Chat sessions
Last night was our first chat session in KOM1 or Kasanayan sa Komunikasyon I (or Communication Skills 1 in English). We used the instant messaging program, Skype to hold our chat session, which is not a biggie for me since I’m a Skype user for a long time now. The chat session went smooth and I was happy to see that everyone seems close to each other. The chat session lasted for almost two (2) hours.
Well, our KOM1 chat session is similar to a typical classroom environment wherein your teacher would discuss you the topic and you will respond to your teacher’s question. The difference is 1) you don’t see each other unless you use a webcam 2) you are in the confines of your home, office or wherever you might want to be 3) you don’t talk but you type your answers or questions unless the teacher allowed a conference call and 4) you can multi-task.
The attendance during our first chat session isn’t great. I think there are only 11 of us who attended the chat session (including our teacher). Despite the low number of attendees, everyone in the chat session is attentive and responds to the questions promptly. Actually, during the chat session we are waiting for our celebrity classmates to join (Aldred Gatchalian and JC De Vera). But both of them didn’t attend. I learned from my classmates that Sharon Cuneta, Richard Gomez and Sarah Geronimo, Jackielou Blance are taking up Soc Sci 1 or is it Philo 173? They also told me that some of their celebrity classmates attend face-to-face study session, chat session and even post on the course site.
It’s just saddening on my part that they are some students who doesn’t bother to go online, participate on the online discussions and such. As a UPOU student, one cannot live on modules alone.