Before university, I had never taken any online classes. Therefore, I was uneducated within online learning. I always thought online learning was conducted through teacher’s via zoom or other platforms. However, there is are multiple different types and techniques within online learning. For example, the Covid-19 pandemic caused school to be delivered online. When this first happened, I thought all my classes would have the same online structure. However, all my classes were delivered differently. I realized there were difference the way the timing was delivered. In a synchronous course, there are scheduled meeting times (Major, 2015). Here, the teacher and students meet at the same time for the online class. The teacher would present the lesson live over zoom. Students can ask questions and discuss with other classmates. This provides “opportunity to participate in real-time class experiences” (Major, 2015, p. 82). On the other hand, asynchronous courses do not have scheduled meeting times. Here, class material is provided, and students can work at their own speed. Teachers often post pre-recorded lectures that students can watch at any time. This allows students to take their time and have longer to think about thoughts and understandings (Major, 2015).

The timing (synchronous/asynchronous) of the class were both beneficial to me. I enjoyed taking my time while completing pre-recorded lectures. I was also able to pause and rewind which helped me understand material better. Likewise, synchronous classes were beneficial as students were able to discuss with each other. This helped me understand material when I was able to explain my own thoughts and listen to others. Thus, a mix between synchronous and asynchronous is the ideal online learning method. If I ever have to teach online, I would use mix-blending timing for my class.

Moreover, I thought it was interesting how social media plays a role in online learning (Jordan & Weller, 2017). In my own experiences, I learn a lot from social media. Mainly social justice issues, which I can then learn more about. I often see posts or stories on social media of an important topic. Then, I look it up and do more research about the topic. This helps me stay relevant to world issues.