Hi everyone: Online and blended learning are both good way for teaching college students. I think Blended learning is better than online learning. In blended learning, students may meet once a week face to face, so they can discuss things in person. Online classes are good for post-graduates and working people. They can be done at any time and don't have a specific time.
I teach middle school students and I use technology in teaching, such as Animoto and PowerPoint presentations. I think for younger students face to face is more effective, with using some technology.
I was unable to connect to the Google Hangout for the last few meetings. I had some trouble connecting to my account. I will get in contact with my group members to plan for the future task.
Thanks for the “heads-up” on Animoto! Does your school pay for a version or do you use the 5 minute free one? I can see great potential for collaboration and consolidation of learning by using it.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see that you are taking initiative to expose yourself to more technology possibilities and to keep on your learning edge concerning educational developments in light of the 21st Skills.
Certainly online courses are a tremendous help in so many situations where particular subjects or academic programs can’t be provided face to face to a student or even a group of students. But I whole-heartedly agree with you about the higher effectiveness of face to face learning for younger students. Middle-schoolers are certainly heavily dependent on and, in fact, craving social interaction with their peers. Whenever this is possible in an educational course we should accommodate them! ; ) But all of us to an extent are like that, whether we are older than those in middle school or not, and we need human interaction as well as the benefit of the others’ experiences and perspective. Another significant factor to remember is the push or incentive of accountability or the “who cares?” factor. I believe that statistics coming from online course completion strongly indicates that there is the need for a facilitator presence and is enhanced by a collegial relationship with the other participants through blogs, forums, and group projects.
Our personal learning happens or not quite dependent upon the learning environment created. We are human after all! Thankfully there is more provision for interaction being built in to online modules.
Hi Chery,
ReplyDeleteMy school doesn't pay for Animoto, but I use the free version. Thank you for your feed back. Online interaction can surely be helpful for all ages, but I think it is important to expose it to younger children to help with their development. Using technology with human help is a good balance and assures proper completion of tasks.