I believe that the on-line strategies and activities that substitute for seat-time instantly separate those who will actively work on improving skills and understanding reading and writing from those who won’t.  In some ways this is a satisfying effect:  I can more frequently work one-on-one with engaged students; I more clearly detect who is improving and, even better, specifically how they are improving; and I have much more, deeper contact with them than is possible in a resident class in which they show up and just sit for an hour.

 However, this can also be a frustrating experience in that those lost and lost to the class are more likely to stay lost unless I could somehow bring them back into the class and its activities during resident hours with them.  It is true that I may be loosing students to this enterprise, however, those I loose appear mostly to be the ones who would have been lost during the course of the semester.  The result is, generally, a trade-off – a higher skill level student participates in a higher level discourse and exchange with me and with other students.

 Of course, the best thing about GarNet is the group, a small community all seeking to improve how our courses work and improve student outcomes using our shared computer tools.  How much better can it be than meeting weekly with a group of like-minded colleagues seeking a common goal, exchanging ideas, comparing notes on what’s going on in our classes.  Our little community has re-sparked my teaching, stimulated new ideas, and lifted my learning spirit.  All this and tea and cake, too.

-- Edward Eller