I am a strong advocate for online learning, and just like anything it has pros and cons. I believe the pros greatly outweigh the cons. For me, I became pretty sick this semester and due to attendance policies and the necessity to come to school to take my tests I fell behind. With online classes I would have been able to keep up with everything at my house. Also, I would not risk getting my classmates sick if they can only see my through a computer screen. Another benefit is the fact that college students are totally swarmed with so many problems and tasks that some days we cannot complete that homework assignment on time. For an online class we would be able to work as quickly or as slowly as needed. Also, commuting would be obsolete and that would save me tons of money in gas because I drive 30 minutes one way to school, and that also requires me to wake up earlier than students who live on campus.
Some of the negative aspects would be the personal interactions. I feel one of the main problems with modern technology is the encouragement for less and less face time as possible. I hate the fact that text messaging is replacing normal conversation. An online classroom would amplify the isolation because going to class is sometimes the only personal time that some people participate in.
1 comment:
I think one possible danger with online learning is something you pick up on in "negative aspects" but would benefit from being drawn out. There is still a role for the accidental and the non-utilitarian even in something as goal-orientated as education. This raises the question, should we think of education in terms of it being an activity? According to this, there is then such a thing as "wasted time", which is a bit 'spirit of capitalism' for me. If education is thought of in terms of a place, then there is a place for both accident and purpose.
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