Maria Daniela Tellez Estrada, ESOL student

When I first knew I needed to take online classes in order to continue with my ESOL classes, I experienced a roulette of feelings and thoughts. First, I felt frustrated because I thought it would be complicated for me to interact with my professors and classmates. Then, I experienced disappointment due to the fact that from home I would not enjoy the same environment that we had in the classroom. I thought it would be completely boring. Finally, I had a release of emotions when I allowed myself to accept all the changes and see the positive view of it. We found ourselves needing to urgently adapt our lives to every uncertainty during the Covid times. We all experienced doubts about whether online learning would be worth our money or time. Will I learn something? Will I become antisocial? How will I practice my English pronunciation and listening? Will I be committed to my education if I am taking my classes on my bed wearing pajamas? Yes, questions and misconceptions about this method flooded our minds before even trying it.

 

MISCONCEPTION # 1

REALITY
Limited communication with teachers

 

It is common to believe that interaction with the professors will fail.

 My professors always included their contact information in their syllabi, but I rarely sent them messages to ask questions or discuss the subject matter. Now the online learning experience is pushing me to give myself time to meet my teachers and express my questions and concerns about the subject matter. To my surprise, they reply instantly, which makes me feel that I am not alone in this journey.

Teachers are also very understanding when we have poor internet connection issues and miss some parts of the session. We have the chance to reschedule with teachers to catch up later.

 

MISCONCEPTION # 2

REALITY
Limited opportunities to socialize with classmates

 

Humans are a social species, and in isolation there is no way to socialize with our classmates.

 To my surprise, I found that online learning has helped me to be in touch more often with my classmates than I was before. With technology tools, we have created our own community as a support group. We all help each other, we make video calls just to chat and practice our English pronunciation, and we collaborate on homework and projects.

Also, since every interaction is online, some teachers have offered to make book clubs and conversation groups for free!! What a great opportunity to interact with classmates and practice English in the comfort of our homes.

 

MISCONCEPTION # 3

REALITY
Less effective online classes

 

It is hard to concentrate and maintain one’s motivation when having to take online classes, do homework, and take online tests.

 Believe me, it is possible!! If it weren’t for the technological tools, I would lose my mind.

Thanks to online learning, I am now proficient in using different programs that boost my learning and organize my schedule. In fact, online classes have improved my learning experience and prepared me for the future. In some aspects, online classes are more effective than in-person classes.

 

 

I can confidently say that I did learn, I am not antisocial, I did practice my English pronunciation and listening skills, and I was very committed to learning — even while wearing pajamas to class! There will always be a positive side in every challenge of life. My online education is worth every effort since it brought me closer to my teachers and friends and allowed me to learn myriads of different learning platforms that boost my learning. The online learning experience in the ESOL department at ACC exceeded my expectations.