With the increasing demands placed on our education system and teachers, some argue that it just does not make sense to continue on with the traditional classroom experience (e.g. 30 students in a classroom with one teacher imparting knowledge from a standardized curriculum). After listening to a lecture by Terry M. Moe and John E. Chubb, the authors of Liberating Learning: Technology, Politics, and the Future of American Education, I learned how online education provides a solution to better educate the masses and the growing demands placed upon the educational system. Technology affords students with an opportunity to learn in many new interactive ways that are better suited for learning, and some might argue in a more effective way. Computers allow for students to learn in a process where they can apply their knowledge and participate with online software programs individually tailored to each student’s level of learning. And while there will still be a need for teachers in the future, computers will replace the transmission of knowledge that up to now were mainly transmitted by teachers. Terry Moe and John Chubb call this “liberated learning”, where technology has a huge transformative effect on learning and the politics surrounding the education system.
I think it is interesting to hear from yet another person that the future of education will be based on more informal, collaborative, and participatory learning. While it is still difficult for me to envision a completely virtual school, I do know that technology will soon replace much of what teachers now do in the classroom.
Learn more about Florida Virtual School, an online school with coursework from students K-12.
I guess virtual school is just an extension/expansion of webcasts and a twist off of home-schooling. Lots of public universities now have webcasts since there are too many students who enroll in one course. They're also handy because students can look back on the lecture during their own time, or if they forgot some information.
ReplyDeleteAs for home-schooling, traditionally it has been taught in a tight environment face-to-face. But virtual schools are just like home schooling with more students. It is also very similar to online classes, except there may be realtime contact with professors and other students. Of course, virtual schools would mean that all students need webcams, but most computers have that ability now. I think has the technology age progresses, it's definitely a possibility such schools exist. After all, there are already several online universities that allow solely online learning to obtain professional degrees. However, one important thing to remember is that virtual schools take away a lot of the socializing aspect of non-virtual schools.