These are just some of the words used to describe the world of online learning. We are at a point in time where children, teens, and young adults have grown up in a world where they have constant access to technology. It think it's safe to say that there are cases when a 5 year old can work an iPad better than his/her parents! In this age where many people rely heavily on technology, online learning has become a way to incorporate the tech-age with education. Online learning creates an opportunity for those in the workforce to further their education and obtain advanced degrees without putting financial hardship on themselves of their families by quitting work to pursue their education. It has created a venue for individual learners to be able to work at their own pace and be educated in a way that, for some, fosters more productivity and learning than a traditional classroom setting. While there continues to be an overwhelming amount of positive feedback for online learning, there are also some setbacks. Online learning requires a certain amount of independence and responsibility. Since those in online courses aren't coming to a classroom every other day it's up to them to make sure they stay on top of assignments, watch lectures, and complete required readings. Since there isn't much accountability then it becomes easy to go week after week without participating in the course, resulting in a less than desirable grade at the end of the course. There is also the possibility of experiencing technical difficulties like incoherent audio during lecture recordings, transmission failure when sending in assignments, as well as issues with internet connection. When it comes to online learning there are several questions I would like to pose to you...
- The capabilities of technology are growing at a rapid rate, is it possible that online learning could ever take the place of classroom learning. If so what would be the repercussions, both positive and negative, of this.
- Currently the majority of online learning/classes is/are done at a collegiate level. Do you think online learning for primary and secondary students would be beneficial?
- If implemented in elementary, middle school, and high school education what are some set backs one might encounter? (For example how would you address the issue of a students socioeconomic status preventing them from having internet access at home?)
Thanks for taking the time to read and respond!
