As A Student
In reading Anderson’s discussions regarding the different facets of online learning, the part where i felt the most identification with was with the knowledge-centered section. Throughout my MET program, the assessment of final MET papers are a very integral part of the online course. The need to find your own voice among the many out there and articulate it within a paper is a very valuable skill needed in graduate studies. The amount of knowledge we need to demonstrate we know is reflected in the amount and quality of resources we have consulted. The most challenging obstacle I found when I got to this part of the course was the question of where to begin. As Anderson mentions, the amount of resources available to students can be very overwhelming. A glance at a scholarly article, even just Anderson’s shows multiple pages of resources and works consulted.
As a student who is not familiar with the scholars and as Anderson notes the “worldview” of this field, it can be very intimidating to find the knowledge one needs to complete the assigned task (2008). The web’s abundance of knowledge can very difficult to navigate through and the accessibility of the knowledge (full-text of not) can determine what knowledge gets consulted and used in a student’s paper. As a student, I found it the most helpful when in a MET course, the teacher would assign a topic but also assign selected readings with it. From there, a student could get a grasp of the scholarly attitudes toward the topic, but also gave a place to begin finding research on their own. The instructor’s guidance helped me to find my place in the discourse of educational technology by providing some basic foundations for me to work from reagarding the knowledge I had to attain and master.
On-line Couress
When the question prompted me to consider which online courses achieved a learning environment that encapsulated what Anderson discussed, it was very challenging. It was challenging because I noticed there was not the one course that achieved this learning environment but it was rather a program. There is no one MET course where I felt the balance between all those different attributes were met, but rather it was met through my experience in the program of MET. Online learning should not just be about isolated courses, but it should be a program. At the end of the program, the student will have experienced the different interactions Anderson discusses. Rather than just trying to fit everything into one course, educators and learners alike should think about the big picture. The interactions between teacher, content, learner, community and knowledge is much more easily balanced and more significant for the learners.
Therefore as a teacher and considering Prensky’s thoughts on how students learn the skills they learn and Anderson’s discussions on interactions between the teacher, content, assessment, community, learner and another teacher, I have realized the importance of education as a program. Rather than seeing my students as only belonging to one teacher and one course, one must think in terms of the program they are being enrolled in. Learning should not be isolated into one grade, but it should be seen as building upon each grade. The learning skills in Grade 1 are the same learning skills in Grade 12. The learning experiences and interactions do not just belong to one course, but rather to the many courses they will take in their program. It is vital as a a teacher to perceive education as a whole and to see their students not just as their students but as the students of other teachers as well. Interact with other teachers to see what skills and interactions they are creating in their classrooms using technology, so one can create a balanced program.
Conclusion
When discussing about online learning it should not be just about one course, but it should be about a program The holistic sense of education should be considered when we discuss interactions rather than just focusing on how just one course can meet all those components Anderson discusses.
References
Anderson, T. (2008). Towards a Theory of Online Learning. In: Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Athabasca University.
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