Online+and+distance+learning

Brian Dean Farley.
the article i read regarding online education was very informative. although i am sure there are many different sites arguing both sides of whether or not online education is more effective than traditional classroom learning, this sites argument seemed very logical to me. the article argues in favor of online education being more beneficial in multiple ways. they proposed real statistics stating that students that have online education in subjects tend to do around 10 percent better than students learning in traditional classrooms. this is a result of many key factors that play into this system of education. some good examples of this are the fact that students can seek help from multiple people at the same time whether it be their own teachers, other teachers, or fellow students around the globe. another key point was that the internet today is now the largest data base for information about everything and students that learn online are just a mouse click away from finding the desired answers to questions, math problems, science problems, etc... apparently according to this article K-12 grade are gradually becoming more and more computer involved. with children learning at a young age that endless information is rite at their own fingertips, it makes them more apt to this style of learning thus benefiting them in the future. and not to mention the endless entertaining/educational videos tend to keep younger students attention span longer than just having a teacher lecturing them.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/online_education_more_effective_traditional_learning.php

Sarah Johnson sjohnson83wikistudent 20303623 http://www.articlealley.com/article_3464_22.html Jeff Lakie makes certain points in his article “Disadvantages of Online Education” that I think are spot on. The topic of increasingly online college is addressed and it is acknowledged that online courses or the completely online college education has advantages but it has detriments too, perhaps for the same reasons. Lakie points out that the busy lifestyle of today’s people, lack of time, jobs, family, and the like would make one take courses online to do things on their own time. However Lakie brings to light that if one doesn’t have time to devote to attending the college in the first place, finding time to still do it somewhere else is not really plausible. Also, one would realize that as brought up in the article it might be even more difficult to apply oneself because there would be no arranged times to be in class, to turn in assignments, receive help and have monitored progress. That being said, all of these things can be put off, and a different discretionary pace is set for the accomplishment of the credits and degree. Would one really take time to set these things, the schedule the motivation and such, on their own when the reason they are “colleging” on line is because of a lifestyle or circumstances that do not allow for the time? I think that this says a lot about society and higher education, that they are changing together in relation to each other. It seems that there is more and more a culture of fast paced individualized living and goals (an “individualized to my schedule and life” way of education for example). Now does this reflect on the changing shape of higher education? Is it this new culture that is changing the shape of higher education? At least in the way of online education it has, because it seems to have created this online education degree.

Loren Chaussee Wiki Post # 2 [] This article talks about the benefits of online education. It talks about how you can still do it and work, or you can be miles away from the school and still attend. These are some good things but I feel the negatives outweigh the positives. In the article there is a table that shows what things traditional classes do better and what things the online ones do better. This table from the article states that “the traditional style does five of the ten things considered essential for quality education by the National Education Association.” It also says that online education is better in only two of the ten areas and the other three areas they are considered equal. The areas in which traditional styled classes are better are, addressing all learning styles, strengthening group problem solving skills, student activity, improving verbal skills, and finally delivering better oral presentations. These five I think are pretty crucial. The two areas in which online education is better are providing access to information and providing high-quality course materials. Students who go to traditional style classes still have access to the internet, so they can find the information the online classes give. I believe that through online classes a lot of crucial things that students normally learn are lost, such as social skills, and problem solving skills. On an actual campus you are exposed to all varieties of people and you learn how to react to different situations that can come up in life. Several times in my only two years here at Chico State I have signed up for an in person class only to find that the majority of the class is online, all the lectures we learned were done online and when we showed up to class we got quizzed on it. I don’t want to learn about subjects by sitting in front of my computer, I want to be taught by a teacher in front of a class who I can ask questions and have an immediate answer.

Joshua Carvajal, wiki response 2 []  This subject is very interesting to me; I have had my share of traditional classes as well as online courses, and some classes that worked with both. On this website you will find the pros and cons of each method of learning Julie Wenzel has discovered. There seems to be more responsibilities when you attend class the traditional way. You must come prepared with all you necessary tools to be able to take notes, quizzes and exams, turn in homework, and do class work. Also you must participate travel time and fees which can become a hassle if you’re not in walking distance from campus. Many people can benefit by going to traditional classes and are able to interact with fellows classmates. Online classes are great, you can use all the resources necessary to complete any assignments and tests you’ll have, this to me relates to the real world a lot more than sitting in a classroom. You are able to save time and money traveling back in forth from classes and home and for those who have jobs are able to work with both schedules which can certainly make one’s life much easier. From my experience I’ve found online classes less stressful and more convenient to fit my life style. Its seems to me the more online classes there are they better it would be for colleges, it wouldn’t force campuses to build more class rooms for overflowing students, if campuses can have more students without having to expand in building then they would be able to save money and lower tuition.