Virtual Classes

I was a little hesitant about the idea of a virtual class. It had its pros and cons.

Pros: save on time (1 1/2 hour drive), save on gas (extremely high,isn't it), able to do some things around the house (cook, laundry, etc), less stress (no driving, no hurrying to get to class on time), better diet (no stopping at the fast food drive in); able to explore on my own in a quiet environment

Cons: able to explore on my own in a quiet environment ( I need some noise!); no classmates to talk and brainstorm with; no professor to beg help from

Tools to make it work: highly structured lesson (like the tutorial using GabCast); able to communicate with others (via threaded discussion with classmates & professor); using virutal classes occassional (no more than once or twice a month--preferrably less); working on an easier topic