Phase #1: Failure and Frustration

This phase is typical for beginners who are learning the internet and starting from ground zero. There are also some experienced students who run into this phase in the beginning of learning new things as well. Many students feel inadequate and lost, become frustrated and overwhelmed with the enormous amount of information that is being presented to them. Adding to the frustration of learning new things is the problem of dealing with techincal problems and gliches. The continuing experiences of failure becomes frustrating and requires a great deal of effort and time to overcome.

These are some things that students from prior generations had to say:

"My difficulties came from simply starting. It was overwhelming. I had no idea how to begin"
"The frustration of not knowing what I was doing at first, coupled with the frustration of knowing that asking for help would be not only be frustrating in itself but also humiliating, produced an awful compounded emotion."
Lori Morita
"Frustration, from time to time, took the place of tense and stressful feelings. I felt frustrated when things did not work."
Nitsa McCarthy
"I am extremely frustrated at this time and in great need of help! I have run into several difficulties as the class has progressed."
Terri Slaughter

Phase #2: Resolution

The build up of frustration and anxiety often leads to a phase of resolution. This phase finds the student learning of more ways to deal with the problems that (s)he is faced with. The process begins to get a little easier and things are starting to fall into place. This is the phase where self-esteem is rising as the confrontations with failure are easier to deal with. A more positive outlook on things becomes apparent and now the students begin to enjoy their work.

Here are some quotes from prior students who seem to be going through this phase...

"I recognized a fossilized error that I resolved to fix, and began offering solutions. Granted, they weren't very advanced solutions, but I tried. What is amusing is this: all the commands and abbreviations, encypted and complex, didn't matter because the eventual solution was not anything which could have been arrived at by using them. It was a simple case of trial and error."
Lori Morita
"All of a sudden I started seeing how things fit together and could actually somewhat understand what I was supposed to do and how to do it!!"
Kristie Hoe
"When things did work out, positive feelings such as satisfaction, success, and confidence were involved."
Nitsa McCarthy
" Since recieving help from some of the other students, my level of frustration has decreased. I hate to give up"
Terri Slaughter

Phase #3: Excitement

Soon after the realization that it is possible to overcome most of the problems that are thrown at them, a rush of excitement beholds the students and they now feel as though they can do so much with what they have learned. They even feel comfortable enough to offer advice to those who decide to venture this path. I think a lot of students get excited when they realize that they can do it. There is a sense of accomplishment when they see something beginning to form that they are creating.

"this class has helped to push me past my aversion to computers and into the "now" which I'm very grateful for."
Kristie Hoe
" I felt happy, proud, and satisfied since I had found a resolution to access my Home Page file by myself."
Nitsa McCarthy
" There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I have been able to grow and develop new skills in searching the World Wide Web."
Terri Slaughter

My overall view of learning the Internet in a cyber-community

Learning on the Internet is very exciting and new to me. I haven't really taken the time to sit and explore the Internet before taking this class. Therefore, on the first day I felt overwhelmed and already confused. I thought that I was the only one who was lost and frustrated with the entire process, but now I know that I'm not alone. It helps to know that others are feeling the same way and reading their suggestions makes things easier for myself and hopefully, for future generations as well.

There seems to be a recurring pattern while learning the internet and I think that learning in a generational community makes it easier to visualize the patterns. Being a part of this community makes things easier, in my opinion, because we can learn from what the past generations have experienced and have left for us to gain from. Just from reading what prior generations have written has helped me understand a lot more about the Internet and other aspects of cyberspace. It hasn't only helped me in computer knowledge but also in spiritual and emotional aspects. It eases my mind knowing that others are going through the same process as me, and that there were students before me who have survived this ordeal and feel good about it.

It becomes a process to learn the Internet because we all need to become educated. It seems that the majority of us who go through this process begin at ground zero. Therefore, to learn something new, it requires following a few steps and running through the process. In the beginning everything is really cloudy and unclear and it takes some initiative to learn what everything is about and move on to the next level. Once you can do that, then things get easier, like everything else in life. With knowledge and experience, things get become less challenging. This is when we can use what we have learned to experiment and broaden our horizon, so to speak. It is a never ending process, just like life. We keep learning new things and keep growing on old. Just like our home pages, as we learn new things we can add more and build on the "minimal" page that we began with.

Advice for future generations

As a student going through the process now, I would suggest that future students take a lot of time, especially in the beginning to get familiar with all the programs and procedures. Also, I think it would be good to read through ALL of the prior generations reports because there is a great deal of information that will be very useful to you. Like everyone else has been saying, DON'T PROCRASTINATE!! The reports may look easy and you might think you have lots of time to get things done, but time flies and before you know it, its time to have everything done. Becareful because Dr. James is not afraid to point you out in class about things that he doesn't like or deadlines that haven't been kept. I know I was scared out of my mind of being embarrassed in class, I still am. I hope progress and work is decent and I won't be brought to the size of a pea when it comes time to discuss our reports.

This class can be very informative and educational, and fun, but, you have to make it be that. A lot of how the course goes depends on you, the student. It takes a great deal of self determination and work to do well and to appreciate what you are benefitting from by taking this class.