Technology: can't live with it, can't live without it.

In today's society one hears many different opinions about the youth of today and the use of technology.  Some teens prefer to have a conversation via text than to actually walk up to someone and speak with them.  They might find it easier because they can edit what they write or even embolden them to "say" things they would not normally "say". In the words of Voltaire "With great power comes great responsibility" and technology is exactly that, a great power that can be used for good or for twitter updates.

Distance or e-learning can revolutionize the way we teach our students.  Daphne Koller a Stanford professor and one founder of Coursera, a program whose goal is to bring a quality education to everyone by providing free college courses online from the top universities and professors in the world. Her TedTalk entitled Daphne Koller: What we are learning from online education, has data that she and her colleagues have collected from Coursera. The ultimate incentive of any distance learning program is that it can be personalized and self paced to the students needs and wants.  In my short teaching career in a “brick and mortar” setting I find it impossible to individualize the learning for every single student all of the time. With e-learning the one-on-one time with a student can be greatly increased with Skype, e-mail, phone conversations and in the case of blended online learning even office hours where students can get face to face time.   But what Dr. Koller has found in her research is that not only do these students have the teacher to help them they also have their peers.  The global reach of e-learning can open up so many opportunities for students to work with peers around the world and to help each other.  Another positive aspect about e-learning is it can be done anywhere.  I have had students over the years who because of medical or mental issues cannot come to school.  The school then tries to find a home-bound instructor for the student.  With distance learning this would not be necessary.

However, distance learning is not for everyone.  I want my mechanic to know how to physically put together an engine after I wreck my car. The fact that he could do an online simulation does not mean that he can do it in real life. Same for a doctor, online simulations do not prepare some students for the careers that they have chosen. Online learning is not the answer to all of our problems with education.  Further more this idea that anyone can have access and complete an online course is idealistic.  The prerequisites to this type of learning are that students need to have access to a computer with internet, they must have basic technical skills and even problem solving skills to use the hardware and software required, and finally they have to be SELF MOTIVATED! Those can be some monumental setbacks. There is also something to be said about learning interpersonal skills. I find that some students have a hard time being in normal social situations because they don’t feel like they know how to act or react to others.  A computer, even with video capabilities, is not going to give you practice at socialization.