I never took an online class before and I honestly believe you gain much more value in a classroom setting. I know some people would read this and instantly think of a classroom setting as a scene from The Breakfast Club compared to a high-tech online class. However, I am a believer that the teacher and students are the true factors behind a successful class. In "Learning to Change-Changing to Learn" a number of different professors and teachers came on screen and talked about the importance of teaching students about and with technology rather than be against it. This is something I completely agree with, but the main point should not be teaching with technology. The message lies deeper and it should focus on how teachers should adapt when teaching, whether it may be technology or something else.
Technology is just a part of the adaption. Technology is something that will help teachers teach their students in an exciting new way, but when it comes down to it all the technology in the world won't make a "bad" teacher into a "good" one. When I say a "bad" teacher I think of one that doesn't understand who they are teaching. To make it to the second grade you need to have made it past the first and the same goes with having to finish high-school to make it to college, but everyone has a different past with different experiences.
This first assignment having us give you information on how experienced we are in technology is one that is very important on how this online class will progress, because knowing your students is one of the most important pieces in teaching. Right now computers, blogs, Facebook, Wikipedia, Youtube are what the students know which is why the teachers who want to continue to succeed will learn and know these as well. As far as my experience goes with technology I would say I am some what experienced, but everything I do know about it I believe was self taught.
What I want to gain from this online class is something that can't be learn from reading a book or Googleing it. Something innovating would stand out, possibly a different approach to a class or something else unique to everyone in the class. I am excited to see more critical thinking teaching techniques rather than the learn a bunch of facts and try to remember it. With technology you are not trying to just remember a fact about something you are actually learning valuable information. Whether it be using excel, internet research, or just making a class more engaging as was discussed in Four Takes of Technology, teachers still need to stay ahead of technology, use it as a learning tool for students, but make sure they use it the right way for students to get the most out of it.
It is obvious you have thought about technology and its potential use in the classroom. Another thought - technology breaks down classroom walls and encourage more participation.
ReplyDeleteTaking a class online is not entirely a bad thing. In college, I took many classes online and some were better than ones I took in person. At the college level, most of the work is done outside of the classroom anyway. I have gone to classes where the professor does nothing but repeat what is already said in the chapter, and the only real knowledge I got out of the class was knowledge that I went out and got on my own. So while a classroom setting seems more appropriate, I think the bigger picture lies in how effective the teacher is. Some online classes I took, the professor was very involved and I learned a ton.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do prefer the traditional face to face classroom setting. As long as people don't start going to high school completely online, I think a few college classes here and there online can teach you a whole lot.