The education system has changed drastically in
recent years due to technological advancements. Several decades ago, all college courses were in person
because we had not yet discovered the resources that allowed for online
courses. Distance learning courses
have become more and more popular with time. Because of the rise in distance learning courses, teachers
and students need to find creative ways to interact with one another, since
much of their interactions are done through the computer. This has brought about huge increase in social media in the
classroom. Social media forms have
become increasingly popular in individual’s personal lives, and this has spread
to the world of teaching.
Distance learning courses and MOOCs allow students to learn from home.
Distance learning courses have many forms. For example, some distance learning
courses are fully online and some are partially online. If the course is fully online, the teacher
has no face-to-face interaction with his/her students. There are some universities that offer normal classes, fully online classes, and partially online classes, such as the University of Maryland. In partially online courses, the students and teacher may meet once or twice a week and may have a "discussion" or another lecture that is online. There are also some schools that are fully online
which include Kaplan University, Capella
University, Strayer University, etc. For these universities, students can take all of their classes on the computer and maintain a degree at the end of the program. MOOCs, or massive open online courses are also becoming more prevalent. Massive open online courses refer to a system that delivers lectures through video, discussion boards, quizzes, and homework. These classes are offered from some of the most highly regarded post secondary education schools, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and Duke. What is unique about MOOCs is that thousands of people can register for the same class at no cost. The possibilities of classes are endless: art, biology, business, economics, education, food, mathematics, social sciences, the list goes on and on. Students are able to register for many classes at a given time.
Distance learning courses offer several advantages and disadvantages as opposed to standard education.
There are many reasons why people want to enroll in fully or partially online courses. First off, distance learning classes allow people a lot of flexibility. Since there is no set class time, students can decide when and where to do their school work. This is particularly helpful for students who have work and family obligations. Distance learning courses also require no commuting, which makes school available to a wider range of people. Not everyone has the resources to drive to class, so distance learning may be the only option. This gives another reason as to why people enroll in distance learning classes: they are cheaper. They are cheaper in terms of commuting, not having to live on campus, etc. Another advantage is that distance learning courses give people more choices for schools. For example, if you get permission to take an online class a class at another school, you can do so while taking other courses somewhere else.
Although distance learning classes
offer several advantages, there are some drawbacks. One of the issues deals with legitimacy. For courses that are taken through a
massive open online course or a fully online school, some companies still do
not see this as a valid form of education as compared to standard education
practices. Jason Farman, an expert
in distance learning courses and a professor at the University of Maryland says
in an interview, “Reputation is still a big reason why we go to the schools we
go to and even why some people get interviews and jobs.” Although it seems to be changing, as of
now, the schools with the best reputation are not fully online schools. Another issue with distance learning
classes has to deal with social interaction. Farman talks about some of these issues and how teachers and
students can try to work around them.
Social media and other technology can help teachers and students communicate with online courses.
As Farman mentioned, the emergence of social media has helped distance learning courses become more and more interactive. Social media has various forms including: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, iTunes, etc. These types of social media are now not only a part of student's personal lives, but it is often time a part of their education as well. Teachers can also engage students through the use of iPhones, iPads, and applications for these devices. There are thousands of education related applications, from flashcard apps to an app where students can submit their quizzes for a class. Farman teaches several online classes and discusses some ways that he incorporates social media into his class.
Teachers can also communicate with students through the use of online lectures. Sometimes it is difficult for students to get a full understanding of material just through a textbook, so teachers can post videos of themselves lecturing which the students can view at a convenient time. Jill Cutler, a University of Maryland senior education major talked about her experience with an online class. She says, "We would download the iTunes recording and we would have a follow-up assignment that went along with that such as a discussion board post or some sort of reflection." Although Cutler had a positive experience using social media and technology in her online class, not all students enjoy these classes. For example, freshman University of Maryland student, Erica Prestipino says, "I didn't like [my online class] because I am not tech savy and I like having teachers and other students there to help grow relationships with." Prestipino had a hard time relying solely on social media to interact with other students and the teacher. Distance learning classes are not for everyone. Farman offers some other issues with social media in the classroom.
Distance learning courses are becoming increasingly popular in today's society. With constant changes in technology and social media comes constant changes in education. There is no say as to how education will change in the future in regards to online classes and social media.
