Some believe that online and virtual learning is an improvement in education and with some more work on school technology, such as infrastructure, additional IP access in classrooms and more laptop computers, more students will be afforded the opportunity to learn in these environments. Certified teachers will convert their classrooms into a blended classroom with face-to-face and virtual learning experiences. Do some research and decide for yourself whether there is a future for virtual classrooms. Post a blog, discuss your thoughts and provide a useful website to support your contentions.
30 Comments
4/2/2013 05:58:10 am
Again this topic leads me to the dicussion of balancing these progressive techniques to traditional techniques in the classroom. I do believe that eventually we will have to convert to virtual learning classrooms. The way technology is growing and becoming a part of every single aspect of our lives we will have no choice. I think certifing teachers and exposing our students to the world and different learning experieces can be nothing but poisitive as long as there is a good balance so that they are getting the best educational experience and opportunities possible.
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Colie Trawick
4/2/2013 06:01:22 am
Forgot the website
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Wendy Walker
4/3/2013 05:19:13 am
I agree. Students need to be exposed to more technology, and advanced technology at that. That is simply the society we live in. I think students should have more ways to find information and be exposed to more cultures and world information. Having a virtual classroom from a professor in France or Japan would increase student awareness, instead of simply reading about it.
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Dane Frazier
4/5/2013 02:12:27 am
I also agree that students should be exposed to much more technology as that is the way of the future without this exposure we are preparing our future students for failure.
Mary McGee
4/10/2013 04:22:06 am
I also love the cultural growth our students can experience. Think of all of our visual learners who could find so much growth!
Wendy Walker
4/3/2013 05:14:20 am
I think it is very possible and sould be used. Think of students who are home-schooled or those who live in rural areas. To be able to get instruction from certified teachers or college professors in specific topics would greatly improve their understanding of subject matter. As long as students have to learn the material and demonstrate their knowledge, besides the traditional taking of an online test with all resources at your fingertips to simply look up the answer, with essays and projects.
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Wendy Walker
4/3/2013 05:15:43 am
I forgot my website also!
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Laurel Thornton
4/3/2013 10:27:03 am
I agree with a lot of what you say. However, I do feel that there is a lot lost when students go to class on a computer. They lack the networking opportunities that they would find in a regular classroom as well as the support of fellow students. But if a student can get a good education in a virtual classroom and it fits better with thier life, then I suppose that's the most important thing.
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Crissina Kemp
4/3/2013 12:49:26 pm
I also think a lot of the social skills among students will be lost in the future if education goes online. Online education is not a bad option as long as the courses are just thrown out there and the classes and assignments are strategically planned and implemented to improve learning. It seems that some of the online classes are all have the same formats to follow, just in a different subject area which doesn't stimulate the engagement and learning of students if they are just going through the motions. It will require teachers to be more creative deliberate in planning their courses.
Troy Holbrook
4/4/2013 02:02:55 am
Teacher to student contact is more important than most people think when engaged in effective instruction. An experienced educator can read the body language of a student, or students, in the classroom setting during instruction and determine whether or not the students are having issues understanding, or ar apathetic toward the instruction. This advantage obviously is absent with online instruction.
Caleb Haynes
4/4/2013 11:32:36 am
I agree with your fact the students will lose out on networking with others and just being around other people. I can tell our society today is alot more comfortable discussing things over text, email, or through technology than in person, which I feel is not always a great thing because students need to learn social skills and how to talk to people face to face.
Zech Bowman
4/4/2013 11:56:12 am
I agree with you on how there seems like there is a lot lost when students go to class on a computer. I enjoy having online classes and learning in a virtual classroom does make life more easy, but I do miss the interaction with an instructor and classmates. Just something different about having that face to face time.
Armegis Spearman
5/4/2013 04:42:28 am
I agree that there is a gap being built between kids that can interact and learn true networking skills. Some call it a bit old fashioned but I still believe in communicating face to face and not via the internet or a text. I just think the old should be intergrated with the new in some cases..
Melissa Lovette
4/3/2013 11:36:24 am
Yes, a program like this would be a great asset for those who are home schooled. They could still get interaction through the online chats with both the instructor and other students. This is another way to gain information.
