Online vs. In class lecture hours

Traditional classroom, online, or hybrid classes? Today there are various ways you can get a degree in college. Though some students think taking all online classes will benefit them in great ways, financially, because they get to stay at home. It may be a wiser choice to take either a traditional classroom course of even hybrid.

            Sitting in long lecture hours isn’t required anymore when you take college courses. Completely online courses are now available along with hybrid classes, which consist of a certain amount of in class lecture hours along with online participation.  There are drawbacks and benefits of each, but in different ways for different students. For some college students working in classes, with groups, having one on one time with the instructor in person, or even if you have no Internet access, having a complete in class lecture course would be more beneficial for them. “Because of my schedule, the only option I had was to take one online course this semester. It has been difficult because I live where I have no internet access, so I would have to drive to the campus or a coffee shop for instance, just so I could hand my assignments in, communicate with my instructor, and check the syllabus,” said Billy Karth. Karth is in his third and final year at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. For the past 6 semesters at ARCC, Karth has only taken in class lecture hours or hybrid courses, never a completely online class. “Adjusting to an online class was hard at first, but I did eventually get the hang of it. I like that there are no group assignments with online courses, and that I can do my work when it works best for me. Keeping track of assignments, and discussion boards was somewhat difficult for me because of the fact that I don’t have Internet access at home,” added Karth.

            Ashlynn Harlan, a first year PSEO student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, is taking 3 completely online classes and 1 hybrid class. She decided to do this because of rising gas prices and so she could work more than what she would be able to if she were taking all or more in class lecture hours. She is taking an English online course, two business courses, and a hybrid psychology course. In the beginning of the second semester Harlan had no problem with keeping up and even getting ahead, but as the work load became to become more and more, Harlan is now having a difficult trying to find time for everything that needs to be done. “You have to discipline yourself a lot more than you think you would when taking online courses. There is a larger workload and more time consuming. I was hoping for it to be about the same as a class you go to the college for lecture. I do like that I can be alone and in my own environment for tests and quizzes though. I have less stress anxiety and have noticed that I am doing better with the quizzes and tests,” states Harlan.

            “It all depends on the student,” says Jennifer Liberty-Clark, a psychology instructor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Having a lot of self-discipline and devotion to school will make taking online classes almost a breeze. It also depends on what type of learner you are or how much structure you need from others. Liberty-Clark added, “I prefer to teach in-class courses or even hybrid courses. It gives me time to get to know my students better, and lectures have always been one of my favorite parts of teaching. There is definitely an advantage to being in class on a teacher-student basis. It creates a better relationship and makes the learning process more fun.”

            Faith Towl, an Anoka-Ramsey Community College student, who is working on getting a 4-year degree, has mixed feelings about what type of classes to take. “For me, it depends on the class. I don’t have a problem with taking completely online courses, but if it is a class in math or science, I find it difficult. I can ask my instructor questions when I run into a problem with homework, but for math and science it is more difficult to understand and learn the material through text and e-mail,” Towl informs.

            Not having an instructor there to spend the time working on it with you, leading you step my step in math courses can make it difficult to understand, unless are a good self teacher. It makes it easier hearing it from the teacher, not learning from a book. Many students find themselves getting distracted while trying to do online homework. In this day and age there are such distractions like television, social networks such as Facebook, cell phones with texting, and friends or family members.

            Kelsi DeMarco-Guttenfelder is a first year PSEO student trying to get ahead and get her generals done for no cost. The in-class setting had been very beneficial to DeMarco-Guttenfelder with it being her first year of college right out of a small town high school. “I wanted to be in the class lectures and not take online classes mainly because it is my first year, and I wanted to get the hang of the college setting,” says DeMarco-Guttenfelder. “I also wanted to gain new friends at the college and being there in class and not over the computer makes that much easier. Next year for my last year of PSEO, though, I am considering taking some online courses just to see how it goes. I feel that it will be beneficial to me, still being young and not being paid much. With gas prices rising it would make it somewhat difficult to drive 30 miles to school everyday.”

