Online
Learning in K-12 Classrooms
Cyndi
Wells
EDU
545
April
2007
Online learning is most popular in higher
education, but is now becoming more prominent in K-12 classrooms. At the same
time, schools have been using some form of online education since the late 1970’s, and it has not moved as far as one
would think. As our world becomes more technologically advanced schools have
been integrating technology into their curriculum. Online learning takes it another
step by offering whole classes through the Internet, and this paper will explore the advantages and disadvantages of online
learning, how it is being implemented and some sample online classes.
What is online learning? The term is a broad one, and the National Education
Association has narrowed the focus to a course that is offered primarily online, where the teacher and student are for the
most part separated by time and place. Most online education is done via computers
through the use of email and the internet, however phones and/or videoconferencing is also utilized. The National Education Association argues that the core beliefs of online education are that it is teacher-led,
collaborative in nature, student-centered, flexible and allows for a student to work at his own pace, fosters 21st
century skills, allows for unique assessments that meet a variety of learning styles and should encompass the latest best
practices (National Education Association, 2006).
The Sloan
Consortium issued a report earlier this year which distinguishes three types of online learning. First, an online course is one where most (at least 80%) or all of the content is delivered online. A blended course blends online and face-to-face delivery, with at least 30-79% of
the content being delivered online. Finally, a web-facilitated course uses web-based
technology with up to 30% of the content being delivered online to facilitate what is essentially a face-to-face course (Picciano
and Seaman, 2007).
Online
learning has evolved over the past few decades. A study comparing online learning
between 1978-1988 and 2002-2003 shows that there are fewer types of curriculum-based online learning opportunities being incorporated
recently than two decades ago (Kearsley, 2005). The author of the study, Judi
Harris, reviewed the use of telecommunications in the 1980’s and found that before the expansiveness of the World Wide
Web, teachers and students were using online education in a more communicative manner.
For example, it was more natural to do collaborative research because there was no answer that could be “googled”,
students needed to find out solutions using each other as resources.
In order
for students to obtain the deeper meaning of online education they need to engage in more interpersonal exchanges that also
incorporate data collection and analysis and problem solving skills through a teleresearch medium. Some examples that Harris gives of deepening the use of online learning are to experience telefield trips,
create databases that could be shared electronically, to complete informational searches and peer feedback activities, to
telepublish work and to participate in keypals and global classrooms. For example,
a science class could visit a dinosaur museum through a virtual tour, classify different types of species they explored and
in small groups create a database. This database could then be shared with the
larger group and published for other students to view and learn from.
Some would
argue that online learning is not as pedagogical as face to face learning. The
Sloan Consortium found that the majority of teachers held a neutral belief that online education was as valuable as face to
face instruction and in their acceptance in the value and legitimacy of online education (Picciano and Seaman, 2007). However the Sloan Consortium also provided evidence which shows that online learning
can lead to a deeper academic reflection and meets a variety of students. By
allowing students time to process information, they are able to research, formulate opinions and generate more complex discussions,
while also extend their learning beyond the classroom.
According to an interview with Dr. Anthony G. Picciano, a professor in the Hunter College School of Education and the
College and Graduate Center of the City University of New
York, online learning meets the needs of a diverse group of learners. It makes
AP courses available to more students, saving the school money, but is also used by students who miss school and need to make
up work, homebound students, teenage mothers and 16-17 year olds who feel that they need to work. Dr. Picciano also noted that online learning was significantly useful in rural communities, allowing access
to more educational resources that they could not afford (Delisio, 2007 para. 5).
One of the most popular delivery sources
of online courses, “Blackboard”, is providing the state of Michigan
with it’s free “CareerForward” course to help students prepare for a global marketplace and career planning. Educators in Michigan, which is the first state to mandate one online class as a graduation
requirement, feels that online learning will foster lifelong learning, bring relevance to student’s education and also
prepare youth for a technology-rich world (Ackley, 2007). By using technological
resources, something that most youth do everyday in their own spare time, they are seeing the interconnectedness between what
they are doing in school and life beyond graduation.
Online learning can grab a student’s
attention. Not only is it preparing kids for a global and information-driven
economy, online learning is also able to meet a diversity of learning styles. By
allowing students to take classes online they can utilize their visual, auditory and kinesthetic skills. Students can listen to music while working; work at their own pace, allowing for processing of information
and reading lectures or assignments multiple times instead of hearing the delivery once; they can download videos and demonstrations
of dissections; and with portable laptops students can be mobile in their learning.
Examples of online learning include
the AT&T Learning Network, which is comprised of six to eight classrooms from different geographical areas working on
the same curricular topic. Another example is an environmentalist role play in
which students can take opposing viewpoints and debate the impact of forestry practices on the environment and economy. In another online learning situation, students in a fourth grade class peer reviewed
essays written by third graders, offering feedback and suggestions (Harasim, 1997).
These Online Learning Networks exemplify the integration of skills from various curricular areas.
As previously mentioned Michigan requires all students to experience online learning before graduating high school. The Michigan Virtual School’s
course, “CareerForward” takes students on a journey of personal reflection as they answer the essential questions
of what they will be doing in their life and how they define success (Michigan
Virtual University, 2006). The four to six week course, designed primarily for ninth grade students, integrates
multimedia resources for students to experience. For example, if a student wants
to learn more about a particular occupation he can download a video about an Environmental Engineer.
