National Tech Plan and "e-learning?"
I was reading through a blog on the national education technology plan and wanted to post an excerpt here. The national plan basically has a very vague reference to distance education (e-learning, which is a very poor choice of terminology in light of all the systems out there that proclaim themselves as 'e-learning suites." ) Here is a pretty interesting point of view."Supporting e-Learning" - Are we really thinking that e-Learning is going to provide meaningful educational experiences for kids? I take on-line grad courses in order to efficiently get through my degree. I have all of the independent learning skills necessary to manage that situation. Does your typical kid? I think there is a place for this but there is a very small percentage of kids who have the situation necessary to meaningfully learn in this way. (ie- AP Mandarin Chineese class for which one instructor exists in a 500-mile radius) Take a second to think of three of your most meaningful educational experiences. Could they have been easily encapsulated into an e-learning experience? Is the teacher stupid!
You can view the whole article here: http://edtechnot.blogspot.com/2005/10/national-ed-tech-plan-action-steps.html
posted by Dallas Becker @ 6:11 AM
1 Comments:
Additionally, students seem to prefer courses with a lower multimedia content (Terry, 2000).
I have no problem believing that. There seems to be no way to avoid the huge amount of time it takes to view multimedia content; whereas, if I were reading a huge textbook and were a good test taker, I could skim the material, read the summaries and leading sentences, listen in class most of the time, and make a good grade on the test. So, as you asked in an earlier blog, does that make those instructors stupid?
As the article in your reference stated, “Access to complex and expensive technology is a serious issue, as is adequate training and support for teacher and learner.” I believe that adequate training and support for the teacher is the key to the entire issue of when, not if, education will become totally integrated with technology.
I, too, do not believe in a “if you build it, they will come” theory. The technology used is going to have to be the “right technology” for the “right student” at the “right time”. Now that is a challenge. And you asked, “is will anyone be willing to go through the pain to use it. Most instructors are already taxed.” I doubt if all of them will. But I think that as the students of today, who expect immediate gratification for everything they do, become the teachers of tomorrow, video games and other technological wonders will become the norm in the classroom.
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