            Knowing how you learn and how much you can discipline yourself will help in deciding what type of courses you should take in college. “You will never really know until you have tried though. Don’t take on a full semester of all online courses, or you may find yourself in trouble though,” stated Liberty-Clark.

           

Locked and Loaded World Tour.

The ninth USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour is now planned for Toby Keith, which has him packing his bags. A 12-day, three-nation tour that Keith began performing on behalf of the USO in 2002, entertaining more than 159,000 troops and their families.

Keith, a very supportive American country music singer-songwriter, recorder producer and actor of the U.S Armed Forces, was presented the 2009 Military Offices Association of American Distinguished Service Award in recognition for his ongoing support for troops and their families through his entertainment. Keith enjoys performing on the USO-sponsored tour for the troops. Because of security issues, the specific date and destinations for 2011 have not been announced.

 "It's a wonderful geography lesson. It's a wonderful history lesson. Not to mention getting to shake hands with heroes every single day you're over there," says Keith.

Keith has also recently joined forces with several NFL players to form a non-profit organization called Pros 4 Vets, which helps troops and their families after they return home from service.

Deja Vu-story 7

Deja Vu

What is it like to have something unexpected happen twice in practically the same way? It was completely life changing for Jessica Ortis, former student of Anoka-Ramsey Community College, currently attending the University of Minnesota-Mankato, who experience her mother go through a horrific car accident, and nine-years later go through almost the same accident.

After going through her parents divorce, changing schools, getting used to a new home, and just adjusting to her new life in general, Ortis had the biggest scare of her life. One Saturday night, Ortis had asked her mom if she could stay at home, in Ogilvie, Minnesota, at her neighbors house because she was having more fun that she had had in quite some time. Her mother, Lisa Winterfield, had said that would be okay but she was still going to go along to Elk River with her boyfriend to attend Sunday morning church.

Sunday afternoon Ortis had a funny feeling about something, but she hadn’t known what. Her family hadn’t been home at the time Ortis had gotten there, and Winterfield was not answering her cell phone. The anticipation of knowing something was wrong had overwhelmed Ortis, and she could not sit still and couldn’t help but expect the worst.

 Later that day a family member had called Ortis to inform her that her mother had been in a terrible car accident and is now in the hospital. They told her everything they knew. Winterfield’s stomach had detached from her diaphragm and had cracked her pelvic bone in several places because of the seat belt. Recalling all the memories Ortis said, “I was incredibly scared.  I didn’t know what was going on other than what people were telling me, and they weren’t too sure at the time.  I didn’t know if my mom was dying or not, and I couldn’t lose my mom.  I wasn’t prepared for that.  My mom means everything to me.  So I was scared.  I didn’t know what to do.  I didn’t have a license, so I couldn’t go anywhere.  I had no one near by who could take me down to her.   It was one of the scariest moments of my life.”

Winterfield had been stopped at a four way stop when a van had veered into her, hitting the drivers side of the car. The impact had been so great Winterfield had blacked out causing her to put pressure on the gas pedal, driving into the ditch, hitting a telephone pole. Paramedics had to cut her from the car, and kept telling her she was extremely lucky to be alive.

After the accident and surgery Winterfield had to go through, she spent a week and a half in the hospital, and had to learn to walk again. Being a single mom, this was extremely hard on her. While struggling though, Ortis said she had touched her three children in an inspiring way.

Nine-years later, Tuesday, February 8, 2011, on her way to work, Ortis had a green light to make her right hand turn, while a man in a super duty pick-up truck had raced through his now red light. The next thing Ortis had realized was that she had just experienced what her mother had, nine-years ago. Ortis was taken away on a backboard due to neck pain. Luckily, Ortis only had minor muscle injuries that could be fixed with physical therapy and seeing a chiropractor.

