Virtual schools scare me. I know thousands of students are sitting at their computers right now, learning exciting new things via Internet. I am one of them. I also agree, there are many benefits of taking classes online. It we want to reform public schools, technology needs to be an integral component. Virtual classrooms is one important way we can keep up with the ever changing world. Christine Wood sited many ways technology is already changing the way we learn and teach. However, there needs to be a balance. Virtual schools sound too isolated to me. I worry as we move towards more technology for both learning and pleasure, we move away from learning and playing in our natural environment. Richard Louv author of Last Child in the Woods writes that children need nature for the healthy development of their senses for learning and creativity. Schools will need to be ever changing, but that doesn't mean to do away with all the old tried and true learning. Balance. Curriculum needs to support this balance.
I can certainly see your point about virtual schools being scary. I think there are some people that could make it work for them, but ultimately we need that contact with other people! There are a few students in my class now that I think would completely wither if they were not allowed the contact with their peers and teachers. I think it also comes down to multiple intelligences and knowing how you learn best. Taking this class online has been very out of the box for me because I like the interaction with my peers. Again we are brought back to the point about the need for balance!
ReplyDeleteOk, but who is talking about doing everything online anyway? If we look at learning as a continuum we need to be somewhere in the middle...taking advantage of things that work...both old and new. Yes, we are doing all of EDC 533 online...but this is just a piece of the learning that is happening for each of us. Would it be better if we were doing this F2F or perhaps a hybrid class with some of each? The answer is it would be better for some and not as good for others.
ReplyDeleteBalance, balance, balance...I can't imagine a totally online environment for the vast majority of students...but maybe, just maybe, by the time kids are 15 or 16, they are ready for more of a blended learning atmosphere.
What do you all think?