Access to apprenticeships and experts
in the field is one of the positive aspects of online learning. Students can
send messages to experts in the field they are studying or they can be “teleapprentices” by having ongoing communication
with a mentor (Harasim, 1997). By reading responses, reflecting on tasks and
furthering research with an online mentor, students are gaining personal feedback on a specific skill. In essence online learning allows for apprenticeships, one of the oldest teaching strategies, to become
more possible and available to all students.
Not only are K-12 students receiving
online education, teachers are also receiving professional development in an online capacity.
Teachers are participating in facilitated chats about techniques like Brain Based Instruction, are having discussions
with experts and peers and are working collaboratively with educators around the world on curricular projects (Carter, 2004). School districts are saving money, and experts are decreasing travel time by offering
videoconferencing.
What states are incorporating online
learning? As we already learned, Michigan
is the only state mandating that online learning be taken by students to fulfill a graduation requirement. In addition to that, according to a review of state level policy and practice of online learning, the Southeastern
states, California, Colorado
and South Dakota are the only other states with significant
programs in K-12 online learning. The Northeast, New Mexico and Wyoming
show no state level policy and practice, while the remaining states have a mix of state level policy and practice regarding
K-12 online education (Watson and Ryan, 2006). It can hopefully be determined
that technology educators have a market for professional opportunities to develop online education in K-12 classrooms within
this region.
The Keeping
Pace Report that was produced in 2006 also points out some unique uses of online learning.
One example is the web enhanced classroom, in which a non-certified teacher-in-training facilitates the online class
to a group of Algebra students while an expert Algebra teacher instructs the students (Watson and Ryan, 2006). However, the report, which denotes that states and the federal government are responsible for administering
the online learning opportunities in most cases, points out that currently there is no allowance for teachers of another state
to teach an online class to that state’s students. This shortcoming is
based on state responsibility in certifying teachers and hopefully can be amended to better meet the overall objectives of
online learning which is in essence equal education for all.
Some of the other downfalls of online
learning are cost, technology support, technology literacy skills of teachers and students, accessibility and time. Although online learning is cost effective in the long run, it costs money to provide schools with “Blackboard”
or another provider. States are funding the use of online learning through the
state government, federal government, public and private grants and corporate scholarships (Watson and Ryan, 2006). Some municipalities raise concern over the increase in students, because online learning now opens the
door to homebound students as they enter the funding stream. “CareerForward”
is free to all residents in the state of Michigan, and overall
the funding issues have major implications over local control. With the state
being so involved in appropriating money to the online learning opportunities, local school boards are not necessarily the
driving force in creating policy regarding this type of learning, which could create some resistance in school districts implementing
it.
The need
for technical support and professional development is another concern in regards to online learning. Teachers raise concerns over online learning. Change can be
a scary issue for some people, and although most newly certified teachers are required to receive some online education through
their pre-service work, many tenured teachers have little to no experience with technology and online learning. Some teacher comments have included “We have major potential resistance from our teacher union as
the teachers tend to view such electronic coursework as a threat to their job security.” (Picciano and Seaman, 2007,
p. 18) With attitudes like that staff developers in the area of Educational Technology
are faced with the challenge of teaching a technical skill while also showing how the collaborative nature of e-learning can
lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter the teachers are expert in.
Technical support is essential to online
education, but it is costly and time consuming, issues that schools do not have the resources for. Schools need to create a supportive infrastructure and have available technical support around the clock
in order to implement a successful online learning environment. Teachers need
to be trained and mentored to keep up with the skills necessary for online pedagogy and also need to be given time to implement
these changes. Furthermore, the digital divide is a grave concern for online
learning because if a student does not have access to a computer at home he is at a disadvantage to being able to access school
work around the clock and extend his learning.
Will online learning continue to grow? Fifty thousand K-12 students were enrolled in online learning in 2001, and currently
over 700,000 students are now enrolled (Picciano and Seaman, 2007). Rural communities
express the highest need due to accessibility to more course areas and a larger range of academic classes. The Florida Virtual
School, a leader in online education, expresses that in five years a
large number of public school students will be taking “blended courses”, that is they will be going to school
two days a week while studying at home three days a week. By offering blended
courses, teachers are able to manage the students keeping up with school work while also allowing for flexibility and interdependence,
important traits for any student to become a life-long learner.
The opportunities that online education
presents are extraordinary. It fits John Dewey’s philosophy of learning
by doing through allowing groups of students to problem solve together. It fits
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory through using
real world tools to solve real world tasks in diverse and meaningful ways. It
answers the demands of the 21st century, of the global marketplace and of the competitive workforce by allowing
youth to experience differences among people when they are working together with others who do not live in their own backyard. And it meets the needs of opening up opportunities for students to take charge of
their own learning, bringing it to their direction with teacher facilitation, and increasing intrinsic motivation.
Online learning has national implications. It potentially could allow for a student in Wisconsin
to learn about the textile industry from a history teacher in Connecticut. It currently can allow for a student interested in Carpentry to be a “teleapprentice”
with a member of the National Association of Homebuilders. Online learning can
manage to answer the challenges of No Child Left Behind. National standards can
more easily be assessed in an authentic manner by allowing for student portfolios to be viewed by experts across the country,
instead of utilizing a multiple choice/short answer test. And, most importantly,
online learning fosters collaborative electronic projects between youth of different cultures, preparing students for working
in a technology-rich, global marketplace that is full of diversity.
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Innovative online career development course for high school students is launched.
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The growing role of online learning. Retrieved March 26, 2007 from http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/chat/chat208.shtml
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