Yes, I agree. There are still many prescribed standards in public school, however, as you say, having a context of open and direct communictaion and "scaffolded" learning provides more learning opportunity for students. Perhaps with increasing exposure to online across the country, changes might happen, too, with prescrived learning.
That students need to take ownerhsip in their learning. They need to decide what is going to work best for them (synchronous/asynchronous). With that being said, when working in the public school system with middle and high school students we have situations where the student is forced into a certain learing format, and forced to learn that way due to health, family views, parents working, etc. We need to have a good line of communication open, frequent feedback, parent involvment, and a way for the students to showcase what they are learning.
While many believe that asynchronous courses have little interaction opportunities, I found that this is quite the opposite. An instructor can still create an ingaging environment and connections within an asynchornous course.
I really was thrilled about the core elements of asynchronous learning. The student taking responsibility for their own learning aspect stated that those needing more assistance from the instructor would seek it out. However, their search for assistance was not immediate or urgent and could be handled in a timely manner. I do like the idea that all material resources are available 24/7. I also liked the idea of an online laboratory and using synchronous materials.
I was encouraged to see that you can offer synchronus activities in an asynchronus course. This could be tricky, but I think the option of meeting/discussing in real time is a great option, even if it's not the main use during the class.
