Idaho’s education superintendent wants to mandate a number of online courses for all high school students in the state. Resistance to the idea has propelled his proposal into a national story.
This is from a letter to the editor of an Idaho newspaper, about introducing online high schools:
I had a very positive high school experience, because I had excellent teachers who inspired me to love subjects. I remember fondly government classes with Mr. Schiess and Mrs. Wolf, art with Mrs. Burgie, English with Mr. Wakefield. These teachers made a difference in my life.
How do you get that online? No interaction with the teacher, no discussions in class, no new friends from group assignments. As far as education goes, getting high quality teachers is far, far, far more important than getting fancy computers to take online classes on.
Please, Mr. Luna, don’t take away the humanity of education.
Pat Bollar, a teacher in Minidoka County, said that in her career, she has seen “self-interested institutions” develop programs, all touting claims of enhanced learning.
“As these innovations come and go, my years have taught me that some things remain the same,” Bollar said, dubbing education as “a direct contact with teachers and students in the classrooms.”
January 29th, 2011 at 10:33AM
My guess is that it’s lower costs, not enhanced learning.
January 29th, 2011 at 1:45PM
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January 29th, 2011 at 10:27PM
Oh gosh, I so remember my school days, long summer days and warm winter pipes with Peter, Janet, Jack, Barbara, Pam, Colin, George and good old Scamper the dog.
However, the reason online works, is because kids develop far greater schemas to learn well with technology – from game-designers like Scott Rogers than they currently do from teachers, who remain un-concerned about anything more than jam sandwiches and lashings of butter.
Online, like all teaching can be excellent or dire – the problem is that we pander to the sensibilities of the last generation rather than consider the next.
Hurrah!
January 31st, 2011 at 9:02AM
I just finished an on-line session that I used to make-up a class that was cancelled due to snow. It took some planning on my part, but on the whole, I believe that it worked well. I agree with Dean Groom’s sentiment. It is clear to me from the past two times I have done this, that the students relish the process of the on-line learning. Knee-jerk rejection of this, such as that implied in Ms. UD’s post really are not well-thought out.
Let me be clear, however, that on-line learning works well for some things, but also cannot supplant person to person learning. They should, however, be seen as complements.