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.