Can Online Learning be as Effective as Classroom Learning?
http://www.edutopia.org/poll-online-learning-effective
I came across this poll on Edutopia that I found very... interesting. Surprising? No, of course not. This is the 21st century! Practically every technological boundary has already been broken! This poll asked, "Can online learning be as effective as classroom learning?" The first time I read this I thought that online learning was crossing the line with our education, but then I thought of all the benefits we could get from online classes.
Some benefits from online courses are that they seem to be very convenient and you are able to work and learn at home. I think that this appeals to many people because of how easy it is and because people are constantly going ,going, going, that its nice to be at home. I know some of my fellow classmates have taken online classes for Driver's Ed. When I asked them what they thought of it, they told me that they liked it because they got through the course a lot faster than if they had taken the classroom option. To be honest, the whole idea of actually taking an online class scares me. I think most of it is because its such a huge change from what I know. I've grown up knowing that school was the place for education. I began thinking about how drastically our world has been changing, even in the past years; ipods, cell phones...And even education has changed, hence the poll question, and I think that education has become more stressed upon students at school. At Arapahoe, we are taught to be relivent. School has become connected to home, our present time, the past, and what the future has in store for us. This makes me think of Mr. Fisch's "Shift Happens" video (http://youtube.com/watch?v=sHGNNaiLTQU) and how it mentions that we as students are preparing for jobs that DON'T EVEN EXSIST YET! I find that unblievable! And because of that, our education has to become more important, more relivent, enhanced, if you will. Part of me thinks that if this idea of online classes help us learn the criteria, then go for it.
The thing that keeps coming through my mind (as I mentioned in my above paragraph) is that I don't feel completely comfotable with taking an online course. One thing that I think it is missing is the interaction between other people and the interaction between the student and the subject. I am a very hands-on learner, and for me, being able to talk and work with my peers is how I learn best. Hearing others ideas is another thing some of my classes are focusing on. Where will I get that online? Also, my teacher is who I am obtaining information from. I believe that teaching yourself and letting others around you teach you is a huge part to learning as well. But I also believe that a teacher is their to guide my growth as a learner. I like being able to get help from my teacher and go in before and after school to get that one-on-one time with them. Where will I get that online? The poll mentioned this: "In Michigan, completing at least one online course is now a high school graduation requirement". This also scared me. Will this happen to our school? One of the options for the poll was: "Maybe. Schools should offer online classes as supplemental education opportunities for students, but they should not be mandatory." This is what I would've selected as my answer.
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6 comments:
Many people focus on the on-line course equaling every aspect of a live class. However, many people never ask if the single live classroom can equal the social learning available in an on-line setting. Can the live class be available 24/7 or open to everyone across borders? Can the live class effectively use images, video, audio and link to relevant sites on the WWW? For a different view of on-line, come to www.myicourse.com to see the possibilities of social learning of both formal and informal content.
Hi Hannah, cool blog. You sure write a lot. If I had a blog it would be a paragraph long and have no meaning besides wonderful facts about alpacs. Today I was cruzing the internet to see how, and if possible I would ever be able to purchasing an alpaca. Maby I could get one if I did not plan on getting a car. although a found an alpacka runt in oregon for 750$. umm it would cost me. and the shipping for such an adorable animal is like my college piggy bank. Anyways sweet blog.
Your blog was really informative and relevant. I could only agree with you, the thought of taking online classes scare me. Like you, I am a hands on learner, and I like learning from my classmates who are right there with me. I have also had friends take the online drivers ed test and say how much quicker it was and a whole lot cheaper. To me I don't get how you can learn to drive through an online class. I don't think I would get an affective lesson or base of learning out of this. Online classes would be too distracting and nothing like a real classroom environment. I completely agree
I like the blog, it's very well written and includes pretty much our entire classes futures.
I agree with you in the fact I like being able to see and talk with my teachers 1v1 but the fact is, that our world is changing around us. There's nothing we can do to change it so we need to keep moving forward. Online courses will be a big adjustment but I think we all need to make the change and be looking toward the future. In 20 years I wouldn't be suprised if almost all classes are online.
Online classes is a weird change from what we have been doing for the past ten or so years. I like the atmosphere of a classroom and getting help from other classmates. I still wouldn't mind an online class though. I probly trust my parents more than a random person to teach me to drive. I could also do things at my own pace and take tests whenever I want. I would not want to take an online class for school, but it wouldn't be to bad. In your blog you made a ton of interesting points that let me think about my own life and I could connect.
Hannah you write bunches of bunches of stuff. (that sounded much cooler in my head)I myself think that the internet is really retarded to put it nicely. Classroom learning helps you interact with your friends, when online you stare at a computer. Great blog, keep it up!
Matt/Albino Blacksheep
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