The biggest surprise for me was the thought of online courses for K-12 students. Not the wholly online schools, but just the usage of online courses in standard schools. I just hadn't considered that outside of the University environment.
The next thing that stood out for me was the sharp line drawn between courses using e-learning tech to enhance courses as opposed to e-learning that replaces traditional courses. Having taken both types of courses, the different foci almost make the two types completely disconnected from each other. It almost seems that different studies for the two types would yield a better analysis.
Other than that, the most striking finding was what I (and others) probably already thought: blending the technological with the traditional seems to be the most effective paradigm. While the quality of any education would seem to be based more around design and implementation rather than choice of medium, it is heartening to see that properly utilized technology can be a great additive to an educational plan.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Netsmartz
This site seems like a strong resource for anyone not experienced with the pitfalls of the Internet.
My students are all adults, but can often be only minimally experienced in technology usage and the possible negatives involved. The 'internet safety' presentations could be highly effective in an 'Intro to Computers' class to help students start off with good (and safe) habits. I may actually recommend that the college links to this site to help all of their students.
I have quite a few students who are also parents, so the 'for parents' section would be invaluable for them. I will most likely bring it up in my next class, as several have mentioned their kids' excessive Internet usage as a concern.
My students are all adults, but can often be only minimally experienced in technology usage and the possible negatives involved. The 'internet safety' presentations could be highly effective in an 'Intro to Computers' class to help students start off with good (and safe) habits. I may actually recommend that the college links to this site to help all of their students.
I have quite a few students who are also parents, so the 'for parents' section would be invaluable for them. I will most likely bring it up in my next class, as several have mentioned their kids' excessive Internet usage as a concern.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Review: Eval of online vs. campus-based teacher prep programs
The first major surprise to me was the stated gap in effectiveness of online learning programs by subject in the Zhao, Lei, Lai, and Tan (2005) study. Distance-learning being more effective for computer science students makes sense, if only for the predictably higher level of technology competence. But the gap between subjects like business and social studies would seem to have little background technology differential.
The second surprise, and a welcome one was the extreme level of organization employed by the studied online program. Online course I've taken in the past tended to have a disjointed feel to them, as if they were cobbled together or translated poorly from a blueprint of a face-to-face class. To see such a rigid structure in the online arena fills me with ideas!
The third surprise was the way in which the demographic information was treated in the conclusion. The drastically higher percentage of older students using the online option my certainly have skewed the numbers, given the performance improvement I would expect to see from more experienced candidates. While the conclusion still seems valid, I would like to see an adjusted/normalized analysis to help reinforce the point.
The second surprise, and a welcome one was the extreme level of organization employed by the studied online program. Online course I've taken in the past tended to have a disjointed feel to them, as if they were cobbled together or translated poorly from a blueprint of a face-to-face class. To see such a rigid structure in the online arena fills me with ideas!
The third surprise was the way in which the demographic information was treated in the conclusion. The drastically higher percentage of older students using the online option my certainly have skewed the numbers, given the performance improvement I would expect to see from more experienced candidates. While the conclusion still seems valid, I would like to see an adjusted/normalized analysis to help reinforce the point.
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