Monday, April 14, 2008
Online Teaching
Recently, online teaching has become very popular. Students are no longer attending classrooms, instead they stay home every day and learn through their online courses on the computer. What are some advantages/disadvantages to this? Do you think this is an overall good idea? How will it affect students and teachers?
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17 comments:
I personally think online education is convenient for some people such as parents or people who are unable to attend school during the time that particular class is scheduled. I have taken an online class and will never do it again. It is hard to have the motivation and dedication to get it done. The class was fairly easy, but I kept putting it off. However, there are certain classes that have to be taught in the classroom like public speaking. Education is important to me, so my thought is if people learn better teaching themselves, then go for it. I don’t think it affects teaching that much because a teacher still has to put the curriculum together for the course as well as manage the class.
I believe this will have mixed results for students and negative results for teachers. Teachers will become less and less necessary as online courses become more popular. Thus, there will be fewer and fewer jobs in the teaching profession. Students may or may not benefit from this new trend. Those who have the ability to self-govern, remain disciplined, and learn in multiple environments will do as well with online courses as with traditional courses, or perhaps better. Students who need the extra guidance of an attentive teacher will suffer tremendously. It is a matter of perspective and ability.
I have really enjoyed my online classes--- both because of convenience! I live about an hour from SIU and it saves me gas money while I am still learning at home. The only negative aspect for students is that they miss out on the classroom setting and social interaction. There are still group discussions by posts though! I wish SIU offered more online courses actually... I was really disappointed to find only two English courses offered. On what "Mikes" said I disagree that the teachers will become unnecessary they will just need to become "computer savvy" if you will to make a creative online class that students will stay interested in. Teachers will still need to inform and guide the students in order for them to gain all the information and education provided within the course. Also, one thing that is negative about online courses is that not everyone is computer savvy--- in this case an online class is not optimal... it might be coming to that point in the future so I think everyone should be required to take some some information / technology courses.
I think it really depends on the person. I do not think that I would really learn anything from an online class because I like to be in a classroom setting, otherwise, I would not do anything or work online. I think it would be more difficult for the teachers because they would have to be constantly checking the online and working with their other classes too. Online learning is not for me, but if it works for other people, so be it.
I think that this is BAD!! lol, well...not necessarily for the student, but for the learning process. Sometimes lectures can be helpful. while most of the time they ARE pretty boring, hearing the teacher clarify something that you read and didn't understand can be really helpful. I don't think that a student would really be dedicated with an online class. that's like two steps away from just skipping a class!!
An advantage to online teaching is the conveince to being able to attend class when you would like. And the ability to go at ones own pace. A disadvantage is not being able to attend class traditionally and learn from a teacher who is lecturing. Which for some people is the way they learn the best. I think that online teaching is a good option overall. Online teaching will affect teachers teaching styles and maybe even lesson plans. I don't think online teaching will affect students learning very much.
I can see the pros and cons to online teaching. Online teaching can be great for students who have busy schedules and lives and have trouble making it on campus to a class. However, a computer should never be a substitute for a real, live teacher. Students may have questions that need to be asked in person, or they may need to be shown tasks that can't be done over the computer. Perhaps webcams can help with these problems.
I love online teaching and I wish there were more classes this way. I also think that SIU needs to take more initiative in creating these classes because most of us do not need to show up everyday for some of our classes that we need to take!!!!! ^_^
I think on-line classes are a great way for busy people to further thier education. However the quality of on-line classes are not as great as an actual college class.
I agree with Isaac. I think that online classes are great for people who are busy. But this new form of education doesn't seem as credible or in depth as a regular classroom would be.
I think that this is a nice solution for some people. It is not what I prefer. I have taken online summer classes, and I do not feel as though I gained as much from the class as I could have if I would have had teacher and peer interaction.
I think online education is good for some people, personally, I don't learn very well when I'm at my computer... mostly because I get distracted by everything else. I'd personally rather go to class. However, if a person can concentrate and get what they need to done, good for them!
I have had some experience with online classes, and they have all been horrible. Most the time there is no instruction, only assignments being assigned and maybe some articles posted. You can carry on conversations about various topics on the classes site, but with little to no instruction online classes just aren't for me. If you enjoy paying thousands of dollars to teach yourself the classes then by all means enjoy, but if I'm paying thousands of dollars for my education I damn well better be receiving some kind of instruction. Otherwise what the hell am I paying for?
I am on the fence with this subject. While I do enjoy sending my homework to my teacher through email or posting it online, I feel that I'm not getting the greatest education. What is the point of going to class if I have to post my homework on the internet? I believe doing things online takes away from the learning experience and makes the teachers job way to easy. I believe that teachers are leaning on the internet and technology a little too much. For some classes it works just fine, but for others it is unnecessary. I probably won't use the internet much when I teach, but I may incoporate it into one lesson sometime. The world is becoming so dependent on technology that I can't ignore the fact that I need to teach students how to learn with it.
I do not think that online teaching is a good idea. I think that it is much harder to write your ideas out the way you really want to express them. I have never taken an online class so I can not comment on their efficiency, but I do not think i would do well. I have to be able to speak to their teachers during their office hours and gather ideas from classmates. The experience of the classroom will be lost with technological advantages.
I think that this is a good idea. There are some classes that really don't need teachers. All you need is the book. The only problem is if you have a question. But that can be solved via email.
Bryan Norbut
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