After reading
the articles, I understood more the nature of synchronous and asynchronous
models of delivery. In K-12 settings, synchronous instruction is a better
option for students and teachers at the same time. Based on his research, Barbour
has found that virtual school teachers in general are better at delivering
synchronous instruction rather than asynchronous. Just like the case with
traditional teachers, some teachers are more prepared and trained to teach
online courses than others. Synchronous instructions give learners the opportunity
to have both online and face to face interaction.
One of the
myths about online learning lacking one-on-one interaction didn’t make much
sense to me. It is true that some online courses allow for genuine interaction
whether it be between the learner and the teacher or among the students, but
that doesn’t make online learning ‘more’ interactive than face-to-face
learning. I am saying this based on my personal experience with both online and
traditional classes. Most of the time, the online interaction that takes place,
lacks genuineness and is mostly staged for the purpose of ‘interacting’. I
totally believe that nothing beats face-to- face interaction when it comes to
learning.
Barbour
described the nature of students that enroll in online classes as “highly
motivated, self-directed, self-disciplined, and independent learners”. This is quite
the opposite of what myth 2 explained, describing that students of all levels and backgrounds benefit from online learning.
A myth that I
was guilty of is thinking that online courses were easier than traditional courses.
I took my first online course last semester with this thought in mind and
reality hit me hard. I realized that online courses were more demanding and
required constant work. But as a procrastinator in nature, this has worked to
my advantage. Meeting regular deadlines has pushed me to study every day and not
leave everything until the end.
In general, I
found the 10 myths about online learning to be very vague and one size fits
all. They were tailored to depict a more positive view of online learning.
There isn’t an extensive research yet that’s done on virtual schooling to truly
illustrate the positive and negative aspects of it. As Barbour wrote in his research
paper, there’s a troubling lack of literature related to asynchronous teaching
in the K-12 environment. Not much has been studied regarding the advantages and
disadvantages of online learning compared to traditional learning when it comes
to K-12 schooling.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteStrong arguments here presented against the "10 Myths" article- I too struggle to believe all of the claims when they are made by an organization promoting online learning opportunities, and without specific references to back up their points as well!
I also believe that while certain students can excel in online learning environments, many would struggle without proper guidance and scaffolding from a teacher in order to be successful. I can't tell you how many times I've walked around a classroom to find several students simply not on-task or completely misunderstanding the material. It would be imperative early on in the course to really structure everything, answer questions, and meet with students individually to make sure they understood the course, technology and expectations before moving onto more specific instruction.
I also agree that nothing beats face-to-face interaction, but as technology improves, a really savvy teacher who focuses on the needs of their students can utilize a range of tools today to make the virtual environment seem more like the traditional classroom. However, this too requires careful planning and likely synchronous events in order to encourage group interaction, such as a Google Hangout with the instructor on the call, or the live Twitter chat we had earlier this semester.
I do wonder what types of students you see in your school setting taking online courses? Also, what position you take in your thoughts above on whether students that enroll in online courses need to be highly motivated and independent, or can all students learn successfully online with certain supports put in place?
Alan, I might change your statement to say that 'all things being equal, f2f > online'. I've had some awful f2f experiences, some great online experiences, and vice versa.
DeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteIt’s pretty tough for me to describe what type of students take online courses in my school because I haven’t had the chance to experience this first hand. I teach ESL at Lawrence Technological University and I don’t have any teaching experience in K-12 schools other than my student teaching experience. Based on my student teaching experience, I didn’t see a lot of students take part in online classes; I didn’t even know they existed as an option. I am assuming that driven and motivated students will thrive better in an online class but that’s just an assumption. I am also basing this on my experience with my students. Some students require extensive guidance from me and I can see them struggle in an online class with not much scaffolding. I am 31 and still struggle in some of my online classes because they lack structure and guidance! So it’s all a matter of how good and supportive the teacher is and how structured the online class is.
Do you have more experience with online classes and the type of students that better succeed in them?
I have not had to do specific check-ins with students either, but from the students I am aware who are taking it in my building, they tend to be independent, advanced learners who are looking for opportunities not offered in our building. Since I teach in a middle school, most frequently for us this type of experience seems to come up in particular for our foreign language program. We offer Spanish and German at our school, but no French, Chinese, etc. at the middle school level, so occasionally parents will push for alternatives, resulting in students attempting online education. I too, can struggle when expectations aren't clear, which is why I'm always trying to put myself in the mind of a student when designing my lesson plans and curriculum content. The interesting question might also be how are veteran teachers the ones teaching online content primarily, if they themselves may have not been a student in an online class before?
DeleteThis tends to be in opposition to the 'typical' student you see taking online courses in high school. While those motivated students exist, there's plenty of 'credit recovery' courses going on, and you wouldn't necessarily see that in middle school.
DeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about face-to-face interaction being a great way to learn... but with all the improvements in technology you can almost consider a Skype or Google Hangout very close to the same thing. Through personal experience with online courses I have found that I am able to learn just as well while discussing ideas and coursework over a Google Handout session with my instructor. So I believe it is still possible for online learners to still get that personal touch that face-to-face instruction offers while engaged in these learning activities.
As the reading discussed, "online learning emerged as a solution to meet specific school challenges and student needs" (Watson, Gemin, Paps, Vashaw, pg. 25). As such, my district has developed online learning in the following areas:
- electives and accelerated options for high school students
- flexibility for students with special circumstances
- credit recovery
This first began as supplemental resources but have now turned into full online programs and options for our students.
Regardless of the numerous advantages of face-to-face instructions, in certain circumstances, online learning can deem more beneficial. Students with special circumstances can benefit from what online courses have to offer. I also believe that with intricate planning, online courses can be very effective. Teachers that have gone through extensive training can create a healthy atmosphere for their students with enough genuine communication. Therefore, it is possible for online courses to be as effective as traditional classes but that doesn't always seem to be the case. Unfortunately, not all teachers have the experience and skills needed to take on this role.
DeleteYou are right. Some teachers who struggle with the basic computer skills will not be a good fit for online instruction. In my opinion, these type of courses require an instructor who is very skilled in technology. This is why (just as you said) it is important for teachers to go through extensive training.
DeleteDoes your school district use online instruction? If so, how?
Sarah, I absolutely agree that online “interaction” is often forced and far from genuine. I can’t tell you how many online courses I’ve seen with required responses that led to posting after perfunctory posting of “I agree!” and “great ideas, I liked that you said x…”
ReplyDeleteI was glad to read someone else with a fairly skeptical view of these “myths” put out by a very biased organization. You’re right that all 10 were vague and idealized. I would have appreciated the list a lot more if they’d approached it as “great online learning doesn’t have to be these things” rather than the vibe it gave of “online learning is never these things.” If we’re going to truly integrate online learning into our public education system, we need to look at it realistically, and that includes being cognizant of the pitfalls it’s easy to become trapped in if we get lazy about things.
It is also frustrating that the "myths" are debunked without any specific evidence backing their points, which is surprising for an organization that is backing the online learning trend.
DeleteYeah exactly! Not a lot of studies has been done on online learning thus far. So all these are mere "assumptions" rather than proven facts.
DeleteYes, iNACOL has quite a bias toward online learning.
DeleteI would say, however, that there's lots of research in online learning. You just have to pay attention to what is being said as well as WHO is saying/publishing it. There are many well established online learning journals, both domestic and abroad, not to mention articles in more general ed tech journals.