Online Look & Feel
Really the question is how close to the real world eduction envirnment can the online envirnment duplicate. Any thoughts.
I feel at this point that the online environment is equivalent to the real world education environment. With the numerous software tools out there (ie. Breeze, Class Live Pro., etc.) there is a means for interactive/audio/visual communication.
There are additional tools out there that I have been using in my classes to provide personal audio feedback to students via visual art critiques (ie. Jing) that is quite effective. Students feel that this is very effective and like the personal touch of hearing the instructor's voice.
This interaction is imperative although the layout and structure of these online classes need to be equivalent to the real classroom. I feel that the classes that I have taught online fulfills this.
The nature of online classes however are not for everyone. This is one frustration that I occasionally encounter with students. Is there additional ways that the online learning can be assimilated for those that struggle with this type of learning?
I think there are still too many inherent limitations with online education but it is also the future and is at least working in the right direction.
With live teacher interaction there is an awkward delay in responses due to the limitations of bandwidth on the internet and the amount of time it takes to transmit and receive a signal. That makes the learning environment less than ideal in my mind.
Being a teacher in a traditional school, there are many visual cues I get from seeing and being in direct interaction with the students that is almost entirely lost online. I will completely change my approach to a lesson based off the visual feedback I get from my students, it's very difficult to tell wether my students are engaged if I can't see them.
There is also a "cookie-cutter" nature to online courses that do not involve direct interaction with live teachers that leaves, in my experience, too many people lost or frustrated because there is no way to ask a question and get a new viewpoint that clarifies the material being taught.
Until a computer is capable of this human dynamic, online education will always be a compromise to the real classroom.
I agree that you get visual cues in a classroom that you don't get online. However, certain platforms for online teaching do allow students to ask questions as you teach the material (through live chat pods, for example). In a traditional classroom, one can leave much up to one's own visual observations. In an online setting, you have to rely more on the content of your visual presentation, and chat responses. As the technology develops, online classes will become closer and closer to regular classrooms, though the personal charisma of the instructor is something that may not be translatable to the computer for some time.
I agree that changes in technology will and have made online learning more face to face. Certainly online meeting software has allowed online learning to become more dynamic and interactive.
But I have found that the discussion forums properly used can be similar to the instructor in front of a classroom.
No, I don't think so. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
I think the comparisons are there for us to further grasp the task at hand.
We are learning how to teach in a new environment. There are similarities but each has its own strategies.
Correct, you just need to time it carefully to keep things moving. - Jon
I agree that the online education environment is equivalent to the real world environment for most career fields. Exceptions of course may be the medical field. Nevertheless, most medical records are filed online. The nature of online classes can be problematic to some students and differing types of learners. However, classroom learning can pose the same issues. The flexibility of online learning is one of the greatest benefits for our fast-paced living styles. A major concern of mine though is that the students are completing their own work.
I agree, there are advantages and disadvantages to both! - Jon
You have an excellent point. It is important to hold up the integrity of the classroom so that online students will know they have gained a quality education rather than just passing them on without the necessary skills they will need in the workplace. How do other teachers insure this aspect of the educational experience?
Robin,
Make sure that you share a lot of workplace experience in your classroom...the good, the bad and the ugly!
Shelly Crider
