Online Education: Traditional Learning’s Legitimate Offspring When the idea of online education is discussed it can be thought of as a lesser means of education. This may be because it is thought to be a new unestablished course of learning, does not offer benefits equal to traditional classroom learning or even seen as a lesser form of education. These ideas could not be further from reality. One of the ideas that persuade some to think that online education is not as valuable as traditional education is the belief that online education is a new idea. The truth is distance learning, which is the foundation online education is built on, has been around for ages. As far back as the mid 1900s students learned outside of the classroom via radio. Televised courses were offered in 1953. More innovation was made in the 1960s with interactive teaching programs and by the mid 1980s networked learning systems were being investigated. “In 1989 Lancaster University, in Great Britain, launched a master’s degree program taught online” (Gale, 2010, para. 3). So there is a long established history behind online education, one that has proven to be as beneficial as that of traditional classroom learning. When the benefits of traditional and online education are compared it can be seen that online education offers some benefits traditional education can’t. Online education can often fit the needs of the student easier than a traditional classroom education can. Online classes can more easily accommodate a student’s schedule by not requiring them to be at a certain place at a designated time. The ability to partake in class on their own schedule allows students that have work, family, or other commitments to take classes that they ... ... middle of paper ... ...id better, on average, than students who took the same courses in the traditional classroom. Moreover, students who took "blended courses" that combined elements of online learning and classroom instruction performed best of all” (Gale, 2010, para 13). With this in mind it could be said that online classes are not only an equal to traditional classroom learning but perhaps even the future of education. References Pofelt, E (2011, June). Making a Digital Degree Pay Off. Money, p 32. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Web Gale (2010). Online Education. Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Retrieved from Opposing Views in Context Web. Coleman, J (2007). My Professor: He Teaches 3,200 Students Intro to Psych at McMaster, Using Some New Technology and Avoiding the Lecture Hall. Is This the Future? Maclean’s. p 56. Retrieved from Opposing Views in Context Web
In “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop, the narrator attempts to understand the relationship between humans and nature and finds herself concluding that they are intertwined due to humans’ underlying need to take away from nature, whether through the act of poetic imagination or through the exploitation and contamination of nature. Bishop’s view of nature changes from one where it is an unknown, mysterious, and fearful presence that is antagonistic, to one that characterizes nature as being resilient when faced against harm and often victimized by people. Mary Oliver’s poem also titled “The Fish” offers a response to Bishop’s idea that people are harming nature, by providing another reason as to why people are harming nature, which is due to how people are unable to view nature as something that exists and goes beyond the purpose of serving human needs and offers a different interpretation of the relationship between man and nature. Oliver believes that nature serves as subsidence for humans, both physically and spiritually. Unlike Bishop who finds peace through understanding her role in nature’s plight and acceptance at the merging between the natural and human worlds, Oliver finds that through the literal act of consuming nature can she obtain a form of empowerment that allows her to become one with nature.
Although the Internet has increased how much we read, it has deteriorated our concentration level. We are no longer able to read long passages and stay interested. We have resorted to skimming or finding a shorter version. It has also affected our ability to take an analytical approach to what we read. We no longer go beyond comprehending the information we take in. Outside of using the Internet to “enhance” our mind, Carr has also made the point that it is a daily involvement. We incorporate it in our everyday lives, because it is a source of entertainment or serves as some type of convenience for us.
In his article, “Can You Be Education from a Distance?”, James Barszcz effectively weighs the pros and cons of online education compared to the traditional method, while effectively supporting his position with factual information and statistics. While distance education proves to be convenient for students, Barszcz asserts that it eliminates valuable experiences necessary in order to get the most out of the material being learned.
In the world of education, modern society and technology have revamped our ideas of what might be considered a traditional way of gaining education. Face-to-face courses and online courses are both similar and different in relation to the content of courses, student-professor and peer relationships, class participation/interaction and effective methods of both teaching and learning. Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This still is, and always will be an accurate statement because it does not matter how your education is obtained; in the end, knowledge is power.