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Crissina Kemp
4/3/2013 12:45:34 pm
You made a very good point about home-schooled children being able to access and receive an education from certified teachers online. I hadn't thought of that aspect. The difficult thing with online learning is whether the students are completing and learning the material themselves. Working with college students, I have heard of many incidents when students have someone else to the work or tests for them by other people who have already taken the course or are better at a subject such as math. The difficult thing would be proving the student in the class is actually doing the work, and if not, it is only going to hurt them in the future as they try to progress and graduate. If the education system went to more online in the future, certified teachers will still be needed and may even have the possibility and flexibility of working from home which would be a great benefit.
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Laurel Thornton
4/3/2013 10:24:18 am
http://www.braintrack.com/online-colleges/articles/vlearning-is-the-future-of-online-education-a-3d-virtual-classroom
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Colie Trawick
4/4/2013 12:49:04 am
I agree with you, virtual classrooms take away for our humane experience...you can't get vibes on people if you never see them face to face or hear how they speak. It will make it a lot harder to Network with people within your classrooms. You will never be able to put a face to a name.
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Armegis Spearman
5/4/2013 04:46:58 am
I also agree that the convenience is a major plus for us all that are busy doing other things with our different career paths. There is also the fact that some people go to college today and never interact with another person, I could not imagine my life and the type of communication skills that I would not have, if I didn't get a traditional education at some point in my life. I think it is very important that we learn balance in this process.
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4/3/2013 11:29:05 am
http://www.iadl.org.uk/Article13.htm
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Troy Holbrook
4/4/2013 03:35:22 am
Most students that I have spoken with agree that online classes are very challenging and it is usally for two reasons; number one is because they are not face to face with a teacher to receive immediate feedback, and number two, because theu do not have the discipline required to get the work finished in a timely manner. I believe this a big enough of a problem for college students, I cannot imagine how these two issues would impact a younger more immature group of students, e.g. middle school.
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Heather Carlton
4/4/2013 04:21:26 am
If classrooms eventually do start becoming more virtual, teachers are going to need extensive training. A teaching degree will be completely different than it used to be!
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Crissina Kemp
4/3/2013 12:39:07 pm
I read information, "Effectiveness of Online Learning" at the link below.
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Cassandra Nappier
4/4/2013 04:03:53 pm
Do you think that more thoughtful, purposeful, and intentional instruction can be conveyed through online learning because the demand on the professor is not as high as when in a face-to-face classroom environment? In a classroom a teacher is presented with a question mirroring a student who wants an answer right then. With online classes a teacher has the opportunity to devise a more in-depth answer. Would you agree?
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Cassandra Nappier
4/3/2013 04:01:10 pm
The Virtual Classroom Redefines Education
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Heather Carlton
4/4/2013 04:13:32 am
My article: http://nhpr.org/post/manchester-businesses-fund-virtual-classrooms
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Cassandra Nappier
4/4/2013 04:10:18 pm
Just curious, did you friend easily grasp on to the concept of lecture via Skype?
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4/4/2013 11:30:11 am
I definitely feel that virrtual classrooms definitely have a role in our society and in my opinion they are a positve for students. Students would learn so much more about using technology and technology is what drives our world today. Virtual classrooms also give students certain skills involved in discussions and being able to watch various lectures. The only problem with virtual classrooms in my opinion is that students will not get the experience of actually being taught in person and being around other people. I feel like this part of learning is also essential for students.
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Zech Bowman
4/7/2013 09:16:28 pm
More and more we are starting to see virtual classrooms take more of a role in society. Colleges are going to it more because it is less expensive to do a virtual classroom rather than use a real one. I believe in a way that this does force some students to get more involved in a discussion because no one can place a face to who is saying what all the time. But I believe it loses value in the lack of face to face time and interaction which I believe is a vital part as well.
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Mary McGee
4/8/2013 03:30:31 am
http://www.tmcnet.com/call-center/0608/insiders-report01_0608.htm
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Armegis Spearman
5/4/2013 04:39:00 am
http://www.neamb.com/professional-resources/benefits-of-interactive-whiteboards.htm
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Student BlogThis blog is for class conversations for ED 514 at Central Methodist University. These post are by the students of ED 514. We invite input form other teachers about how they use technology in their classrooms. Archives
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