Blog Post Five

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I do not think I started this project with a clear perspective on my topic, E-Learning. I simply only had my own views of online classes, from my own experience, but I knew that my experience wasn’t representative of all aspects of E-Learning.  I have only taken a few online classes; one was a health class in high school. I took this online class as an alternative to taking it in the classroom so I could take the different elective classes, like Spanish, choir and drama that I wanted to take during the day. When going into my counselor’s office to discuss this option, even she told me not to listen to the content of this online class, that I didn’t need to complete the community service portion of the class, and that I should just simply pass the class to gain the necessary health credit. While the project would have made the class more engaging, the only way they checked to see if we did, in fact, complete our ‘project’ was to click a button at the end of the class saying, “I completed my project”. I probably should have done this community service project, but as a high school senior taking 3 extra classes on top of my regular school day, plus working at 5:00 AM 5 days a week, that clearly did not happen. Up until this point, that was my only experience with online classes and E-learning. I have learned so much throughout this experience about the different ways to take online classes, the different reasons for online classes, and the different pros and cons for E-Learning. I have learned that the reasons for taking online classes span from a desire from students to take more challenging classes, but who don’t have schools who can afford to pay teachers to teach them, to students who simply need classes to work around their schedule. I really admire those students who take online advanced placement courses, because their school cannot offer those courses. It must take so much personal drive to take such challenging courses online, and a ton of self-motivation to complete these classes while actually learning and understanding the material.

                  From my research of E-Learning, I discovered The Online High School. This is a program that offers online classes to students. What is different about this school is the co-op model they follow. When a traditional school wants to get involved with The Online High School, one teacher needs to teach a course for The Online High School, then up to 25 students from that school can take any course they offer. This way, they keep the number of courses they can offer up, and class sizes down. I think this would be an awesome program to get involved with in my future teaching career. Also, doing the research for this project I have discovered that not all online classes are simply an electronic textbook with exams. Online classes can still have interactive and hands on learning. The idea of hands on and interactive learning that I have learned from this project does not only have to apply to online classes, it will also teach me to make sure that even in a regular classroom setting, my students are always learning in an engaging and interesting way.

Blog Post Four

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My topic, E-Learning, includes distance learning, online classes, and instructional media. If technology were phased out of the classroom, one component to my topic, instructional media would be nonexistent. If we did not have any technology in the classroom, there would be no media to instruct with. This would have pro’s and con’s, as we all know technology in the classroom itself isn’t completely neither bad nor good. A gain to phasing technology from the classroom would be that teachers and children could be forced to use hands on ways of learning, like math manipulative blocks, that have recently seemed to take a backseat to computer programs and online math games. However, if teachers did not revert back to these other touchable ways of learning, and simply just phased out technology without replacing the excitement and hands on learning that technology can bring, children could fall behind when their most successful way of learning was taken away from them. There are two ways to look at online classes if technology were to be phased out of the classroom, you could either say this would entirely remove online classes from our schools, as there has to be a teacher, on a computer using technology somewhere for an online class to function. Or, you could argue that just because technology was being phased out of schools, online classes could still continue, because part of the reason online classes exist, is so students do not have to take them in a classroom, and can take them when and wherever they choose. If online classes were to disappear, there would be many advantages and disadvantages. This could create more teaching jobs, in “Online Learning: The Pro’s and Con’s of K-12 Computer Courses” they say that online classes are being made to cut teaching jobs and save money, however if there were to be no more online classes, this could theoretically create more teaching jobs. Now this may not be true, because the money could just not exist to re-create these jobs. A disadvantage to these online classes disappearing all together would be that this would cost a lot, as online classes can save school districts money. This could also take students choices away, as online classes are being used as an inexpensive way to give students more options on what classes they would like to take.

If you argued that just because technology was being phased out of classrooms, online classes wouldn’t necessarily cease to exist, the there could be totally different pro’s and con’s to technology fading from the classroom. If the only way students could use technology while learning was through an online class, then students might start picking online classes just because of the love that we all have for technology, I think in my generation its bordering on an obsession with technology. This would be bad for students because as we all know, with online classes you do not have a meeting time, with a teacher and your fellow classmates to motive you through the classwork. Usually, you do not even have to submit assignments, and your entire grade is based off of a few tests. For some students this could be very challenging, as they would have to self-motive to get a good grade. Personally, I know this can be very difficult, especially if you are taking other classes in conventional classrooms, because those classes can definitely ‘overshadow’ your online work. Also, it is very easy to become distracted while working on a computer. I should know this as I have about 5 different Internet tabs open on my browser at any given time, even when doing homework. It’s very easy to ignore online work, because of all the distractions that the Internet and computer give us.

