As a future teacher, I had never thought about the possibility of working online, but after learning more about it, I can see why so many consider working at an online school as a possibility. The opportunities it provides students and the benefits that it has for teachers are a huge part of why so many people are turning to online education. That being said, I think that there is a value in face to face communication and social interaction that helps students through social and cognitive development. Even if communicating through school media, students are still able to create a social self that may or may not represent their reality. Brick and mortar settings also, as DeLaina Tonks mentioned, lets teachers gauge and shift gears mid-lesson to help their students along. Considering the benefits and the things that can become problematic, I have concluded that I support alternate school or lesson styles, but online school might not be the choice for me.
The benefits of using online tools mean the students and teachers are able to be wherever they want to be while participating in education. The flexibility of hours for both means that teachers and students can take advantage of many opportunities that time might have gotten in the way with. For teachers, the lower student to teacher ratio would also be beneficial, meaning that you have time to reach each student. Using data, you can customize and add needed lessons to fill the gaps that you might see due to their performance. Even considering the presentation aspect of teaching, though live performance might be lost, you still get to use technology to present information in a unique and exciting way that has a better chance of reaching out to students. The best time-saver that online school offers is that there is no need for class management practices.
At the same time all of these things are working, there are some things that can’t quite work. Informal assessment is eliminated, making it hard to shift gears in the middle of a lesson, and though there are live conferences that take place, most lesson plans seem built. Flexibility and lack of face to face accountability might also tempt students to procrastinate, and then ignore the teacher when they try to reach out to them. You also have very little control of the conversation that happens in the forums, and have very little power to help students get back on track if things go in different directions. Most of all, though there isn’t a need for class management, that is also a weakness, meaning that students aren’t able to figure out how to navigate social environments. This is something that students need real experience with. Even if there are extra-curricular activities that they can take part in, they are missing out on the experiences that a classroom provides. They lose that classroom unity that is built through working together.
I really love the organization and the visual experiences that are provided to students when using technology, but I also really appreciate all the classroom has to offer. Though I think online school would work for some teachers, I think I would rather develop blended or flipped learning experiences into the classroom. This way, students can come knowing the material, and we can spend our time applying what we have learned and digging deeper to gain a deeper understanding. They will be able to create spaces for themselves in virtual spaces, and then be able to bring those spaces and their work into real spaces. Blended and flipped learning will let them evaluate the human experience, a literary necessity, better than online schooling.
The English Classroom 