Wow, what a great read. The article talks about online learning in the public school system. Basically what is happening is there are these online schools that children can attend as opposed to going to a regular classroom. There are also hybrid schools where learning is done online and infused with teacher contact in short lecture form and one on one communication. Please read this, it's astounding. Also watch the video in the article.
The article points out that while most school districts see benefit in online learning there is a cost. Now cost here is used twice over. 1. It saves the school districts money by outsourcing. Online learning is cheaper and with all of the budget cuts in our current economy it is an option that is unfortunately beneficial to the school system. 2. It is costing the students by reflecting poorer test scores than those taught in a traditional classroom. There are pros and cons to both sides of the argument. On one side there is opportunity in online schooling to progress at your own rate whether it is faster or slower than one's peers. On the other side, online schooling is not for everyone. It is not a model where all students can excel, it can hinder their learning. The article goes on to show that a method that seems to work best is the more hybrid approach where students have teachers they can meet face to face with and they also do work online. Even though the children in the article from this school had only taken one standardized test, which they did excel at but just one test should not be the basis for saying that something is working well or not.
This article really perplexes me. I mean I am pro technology in the classroom. I also think that it is great for education. But it does worry me. Will I be replaced by a machine? The problem is technology, essentially, if you think about it. Technology has replaced a number of jobs otherwise held by actual people. Unemployment is rampant. The middle class is disappearing. I'm just worried to see where it will lead. And where will I be in this equation? I think the article points out that the most effective use of online learning so far still envolves active relationships with teachers and other students. It is important in our social development to develop relationships with peers and teachers in order to be accepted in society and make us marketable as future workers. But, if a movement of hybrid online education does reveal as the best medium for the classroom of the future it's a good thing I took this class so I can make myself relevant in an environment where technology so heavily influences the daily goings-on. To tell you the truth, we should have more classes like this. It's essential.
This was a great post. A child can learn a lot from an online school, but I would hope teachers would not be replaced by a machine. Students should not try and do everything on their own. They need guidance from teachers to make sure they are staying on track and do not fall behind. Although you can interact on the internet students need to be able to interact in person with other children. You also can’t expect a child to do push themselves to do better or to know how to correct themselves. Technology offers a lot to students but not enough to educate on its own.
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