Blog Post Three

 

Photo 1: I chose this photo because I think it sums up a lot of the issues surrounding online classes and technology in the classroom. I think this is a funny representation of the struggle to link technology without losing books, classroom atmospheres, and other classic parts of school today. 

Photo 2: I think this photo shows a positive view of technology in the classroom, all of these young students are clearly using a device similar to the iclickers we use here at the University of Oregon. These students all look very involved in the lesson and all look like they’re being engaged by the technology, and the technology is helping the lesson, not hurting it. 

Photo 3: This image portrays those commercials I think we all have seen a few times, the ones for online college and high school degrees, with the cute girls in PJ’s earning their degrees in ‘their own time’ and singing while they do it. These commercials idealize getting a degree online, and make it seem that as soon as you take a couple easy online classes, you will fall into a perfect, well paying job. And, as we all know, this simply is not the case for everyone. 

Photo 4: I chose this picture because it relates to technology in the classroom and how sustainable we can make it for ourselves and for our students. I think this picture is interesting because while all the students have their own, large, flat screen computer, and the teacher is still writing on a chalkboard in front of the classroom. 

Photo 5: I liked this image because it brings up the distinction between using E-Learning, and technology in the classroom to assist and help with lesson plans and teaching students, and having our students become dependent on technology.

Accessibility

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The issue of accessibility negatively affects E-Learning. If students around the world do not have the ability to access computers, Internet, and other technology, then E-Learning cannot exist. It is clear how online classes are impacted by accessibility, if students do not have computers and the Internet, they simply cannot participate in those online classes. While this might not seem like the biggest deal, why do students, especially those in the public school system, need to take online classes? Personally, in my high school career, in order to take the more challenging academic classes, music, and a foreign language I had to take a health class online. Without this online class, that I took on my own time, at home, I simply wouldn’t have graduated high school, this one class would have been the only thing standing in between me and my high school diploma, the only thing standing in between me and going to college. Some people say that students can gain access to technology in the regular classroom hours, or in public hours, however for students that work while going to school, or may have siblings to take care of, or other responsibilities, the cannot work around a school or public library hours. Also, when teachers use technology in their class lessons, maybe asking students to create a power point for a presentation, or researching a topic, and have the students finish their work at home if they could not finish, this is impossible for students who do not have access to this kind of technology. This is setting back students, not based on their academic drive, or desire to learn, but could simply be separating students based on their socioeconomic status, or the amount of money their family can spend on technology and an Internet connection.

E-Learning; Blog Post One

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I chose the topic E-Learning, this encompasses online classes, distance learning, and instructional media. I'm interested in this subject because it’s an issue in the field of education that is gaining importance and it will only continue to become more and more prevalent in the classroom. I have taken a couple of online classes, for various reasons, from just trying to get another check on my list to graduate, even my counselor agreed that it was a waste of time to take the class in a physical classroom. I also took an online class because I believed it was the smarter choice, and it would be set at a better pace for me, so I would be able to get more out of the class while keeping up more easily. I hope to gain more knowledge from all sides of online learning, from teachers to those who are creating the classes to the students of all ages experiencing this surge of technology in the classroom. I am also excited to learn more about instructional media and technology because in my experience as a student, I did not get to interact with a lot of technology. I want to learn more about the pros and cons of different instructional media. This project will help me in the near future as a student, because I will know more about online classes, and it will help me make future decisions about classes to take, and different media I can use when doing assignments like group projects and presentations. Also, in the more distant future when (hopefully!!) I am a teacher in a classroom; I will have more knowledge about how to successfully incorporate media into my lesson plans, and teaching techniques.

EDST 200 FT11 Driving Questions

1. How can technology tools improve communication between teachers and students, parents, or peers?
2. How can these tools hinder communication efforts?
3. Why do issues surrounding the use of technology in education endure?