and often if you miss what the instructor is saying, you miss it. There is no way to go back and listen to what was said.
The other benefit is being able to send messages to classmates rather than talking out loud if you need extra help understand what the instructor is talking about. The downsides to having meetings online are having to rely on internet connections which can sometimes be slow and choppy, so at times it does cut out. This does not happen very often though. My personal challenge with these meetings are not looking up the answers to questions online, or taking a look at other things. I tend to lose focus because Google is just so handy.
A little update on a previous post about phlebotomy:
Day one was a tough one, getting over the nerves! By day two I was no longer nervous and actually volunteered to do it! The instructors were a great source of support to me, I can’t thank them enough!
Check out a video of our cardio tech students in action.
![An ECG demonstrates the extensive antero-septal-lateral myocardial infarction [heart attack] that Taryn witnessed.](https://stenbergcollege.com/wp-content/smush-webp/2022/12/ecg-1024x530.jpg.webp)
