When you say brick and mortar you typically think of traditional instruction. When I think of it I think of the one room school like back in the day you read and then take a test. The most traditional type of classroom. Even as a kid who grew up in times of technology most of my classrooms were the traditional brick and mortar type. As I went to high school a few classes were blended learning type but still most were brick and mortar. Now as for college that's when I really got exposed to blended/online learning environment. As a freshman in college I remember taking my first class and going exactly the speed of the class, but as I took more online classes the better I was at taking them. Meaning I knew what to expect and how to work the systems we were using.
Online courses open a whole new perspective on learning and teaching. Teaching an online course is a whole new framework of teaching. While as taking an online/blended learning class it is also a whole new framework and dynamic of learning. For me I had 12 years of traditional instruction and then to be put in an online class I didn't even know where to begin. In online/blended instruction there is so much freedom typically there are deadlines but you can complete the work at your own pace! Thats what I liked so much if I understood something I can go right to the next thing where as if you were in a traditional classroom you would have to wait for the rest of the class to understand it.
The only thing that I would run into was internet accessibility some students could connect and others would only connect when they felt like it. If teachers are requiring students to do an assignment and some students dont have internet access you have to make accommodations for them. Like allowing them to stay after school, before school, public library and making sure you are communication with those students before the assignment is even assigned to give them time to figure out when works best for them to work on assignment.
Overall I have recently read an article about online learning and it said in 2009 more than 3 million K-12 students have taken on online class. With the increase in technology I can see that number expanding so fast. But we do have to consider the student learning styles and what works best for them. Because online/blended learning doesn't work for everyone.
Internet access is a problem at our school too. We have a wide range of students, and some don't have access to internet at home. When they take their IPAD's home, they aren't able to access the proper materials for some of their assignments. This has been a problem, but we have found ways for students to get their work done in class or with a partner out of school. That was a great obstacle that I completely forgot about.
ReplyDeleteInternet acces is defiantly a problem especially in the more rural areas of Indiana. It also plays into effect of a cost thing for many families. I feel that you have to find ways for these students to get access other wise those students are going to feel left out of the technology fun!
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