Chapter 9
Chapter 9 is all about the transition to school 2.0. I was recently at work at Buffalo Wild Wings where it isn’t uncommon for teachers from the Ohio Virtual Academy to come in to eat and work for the afternoon. I was able to talk to them briefly and and observe their “classroom” (the conference room) and have a little discussion with them about their feelings. Without going into details they basically said they enjoyed the freedom it allowed it but currently at the teacher level their workload is very high with the school being in high demand but not enough teachers. My feelings about all of this information and what the book proposes as the future of education seems to be that the current system is very mixed.
It seems to me like the ability to switch to a internet classroom is there and that there are people willing to take part in it but at the same time are we preparing our teachers to be online teachers who follow another person’s teaching materials like we heard about in class? Will future teachers present web classes and lessons as apposed to being observed in real classrooms? I have my own reservations about making this technological age we live already into the only way we live beginning with first grade. Turning the one institution that requires face to face communication and life skills into something that can be done without leaving bedrooms I think won’t have positive benefits long term.
I think of changing school into a totally online and non face to face meeting place like a future sci-fi movie. Kids will stay in little pod rooms and learn and play video games and interaction with others will be done entirely via video conferencing. It seems a little far-fetched but I don’t think its unrealistic to think that its possible further down the road as trends in education change.
10:35 pm - 11-22-2010
You make a lot of good points here, Michael. It’s interesting that you interacted with the teachers from the OVA and they confirmed what we expected. In general, facilitated online learning is a lot of work. Yes, I do worry about the future of this online education. I agree with your statement “Turning the one institution that requires face to face communication and life skills into something that can be done without leaving bedrooms I think won’t have positive benefits long term.