Are barriers broken when a student steps from the traditional classroom into the virtual classroom? I think yes…and then I also think no. I think the answer to this question depends greatly on the student. Some students quite honestly are not comfortable in public situations or are too shy to communicate or speak out in class. I think these students could greatly benefit from an online course, because they may not be afraid to post, blog, or speak out on a discussion board if they can’t see the direct reactions from their fellow classmates. One particular student of mine comes to mind. He is bright and gifted student in Spanish, but he is so shy at the same time. When he writes pieces for me they are incredible, but he never volunteers to speak out. I bet he would love an online course and would thrive in it as well. Other students flourish with face-to-face interaction, which I suppose could be achieved in an online course through video conferencing and synchronous learning whether in a blended class or a virtual class.
I do feel that an online course has a way of leveling the playing field in format alone. When I look around and see teachers that are older (and naturally oh so wiser) than me or see someone carrying themselves in a negative way (body language, etc), I am sometimes intimidated or put off. I can appreciate the way that an online course takes physical attributes out of the equation in the same way that many students would appreciate it.
Then the outgoing student comes to mind. What about the student that thrives on face-to-face interaction? How could they be properly served by a virtual classroom? I can see a blended course working better for this type of student. Again, another student comes to mind. He is so motivated by direct interaction (and nothing else so it seems) that I would imagine that he would struggle in a virtual classroom. This is why I think that the student is such an important component in this equation. I hope to learn ways to create sufficient engagement for this type of learner via e-learning.
On a side note, my opinion is really changing towards online courses just by learning the little that I have learned thus far. My bad college experience with an online course really left a negative impression on me. I have every hope that this negative view will lift through the course of this class, and I already see signs that it will.
I appreciate that you focused on the students and the social aspects of online learning. I completely agree that online learning can help shy students feel more comfortable to express their thoughts. But, I also wonder if these shy students would use online learning as a crutch. Does online learning result in a lack of the development of social & face-to-face communication skills?
ReplyDeleteYou know, Megan, that's a really good question. To me it seems that it definitely could hinder the development of social skills which are very important as well. I can completely see both sides to this. On one side the student would maybe receive a better more effective education because he/she could communicate in a way that is more comfortable, allowing for him/her to open up and gain more from the course. On the other hand, this same student could have social face-to-face anxiety that could hinder him/her later in life. I guess I don't know the answer to this, but it is very interesting. Good question!
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