“I was scared.  I have never been in a situation like that before.  The main impact of the truck was right on the front tire area and if the truck had hit just a little back further, I could have been hurt a lot worse.  It is scary to think what could have happened, but it makes one thankful that nothing really did,” added Ortis.

            Ortis suffered in many ways because of this accident. The pain caused her to be unable to work, and being a college student, this made a larger financial crisis. Her car had been totaled, so she had to find a way to get money to get another reliable car, and still pay her bills. She also started to struggle with school, and fall behind. For a week after the accident she was unable to go to her classes at all, then came all the physical therapy appointments and chiropractor appointments. She had to find time to heal, do school work, and go to her job. “This accident has exhausted me from doing all the normal tasks I have no problem with and I am ready for a break,” said Ortis. That is exactly what she will be getting with summer right around the corner, when she will be moving back home to attend Anoka-Ramsey Community College once again. 

Life Is Still Young. Story 6.

Jennifer Liberty-Clark, 42, of Maple Grove, Minnesota, found her passion by just trying something out. Psychology class after psychology class, she became attached.

            Clark grew up as an only child with her mother and father in Cumberland, WI. While attending Cumberland High School Clark first worked as a dishwasher at a small town restaurant. She then worked as, “a dilly bar maker at the Dairy Queen and then on an assembly line at a bean factory, picking sticks, frogs, and muck out of Green Giant Beans,” stated Clark.

            After graduating High School she then continued her journey going to attend and eventually graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She got a degree in psychology and a minor in speech communications. Later on in 1995 Clark received her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and Vocational Rehab from St. Cloud State University. Clark said, “I knew when I started taking psychology that I wanted a degree in it. They were the classes and the content of material that was riveting to me, that made me want to read the textbooks, etc. I just kept going back for more!” As a little girl, like any other, she had big dreams of becoming an actress, but claims she just isn’t skilled in that department, psychology is now her dream.

            Clark utilized her psychology degree in various ways for many years. While she was attending graduate school she worked at a bank, in a huge office by herself. She knew then that she was not, by any means, an introvert, but an extravert. Which also applies to psychology. She then worked in a Level 5 Day Treatment Program, which is a type of sit in counseling. After that she then spent 8 years in training and development in corporate America. Starting in the fall of 2004, for the last 7 years Clark has been teaching psychology classes, among a few others at Anoka Ramsey Community College-Cambridge.  She began as a part-time, non-permanent position teacher for two years. In the spring of 2006, Clark was then hired full time.

            In life, there can be many hardships. In this sense Clark adds, “There really hasn’t been a ‘hardship’ in becoming and being a teacher. I think one of the most frustrating things about teaching with adult learners is that you can’t help everyone be successful. You can lay it out there for them, but in the end a student has to make the choices that gets them what they want by way of hard work and dedication. It’s frustrating when I lose a student to their negative life situation or to their lack of clarity about how to get from point A to point B. I’ve realized that there is only so much I, as a teacher, that I can do. The rest is really up to them!”

            Clark had many words of wisdom, and when it came to being successful and giving advice, she says, “Being a good teacher involves technique and heart. Both are equally as important. One doesn’t work w/o the other. I would tell anyone who is making a career decision to follow their heart/passion of what they want to do and the money will follow. If it doesn’t, but you’re doing what you love and you can feed yourself then you’re successful!”

            As Clark’s life begins to grow and prosper in many ways, she has become a successful teacher, friend, colleague, wife, and mother of her children Ahna, 11, Zach, 8, and Afton, 4. She is now living with her husband and three children in Maple Grove Minnesota while still being close with her parents in Wisconsin. She still strives to experience growth in each thing she is successful or not in. Many may perceive that she is successful because of her career, house, marriage, and her family life. But the truth behind it all is that Clark worked very hard for every single thing in her life. “There are many, many internal qualities that I have that I’d like to spend the rest of my life working at improving them. That’s what a life’s journey is all about,” added Clark.