The standards for the English language arts as referenced
in Richardson’s book has the purpose to ensure “all students must have the
opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue
life’s goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of
society” (2010, p. 41). The 12 standards
related to this overall standard are very measurable but can be subjective to
the assessor; the results may also be influenced by the learner characteristics
such as culture and language.
The obvious and main difference between traditional face-to-face
formal classroom learning and online learning is the different forms of
interaction. Social learning takes on more of a distance, visual, and textual
form rather than the face-to-face interaction that builds and validates many of
the required standards. To overcome this perceived disadvantage in the online
environment course designers and instructors must find creative ways to deliver
information, aid the constructivism style of learning with social interaction,
and measure the results. The shift to online learning is very appealing for convenience
and financial reasons for both parties but the goal of learning should not be
lost.
References
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and
Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. (Third, Ed.) San Bernardino,
California, United States: Corwin.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteYou make some excellent points. I agree that the main difference between traditional and online learning is the finding a way to recreate the synergy of collaborative learning. While traditional face-to-face learning almost automatically provides for this aspect, online curriculum must be developed to ensure that this collaboration is included and conducted. I think that as this new paradigm of collaboration is accepted online learning will become more mainstream.
I still feel that part of the acceptance is that the “old guard” of education sees this as an easier route to a degree than they had to do. Until they actually complete some online learning they will never accept the new way of learning. However, today’s younger students already thrive in a distant digital world. Therefore, this is not necessarily a transition to a new way of learning but more of an extension of what they already do on their own.
Nice work,
Roy
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more on your last statement.We definitely don't want learning to be lost simply because of convenience and financial reasons of online learning. Which we know money does play a big roll in everything we do. Great job on your blog!