"My Teacher is an App" is a wonderful article written by Stephanie Banchero and Stephanie Simon. This article appeared in the Wall Street Journal a week or so ago. There are plenty of interesting facts you can choose from this article but the one that really stood out to me is "Nationwide, an estimated 250,000 students are enrolled in full-time virtual schools, up 40% in the last three years." That quote is awesome and alarming at the same time.
I'm going to the University of South Alabama to get my degree in Physical Education. I plan on also getting certified to teach Health and Drivers Ed, too. But like all the teachers before me, My generation of teachers faces a serious dilemma. We group learning how to use computers and now that we are in college, it's becoming a key ingredient in how our Universities operate. We use them everyday for our personal lives, but at the same time, we were the last "generation" to have that "public school experience" that everyone else before us has had. As a coach, I don't want the next superstar player to never have a chance to showcase his skills because his mom didn't want him in public school and chose online learning instead. One thing no one is touching on so far is how sports are affected by all of this. I hope that if I'm fortunate enough to get a job coaching high school football/baseball that I'll have a better chance at some job security than that of a regular teacher, but I'm starting to get off topic.
I'm in-different on all of this. As a student, I LOVE online classes and online learning. It's getting to a point now where it actually works and I know it's only going to get better in the future. However, and this is a huge however, as a former student and future teacher, I'm scared to death. Scared student's won't get to have many of the great memories and times that public school brings. Forming bonds and lifetime friendships, connecting with your favorite teachers, competing in sports, etc. And from a teaching perspective, My parents and I, aren't forking out all this money, only for me to be replaced by an online teacher only. Everything I've done to this point career wise, could potentially all be for nothing.
That brings me to my last point which is, I think the answer to all of this is a mix of things and choice. Online schooling isn't going to go away just like technology isn't going anywhere. There needs to be physical interaction with other students. There needs to be that big football game on Friday night with a pep rally at the end of day. There's so much public school offers that so many kids might miss out on. At the same time, public school needs to get with it and show that it can offer both physical instruction with a solid online counterpart, while maintaining that school pride, clubs, sporting events, community feel, that almost all of us got to be a part of. Hopefully it will all work out in the end and future teacher's and student's alike will both benefit.
Hello Jonathan!!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post. There are a few errors that need correcting, but overall the point was made clear. I think going to school online is convent in many ways, but I will never want to give up that one-on-one personal contact with others. See a teacher every now and then is a must for me. I like to ask questions and like to see facial responses. Also a social life is important as well when attending school.
I think a mix of online and physical classrooms is your way of not offending either side- it's a safe answer to choose. It seems you really like online classes, though, because they work well with your learning. If it were up to me, I would not choose a fully virtual school. Then again, perhaps the safe answer in this case is the best answer.
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