How Effective are Internet versus Face-to-Face courses for K-12 students?

Works Cited: Gabriel, Trip. "More Pupils Are Learning Online, Fueling Debate on Quality." The New York Times. (2011). Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Summary

     This article is about the debate over the online learning trend that is growing in schools across America. This particular story mainly involves Memphis, Tennessee City Schools.  Some online classes are now required for every student to graduate. The administration claims this is to help prepare the students for college, where online classes are common. Many of these online classes, however, are make-up courses for students that failed a regular, traditional class. One high school in Memphis, Sheffield High, was known as the “dropout factory” because their graduation rate was below 60 percent. Now with their online recovery program in place, 86 percent of their students were set to graduate.

     Critics, however, claim that online courses do not benefit the student and that the driving force behind this trend is to save the districts money. Many districts have been faced with huge budget cuts and this is a way for them to spend less on teachers and school buildings. They also point out that there is no valid research supporting online classes. Another issue is plagiarism, which is much more prevalent with online courses than in a traditional classroom setting many teachers claim.

Assess

     This article was recently written by a reporter for The New York Times. This newspaper is considered to be a reputable source. Since this article was from this past year, I would say that the information is up to date.

Reflect (article and video)

     Although online classes are convenient, I believe there is something to be said about face to face learning. So much of what we learn is not just from the teachers but from working collaboratively with other students. So many jobs today require the ability to work (well) with others, especially the education field. If students don’t get the practice in a classroom setting, it definitely will be an area they may struggle with for years to come. Online classes also require much more self discipline and responsibility than the traditional classroom and some students are not ready for that.

     With that being said, there is one point that I do agree with Susan Patrick on. I do believe that with online learning there is the opportunity to reach more students and possibly give more of them an equal chance at a quality education.   

Works Cited: 
Susan Patrick.  "Why Online Learning Is a Smart Solution" http://www.edutopia.org/stw-online-learning-making-the-case-video.  Produced by Ken Ellis.  Copyright 2010: The George Lucas Educational Foundation.    Published on http://youtu.be/ftG6HfCJAko, License: Standard You Tube License.

Summary

     This video shows Susan Patrick, who is the president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, promoting virtual education.  She claims that the United States spends more money on education than any other country except Switzerland. With that being said however, it is important to recognize that with all that money being spent, not all children are receiving a fair public education. Because of where children live, many do not get the same educational opportunities. Although she says that online learning won’t fix all the problems with education, she feels there is an opportunity to reach more children. 

     She claims that many teachers are drawn to teaching online courses because it offers them a variety of professional opportunities such as teaching part time, more flexibility and having more individualized time with students. She also states that when students take online courses, they are given the chance to become more responsible and self directed. Online learning requires a lot more self discipline but also offers more flexibility. Students are more in charge of their learning and can make more choices in how to spend their time doing school work.

Assess

     Susan Patrick definitely has the expertise to be writing on this subject and because she has so much experience in the educational field, I would consider this information to be accurate. She worked for many years as the director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. She has also published numerous educational articles and appeared on a variety of news shows such as CNN and National Public Radio (NPR). This video was released about a year and a half ago so it is relatively current.

   
 - Liz