Hi there everyone. I hope and pray that that you all are doing whatever it takes to avoid becoming a victim of this global Pandemic which has drastically changed our lifestyle in over a year. I do not wish to talk more on the COVID-19 crisis as I understand people of all ages have been impacted significantly since its commencement towards the end of 2019. I also feel that the effects of the virus can be discussed in future blogs as time progresses.
For the purpose of this document, I intent to share my experience of online learning and how the second wave of COVID-19 in Fiji is impacting me as an individual.
To start things off, I wish to share some light about myself. My name is Dhruvkaran Nand. A 22 year old, person with low vision who resides in the densely populated area of Nasinu, located in Viti Levu, one of the larger islands in Fiji, which is perhaps called the “Hub of the Pacific”.
Having gone through the traditional school system like every other child, I entered into the gates of The University of the South Pacific, commonly known as USP, which is one of the renowned educational institution in the Pacific.
A journey that started in 2017, as a Foundation Arts student, was the first time when I was introduced to online learning platform called MOODLE. This term was familiar to me because of the fact that my brothers were already part of the university having completed their studies at the institution and had used the mentioned mechanism.
Today, I am on the verge of completing my Bachelor of Arts program in Journalism, a field I have passion and love for together with Politics, an area in which I developed interest much later in life.
Now shifting to the central topic, I generally do not have problem with online learning, except the fact that it bards me from moving one place to another, which I usually like doing while on campus, especially being the case of a Face-Face class.
As much as the effectiveness of the mode of study is concerned, I would say it depends on individuals and their preference or their idea on which they believe they can cope better.
For me, it does not really matter which one sits best as I think I have the capacity to manage in either setting.
However, it is important to acknowledge that there are drawbacks in both modes of learning. Such as, studying online may save travelling time and money but do you understand what you are studying is the question every online student should ask themselves?
This is a critical question to answer as it allows one to gage their learning and if they feel the idea is not working then they can probably look at alternatives.
The recent lockdown caused by the second wave of the Pandemic here in Fiji has had some form of impact on me as I have been staying for more than a month now, and the resumption of classes on 100 percent online has somewhat kept me occupied.
At times it is frustrating as I cannot or simply just do not want to take the risk of going out as I fear being infected from the virus which could possibly harm those around me.
So, to keep myself busy after I am done with studies, I usually spend time with family, spend time on YouTube listening to horror stories, watch horror shows, movies or cartoons and treating myself a game of PlayStation 4 on weekends.
That’s how things stand for now, hopefully lives return to normal soon.
Thanks for reading.
IN THE WHITE 