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!
I believe that there are many pros and cons to online learning. Some of the pros you listed above such as making it easier for an adult to go back to school or continue their education without causing issues at home are great! However, I personally have taken several online classes and have learned far less than I would have if the class had been taken in the traditional classroom setting. This could be true on a person to person basis, but I feel that when you lose the intimacy and personal interaction with a professor in a classroom setting the motivation to succeed is lost. To address the possibilities of this online learning to trickle down to the secondary and primary levels, I believe that as a collegiate student online classes are hard to maneuver around. I am not so sure that it would be beneficial, nor possible to teach a 1st grader through an online system. The technology is too advanced.
ReplyDeleteHey Tory!
ReplyDeleteI think this topic is very important and relative, but also very complex. I myself have had an online class during my undergraduate career, and it definitely did not give me the same experience as my other classes. Between going to traditional classes and other activities, the online course just seemed to slip into the background. I only really focused on the course whenever an assignment or test was due, making my learning outcome very negative. I do think that some people my do better under this style of learning, especially when seeking higher degree levels. But as far as undergraduate and especial high school and middle school, I believe traditional classroom teaching is the best option. Being physically present in a classroom with other students gives tremendous social skills and aids in more involved and active learning. I definitely think online classes are a great option in many scenarios, but i feel as though it could never truly replace what a real classroom can offer.
As an online student, I agree with your perspective. Online learning has given me the opportunity to be flexible with my schedule. Online learning was important for me because I want to work while going to school, as I need the income. It has forced me to be diligent on organization, but has also given me flexibility to work at my own pace, within reason. I think it is important for people to do a self-evaluation prior to starting online learning to make sure their learning style is compatible.
ReplyDeleteI think that online learning is a very beneficial aspect of today's way of life, but I do think there are some set backs that come along with online learning. Online learning can be a great thing especially in a college setting because it allows older adults to be able to attend school while balancing a full time job and a family. Online learning in a classroom setting for younger children is a hard topic though because if we use too much online learning, the children will lose the classroom person-to-person interaction that is so key in their learning and development. All In all I feel like online learning is very beneficial but there is a fine line between what is a good amount to be used, especially when discussing younger children!
ReplyDeleteThis blog touches close to home for me as I am a teacher at a public school. I feel that there are pros and cons to complete online learning at any grade level. On a positive note a child may be able to learn at a pace more comfortable for that individual student. On the other hand children need to interact with peers and be in a structured setting in order to envelop the social skills needed to be able to properly contribute to society. The toughest thing to figure out is to make the online classes available to those who cannot afford internet or do not have online capabilities. I think that the online learning experience has a place in all levels of schooling, however it is a slippery slope to travel down when dealing with the social development of a child. Different children would handle online learning in different ways. Finding out who can find success from these methods is key to the future of online learning.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that the bulk of online learning is done at the collegiate level. I live in the world of entrepreneurial education and the web is full of online learning opportunities, most of which are free. Of course they are of varying degrees of quality but so is every class any of us has ever taken in any school setting. Despite how much we try to force our teachers to follow a certain path, learning is still affected in large part by the individual teacher.
ReplyDeleteSo it is with online learning. It imposes a new responsibility on the teacher but so what? It's a new tool that can enhance the learning experience whether in the live setting or the online world. Some tools are useless (clickers, really?) or take too many resources to implement and maintain. Others are easy to use and become almost invisible to the learning experience (downloading notes from a website). Teachers have to be inquisitive and experimental but isn't that what we expect from our students?
I believe online learning can be of benefit to anyone no matter what their SES is. While the student may not have the internet access at their home, we here in the USA have public libraries that offer free service as well as the library at their institution. When students want to achieve a personal goal, they find ways to go about making that happen. The key question may be more of "do they know" they can participate in this and if not, is it because of their SES level? I hope the internet access can continue to be expanded in areas that are poverty stricken because it will be a way of introducing new concepts and opening new perspectives for them that leads to growth for their future.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that online learning will start to take the place of in-class courses because more students can be accepted and they can be anywhere in the world, and the school can charge more for online fees and out of state for all international and out of state students. This would probably bring in more revenue for the school by having a higher population of commuters or online class participants because they can still get a degree from the school and do it strictly online from their home or country. Now I do not think that primary schools need to implement this because what they teach is supposed to help prepare them for their future and that is better done in the classroom so that students can obtain the social skills they need by communicating with others but also learning the basics because that requires instruction on how to do it and children/students need that initial training so they can do it on their own later. Great topicTori!
ReplyDeleteOnline learning is here to stay. In doing some research about online learning topics, I found it quoted that education and the Internet are now considered the great equalizers. THE GREAT EQUALIZERS!!!! Who would have thought this statement would ever be made 20 years ago. I can see referencing education. The Internet is part of our lives at all socioeconomic levels. Just this past spring, those seeking reduced cost healthcare were asked to apply ONLINE! Online learning makes our world the classroom. Students should never be able to say there were not challenged enough. The information is here. The challenge may the hours and days of the week to drink it all in.
ReplyDeleteIf 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?)
ReplyDeleteOne thing we could do is force congress and our local politicians to require the cable companies lower the the price for internet service. That sounds anit-capitalistic, but at the same time, Time Warner /Comcast are monopolies and they did their best to keep the phone companies from being able to offer broadband services that could deliver the same services that cable delivers. So how un-capitalistic is that? More people could have access to internet if it was not price ridiculously high. Truth be known, congress & local politicians allowed the cable and phone companies to price gouge us with fees and taxes, none of them could honestly explain. What they were supposed to do with the extra charges was develop a better, faster, more robust service than what we all are getting. Well, they didn't. They kept all that money for CEO and stock holder profit. now that their is greater demand, they are scrambling and giving us inferior delivery of services. I would call out names, but I really don't have to because you are likely using it right now to read this comment. One company, I won't name, didn't bother to tell a city that they had lowered the price of their internet service for households where the children in it received free lunch at school. For those households, the internet was I believe, $10 per month. I don't know about the speed of the service, though. But still, to have something like that, but not make it known it worrisome. They continue, though to market in a major way, their higher priced services. Yes, what I just wrote about is happening in TN. Then to price internet service for "different speeds" when they could price it all the same since internet is being delivered on the same old technology, well that's a same. For all the money we have been paying out, fiber optics could have been laid for the prices they want to charge now. Which was what they were supposed to have been doing anyway, but had not done. That was the purpose of the higher and higher rates. Really, who watches over 100 channels? Is that even possible? Why would one want to watch the same show over and over in high definition? Oh, yeah, while paying higher and higher rates for crappy programming? Why do we have to "bundle" cable tv and internet to get a lower price?
I digress...
The set back is where the delivery of internet lies. The prices for devices will be within reach. People can buy gently used or trade their devices. There will be more devices than TVs very soon. Even in 3rd world countries, they are using their cell phones to learn. Don't believe me? Check out this site, http://emergingtech.tbr.edu/.