My Area of Interest

The value of an open mind depends on what comes in and makes itself at home.
Anonymous

     I am very interested in the ways that technology use is changing educational settings. I believe that online education is the catalyst for a major change in the way people acquire an education.

    In our rural high school, for example, distance education is our only link to Advanced Placement, fine arts, complex science, or foreign language courses. Students who want to be well prepared for college want and need these more advanced or diverse classes. Distance and staff certification are no longer deterrents to these students.

    With the State Department of Education's emphasis on "school to work," career exploration, and business involvement, courses offered solely by traditional methods become less desirable. The student is learning life and job skills while at work, not exclusively in the classroom. Scheduling must take into account work hours, transportation issues, and priorities to gain experience. Technology offers an avenue for education that makes it more flexible.

    I envision a future in which students are not confined to the expertise of community teachers, but seek instruction from those outside their physical environments. High school students may access a French class from France, a chemistry class from China, a dance class from Denmark. They may watch and be watched simultaneously as they learn and demonstrate learning, all in their own homes. They will be allowed freedom to build their own educational plans and be encouraged to think critically about how best to accomplish them. The virtual classroom will include students who learn from other students, the subject matter supplemented by cultural and geographical factors.

    Students will learn to pace themselves in coursework, deciding their own timelines. Those motivated to meet the requirements of a diploma will be limited only by their own capacity, not by the pace of other students or the 180 day curriculum. Children of families who relocate will no longer "start over" at new schools, but will have the continuity of online classrooms. "Going off to college" may not involve a change of residence.

    To me, this idea is exciting and rich with possibility. No, I do not think it is for everyone, but it will better fit the needs of an evolving student population. It will free some teachers to teach more creatively. It will make the world one learning community, with no boundaries of geography or scheduling. It will open doors to what we have only dreamed of in the past.