Online interaction

I was reading the post of our guest faculty in one of my subjects and I was smiling. She was posting a reply to students’ posts in our discussion forum. The initial posts were very academic and formal (something that’s hard to digest :(( ) but a student was writing his frustrations on implementing what we were discussing in his school and made serious comments plus side thoughts that could actually be taken as funny (well at least to me) prompting me to put in my suggestions and a funny thought scenario also (I couldn’t help myself!) It is a formal class but sometimes my hands have a mind of their own and would post before I could really think things through. Notice my “sometimes?” As I said this is a very formal course and I find most posts very academic which doesn’t get through to my brain easily and requires further reading BUT sometimes a word or a phrase would lighten my mind and I find myself casually replying to the thought which eventually relaxes my mind for better absorption. And now the guest faculty’s reply made me appreciate the subject. The theories that have been constantly presented by others became practical matters and her “light” presentation after the feedbacks from the class made me feel that we are actually talking. Just like in a real face to face class where talks becomes spontaneous this had a touch of spontaneity in it!

The smile on our class interaction also made me reflect on my other online interaction, be it email or messenger… a lot of times (especially on messengers) they are spontaneous! I might not be seeing or hearing the voice of the person on the other end but I certainly feel the presence and a lot of times it feels just like they are in front… not just in front to the monitor but very near you. And during these moments I feel a certain awe for the machines…
for the internet...
How it bridges people together…

I think further and know that if the internet was common earlier on that my father would have been one of the happiest people alive. To be able to get immediate feedback... not to wait for two weeks (maybe more) before getting a response to your mail (sometimes stale news already)... to immediately know what's going on with your family and loved ones...to be able to know immediately what's on the mind of the other person... to be feeling the others presence... so far yet so near!

Hmmm…maybe papa is just smiling from where he is now seeing how many Filipino overseas workers get to talk with their families. The thought is certainly something to smile about!