When is Virtual Real Enough?
I think that learning should go beyond the four walls of the classroom. Although, I do not think that online learning should replace classroom learning. Technology is a part of many current students’ everyday lives. Students know how to navigate and use the internet and these are not skills that should go to waste. I think that educators should take advantage of such skills and find ways to use them in the classroom to improve students’ learning. There is so much information on the internet that is very easily accessible and can be used in the classroom. There are already schools that have incorporated online learning into their classroom successfully. As a future educator I plan on taking a look at what online learning has to offer in my classroom.
I believe that the two types of learning can work together and benefit both the students and the educators. Online learning, which incorporates the use of the internet, will teach students skills that they will use later in life. The internet is becoming more and more important to society as time goes on. Therefore, using the internet in the classroom is becoming a less radical idea as years go by. Classroom learning can still teach students real-life skills that will be used in their future workplaces. Online learning cannot necessarily teach students how to work with others effectively and classroom learning can definitely do this. Hopefully, in the near future people can look at online learning as a real form of learning and take advantage of what it has to offer the classroom.
I believe that the two types of learning can work together and benefit both the students and the educators. Online learning, which incorporates the use of the internet, will teach students skills that they will use later in life. The internet is becoming more and more important to society as time goes on. Therefore, using the internet in the classroom is becoming a less radical idea as years go by. Classroom learning can still teach students real-life skills that will be used in their future workplaces. Online learning cannot necessarily teach students how to work with others effectively and classroom learning can definitely do this. Hopefully, in the near future people can look at online learning as a real form of learning and take advantage of what it has to offer the classroom.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melissa Goodwin on -
Hi LIz,
I would like to reply to your comment that online learning cannot necessarily teach students how to work with others effectively. There are a variety of online tools that create excellent collaborative and communicative learning experiences for students and adults alike. Depending on the structure of the class, students can interact virtually just as easily as if they were in the same room, even though they may be in different parts of the world. Videoconferencing technologies and collaborative education sites like IEARN and EPALS allow classrooms to be opened up beyond the traditional four walls. In some instances, such as in very remote parts of the world or even in the United States, limited resources do not allow students to have the wide range of experiences available to a student in a cosmopolitan community. Virtual learning experiences using collaborative tools such as wikis, blogs, videoconferencing, and connective project based learning sites can broaden these students' cultural and academic horizons in ways that are not available in the traditional classroom. I believe that the connectivity a learner feels to his virtual community depends upon the structure of the online class and can in fact replace face to face learning in many instances.
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Permalink Reply by Kate Conley on -
Thanks, Liz, for your remarks. Perhaps we need to think of blending online and F2F as a differentiated instruction of sorts, or at least as differentiated delivery mechanisms to engage students in a variety of ways and in a variety of places.
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Permalink Reply by Kari Hogue on -
I think that this topic is so interesting because it allows us to see how much time is changing and how as a teacher we need to progress with it. Learning can be so difficult sometimes for a student who is constantly just listening to the same teacher speak, and then doing repetitive tasks just to say they got the work done. Using technology in the classroom is a great way to make the learning process come alive and make meaning of the content with the students. While using the computer, students can learn through a variety of methods without even having to leave their seat. This does however concern me, as I know that there are many students who learn better when they are around their peers- and, the social environment does change everything.
It is extremely important that students are brought up in a scholastic environment where they are learning how technology can aid them in learning more about the content they are interested in. As a future teacher, I am interested in learning more about how I can utilize the technology there will be (hopefully) in my classroom. I am also interested in finding out more ways to give students in areas where they do not have as many resources as other places, the same opportunity to grow as individuals as well as to reach their highest potential.
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Permalink Reply by Kelsey Magers on
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I find this topic interesting because I have never been a very technologically savvy person, and when I first began studying to be a teacher I pictured myself lecturing to students, and using an overhead projector if I was feeling really fancy. Obviously such a lesson would never engage a student in today's digital world (did it ever?) and it would be a shame if we as teachers did not incorporate today's technology into the classroom, because it has so much to offer us.
I love that Melissa brought up the idea of videoconferencing. In foreign language education I think that would be a fantastic medium for my students to talk live with students in a Spanish-speaking country. Much more interesting and real-world applicable than a traditional classroom that does not move beyond the four walls!
I agree that online learning should not replace classroom learning. Students need a chance to bond with their peers to create a community of learners and feel comfortable taking the risks involved in exploring new concepts; online education can be one of many tools to facilitate this, but it alone cannot create that close-knit feeling. Students can simultaneously explore the world through webquests and while becoming comfortable and confident learners in their immediate environment.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah on
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I definitely agree that online learning will never be able to replace classroom learning. There is such a social aspect to being in a classroom that I think kids need in order to learn how to interact in the world. However, there is no avoiding the fact that as our world advances technologically, students are learning just as much from the online world as they are from their "real life" interactions. As teachers, I believe it is our job to accept that students have interests in what is out there on the world wide web and use it to our advantage. There are so many resources on the internet, especially when it comes to my content area, world language. Instead of having to search for Hispanic publications, it is so easy to simply browse for a Spanish news website and use that to teach my students not only current events in the Spanish speaking world but skills for reading, writing, listening, and even speaking. Online videos have opened up classrooms to the world. If a teacher needs a visual representation of something they are teaching, there it is on the computer.
I know that with the right guidance, the Internet can be a source of many lessons for students. I hope to utilize this source to the very best of my ability as a future teacher to keep my students learning constantly and engaged.
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Permalink Reply by Andra Brichacek on -
There's another forum on this topic on the main ISTE Community Ning. Check it out.
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Permalink Reply by Jori B on -
I really like your thinking. I honestly feel like online learning has taken over the classroom in a lot of ways. I've noticed that teachers are encouraging students to use online resources for a lot more of their projects and activities, but I think it's important to incorporate the appreciation for non-internet resources. I know that our society is becoming more and more technologically advance with every moment, but it's imperative and detrimental to student success that they are efficient in other skills. Technology is not a guaranteed method of education, and often times teachers put too much emphasis on its effectiveness. I feel like a good balance of both classroom learning and internet learning is hard to do, but it is also in the best interest of the student.
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