Sunday, April 5, 2009

Online Learning - The Student

Online Learning – The Student

I feel that I have been very successful so far at online learning. As I said in my other post, I feel that you get out of online learning what you put into it. I will say this about myself though, I do not manage myself very well. I tend to put off till I have to do the assignments. The only reason that this is getting done now and not Wednesday night is because Dr. Mac said we had to do them early. All students work different and at their own pace and that is what online learning can give them. Some have it done the day the assignment is assigned and others like me, will wait till the last night. But if I can pass and do quality work then it should not make a difference. Online courses can and are effective if the students put forth the effort to do the work!

I don’t agree but I can see how online or virtual classes might work in some situations for K-12. If we are talking about young kids taking classes that are all on line and have NO SOCIAL interaction with other kids then no way. Kids need social interaction. God I can’t believe I am saying that as much as I say every day to get your hands off of each other and to get quiet so I can give instructions and we can leave to go into the hall.  But they do need this. They also need to get away from MOM!!!! To me kids need to be hands on and to be able to ask questions and have answers NOW. They need that feeling that someone cares. If they were sent to school that had online learning as extra learning then that would be ok. I see kids with disabilities that might keep them from going to school using online learning. I see older kids taking online learning, and maybe working as well. I can see it working with older students. Boyd talks about students wanting freedom and with online classes this allows them that freedom. There are cases where I see online learning working in K-12 just not very many. I would not want my child to take all online classes and she would not do very well. She is a very social person.

I feel that the students can learn. Technology is changing and we have to change with it. I said above that I think it would work in some cases. I would like to see it in action with the K-2 students and see how it really does work and would it work with a school like mine. This is a hard one for me. I feel that in some cases that online learning would benefit kids K-12 and others it would be the worse thing for them. That is where face to face learning you get to know your students, where here you would not. I guess it would just depend on the student. But I do feel that having online learning or virtual learning for kids in a face to face would benefit them.

1 comment:

  1. "I feel that the students can learn. Technology is changing and we have to change with it."

    If more people believed this, then their lives, and ours consequently could be allot less frustrating.

    ReplyDelete

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I live in Rockwall, Tx. and have been teaching Physical Education for 15 years. I have taught in Mesquite for the last 9 years. I decided that I would get my Masters in Library Science so here I am going in a totaly different direction in my life. I have a daughter who is 12 going on 22, but who is the love of my life. She plays select soccer in Dallas and I spend all of my time carting her all over creation to games, practice and tournaments. My time is her "social life". Before soccer she showed horses and we were on the road to horse shows. She was very good at that as well, but had to make a choice between the two when she went select and so she chose soccer. Besides my daughter I have 5 dogs, 2 cats and 2 horses that I share my life with.