Online courses require self-motivation and discipline in order to be successful. The true benefits of online courses are that you have the flexibility to work them in your life schedule and can take them at your own pace within reason. Therefore from my personal experience I highly support online learning over brick and mortar traditional learning. When I started taking online classes it was because I could not fit a fulltime class load into my fulltime working schedule. It is the convenience of online cl...
Caruso, C. (2008). Bringing Online Learning to Life. Educational Leadership, 65(8) 70. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
What are the dissimilarities between traditional classes and online classes? Innumerable people might recall this debate in their head. Although traditional education and online education have the same goal, they are still divergent. Traditional education requires the student’s presence in class, unlike the online classes that is defined as an education process between instructors and their students in independent locating. Most of the students choose to sign up for online classes because of its flexibility. The majority considering taking regular classes in universities is more than the one taking online classes for many reasons. The main differences between traditional classes and online classes are interaction between students and instructors, the equipment that are used, the cost, and the flexibility for both instructors and peers.
Friedman, Hershey H., and Linda Weiser Friedman. "Crises in Education: Online Learning as a Solution." Creative Education 2.3 (2011): 156-63. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 25 Apr. 2012.
There are also many conveniences and benefits to taking an online class over a traditional, face-to-face class. Many students benefit logistically, financially, and from the course structure itself. Online classes provide the student with more opportunities to be successful in their coursework. Online courses can be completed based on the student's own schedule, provide for faster and less nervous interactions with instructors, and in many cases, are more educationally beneficial setting alternatives to traditional, face-to-face classes. In fact, Sixty-seven percent of academic professionals evaluated online courses as equivalent to as or better than face-to-face courses (Lytle).
Online education is a booming trend in the education world. It is something different than the traditional classroom. It is allowing student around the world the opportunity to get an education. Online education allows student to have a more proficient and cheaper way of learning. Having multiple ways to give a student an education allows all learning types to find their own way of learning. Education changes lives but it can be difficult for students to get to a classroom to sit through an hour class 4 times a week, this can be for many different reasons. There are many doubts about online education, but this a new world without borders it is a new opportunity for people from all over the world to get an education.
Some students within society need to have online learning to complete college degrees due to their lifestyles. While it is good to have online learning as an option if one chooses, it should not be the only option available to some students. Some may argue that online education is not creating discrimination within the educational environment. Furthermore, some may suggest that online learning is benefiting our students in society. There has been a breakthrough in time and geographical limitations of education via online courses (Ho, 2009).
Today’s generation is like no other. The nation as a whole has completely evolved from past times, with technology being one of the greatest improvements. Traditionally, schooling takes place in a classroom setting, but, with the many modifications in our world’s system, we are able to assimilate more modern means of education, such as online learning. However, with many changes comes differences and requires adjustments. The online learning system has proven to be just as effective as traditional learning, with some minor differences, however, nothing of great significance. A few of those insignificant differences include online learning being convenient, especially for the non-traditional students,
When students are deciding on where to go to college, they have the option of choosing between online classes and the traditional classroom classes. Today, some students are finding it much easier to maintain a job, family and start a college career, all by taking online classes. Although some students still prefer to stick with the traditional classroom classes, they still have the option to take online classes. Both online and the traditional classes will provide the educational requirements needed to obtain a college degree and opportunities in the work field. Although the online classes offer just as much as the traditional classes, they are completely different when it comes to teaching methods, course material and time.
Many people think online education can be more expensive than a traditional school setting. Previous generations did not have the option for online learning experience, so why should we start now? An interesting point about online education is that LeBaron (2010) states, “The largest school in the U.S. is the University of Phoenix Online, with a whopping 380,232 students. That’s over 5x more than the largest public school, Arizona State University, which has 68,064 students” (para. 7). Despite the cost effectiveness, distance education is becoming the educational model of the future.
For a while now, a certain method of teaching has become popular in many colleges across the nation: online education. Online education is learning with the assistance of the Internet and a personal computer in place of attending a classroom with other students. Many online classes offer students the opportunity to learn while not having to leave the comfort of their home. Colleges in America are offering more and more courses online as an alternative to the traditional way of learning in a classroom. However, many disagree with the notion of providing online classes to students.