“What it’s Like to be an Astronaut”

Space Camp was one of my favorite movies growing up because it touched upon all the elements of what makes childhood so innocent. The movie had the fantasy aspect of kids traveling to space as well as the happy ending. After watching Space Camp, myself, probably like many other kids, also wanted to go to Space Camp. But, without the aid of the internet the only way I could get more information about Space Camp was to write a letter and wait for a response.
Well, a lot has changed since then and now when kids, adults, anyone, wants answers they turn to the aid of the internet and the many users to help them remedy their questions through online collaboration.
One of the sites I stumbled upon while researching online collaboration is a great education website that helps students answer questions they have related to school projects. The first question proposed on the website
asked, “What it’s Like to be an Astronaut?”
I think education is one of the great benefactors of online collaboration. Just look at me, I’m taking an online class at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT where we are studying the Introduction to Interactive Communications. The class is run through an online blackboard that hosts a discussion board where the students and professor discuss the topics of the week. This discussion board allows us a forum to express our opinions on course material and also to learn from other student’s experiences and views. Since many graduate students like me also have a full-time job, taking an online class is very convenient since we can complete the work on our own schedule.
In addition to the convenience factor of an online class, students who participate in online learning are also constantly being exposed to the latest technology and trends. I believe this is the greatest byproduct of taking an online class is the fact that you are not only learning the material of the class but you are also keeping up with new technology and maintaining your “media literacy” at the same time.