http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/reports/help-pract.pdf
The above is a link to a 93 page document put out by the Department of Ed. One thing I did not see is how personal support is offered to students taking online classes.
Personally, I see the need for the online classes within districts due to teacher shortages and budgets, but (especially in foreign language classes) students may need personal assistance to answer questions as they arise. I use foreign language classes for an example because it is important to hear and use language as part of learning.
I believe that the companies that create the online curriculum should have certain standards they have to follow throughout the nation such as having pieces that require human interaction and providing for the needs of students who require more practice or more in depth discussion/explanation.
I know this posting may sound contradictory to the purpose of this blog, but I really feel that human interaction in education is important to facilitate further learning and greater understanding. Technology can do much toward a child's education, but the human element can not be denied. I believe the two can compliment each other to the students' benefit.
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3 comments:
In higher ed for accreditation purposes their needs to be a plan in place for interactive student support and services. There are a few companies out there now who run 24/7 support services that schools can contract out to.
KB
Tobie,
As Kellie pointed out there are companies that we can subsribe to that provide 24 hour support.
I also want to mention that I agree with your view that even online learning should have some standardization, in the respect that the curriculum cover the same material regardless of the school out of which the program is based.
The subject matter should be equivalent everywhere, but the teacher should have creative say so over how the material is presented and taught.
Elizabeth
I know this is a fairly new way of teaching but do you know of any research studies that have been conducted that reveal the success rate of online schooling? Its pros Vs. cons?
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