Saturday, July 9, 2011
End of an era?
The other day I was talking to a professor who told me that high school students are gaining more and more opportunity to take classes online. I think it's a great option for students, especially for seniors who only have a few classes to finish in order to graduate and they're sick of high school. However, I wonder if there's a line that could be crossed where students will start being educated too much online or at too early an age? Maybe it's naivety from a guy who still has some unrealistic thoughts about what effect a teacher can have on a student, but isn't there intrinsic value in face-to-face contact with classmates and educators? At least during the formative years? Who's making these decisions about online education, and are they weighing the loss of classroom socialization along with financial (I assume financial benefits are what would drive any move towards online education) gains?
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I agree with you. There’s value in a traditional classroom setting. Relying solely on online courses would be damaging to students. We might end up with a bunch of hermits who don’t know how to function in society.
ReplyDeleteYup. I've spent the last several years painting in my studio. Music has become my best mate. I spend some time with my wife and our 5 year old, but then I go back to my studio and paint. For painting it's been great, but I've become a serious hermit. My non-visual communication skills are poor. That's after 12 years of public school and then college. Even though I haven't been doing a lot with the computer, I have a perspective that can relate to online courses. The bottom line is that contact with classmates and educators is too important to pass up.
ReplyDeleteI have thought a lot about this subject because I value face-to-face interaction. I served a mission in South Korea, and there education is a means to passing a test. I was almost impossible to have a conversation with a Korean student at any age, b/c they haven't been taught to think, explore, create...they have been taught to regurgitate the answers to questions that have been verbally vomited on them by their teachers and academy instructors daily from 7 am to 10 pm. I know that online education isn't or hasn't reached that severity, but from a behavioral stand point there is so much to be gained in social interaction with peers...it is essential to the child's development. I also think there is good and bad for everything...for a child with any special needs, be it a senior student like mentioned or a child that is so ill they can't go to school, online education can be so instrumental and useful, and critical for some students' success.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely benefit in face-to-face communication, but I think on-line classes for high school is a great supplement. Kids can use on-line classes to get ahead, to focus on something that interests them more than what's offered at their school. And they may want out of a bad situation, away from bad friends, or getting away from getting bullied. It shouldn't take over the regular classroom, but it should have a place.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely value in having face-to-face communication. Over the last few quarters, I have been taking online classes to prepare/final work for the MAT program. While I found the classes to be insightful where I learned a lot of information, I have little to say about the professors, either positive or negative, who taught them. It's not because they're not wonderful; it's because we lacked real contact. They tried to illustrate concepts to their classes via the Internet, but something is definitely lost in translation. Actual your-butt-in-a-seat classes still have much merit in my book.
ReplyDeleteAs a soldier I used online classes to supplement my "brick and mortar" classes. This medium was effective when the subject matter was highly research driven. When the content was driven by collaboration or required step by step instruction (math) the classes were less effective.
ReplyDeletewe spend too much time online already. Students need the socialization of coming to school every day and interacting with people. Read "the machine stops" and you'll see what happens when we communicate solely through machinery.
ReplyDeleteThere are benefits to online classes. However, we have been learning a lot about multiple intelligences and I think that online schooling may not nurture those intelligences. Its hard to get to know your students when your only interaction occurs online.
ReplyDeleteOnline classes worry me when it comes to young students. There is such a social element to the classroom that kids can't do without. For a senior in high school who needs one more class to graduate, or a student who is dealing with health issues, an online class would be great. I don't know about online classes on a regular basis though.
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