Reflective Essay
What exactly is online learning? There really is no single definition to the term. With all these new social media outlets out there, the concept of online learning has really expanded. You do not need to be sitting on your laptop taking an online class to necessarily be online learning. Today, online learning could mean being on Twitter or Facebook. I never really took a minute to think about whether or not I was learning from the Internet and social media until I had started taking my first online course at the University of Rhode Island, which is all about digital learning. This class has opened my eyes to the both the positives and negatives to online learning and all of the online learning tools that are out there.
As a junior, I am taking my first two online classes this semester. Both of these are Communication classes, but I can assure you that their teaching styles are very different. In my digital learning class, we focus on the different learning tools in the online world. I had no idea that there were so many websites and applications out there that could benefit me in my learning. I have always been against online learning since middle school. I felt that the Internet was more of a distraction then anything. Now that I am a few weeks into this course, I have already begun to realize that I was pretty wrong.
Online learning can be very beneficial if used in the right way. The biggest problem with online learning today is the digital divide between parents and their children and also teachers and their students. “A big part of the burden lies with education technology providers, too. We can create the best technology in the world and give it to every student everywhere — but if it doesn’t fit the needs of teachers and students, it won’t be used.” (Liu) The problem is teachers could be handed the best digital learning out there, but if they do not see why it is beneficial, it is only going to waste. This goes for parents as well, a child could come home from school with a tablet and tell their parents they are learning from it. If their parents are against the idea of learning from a tablet, they are not going to support their child’s excitement to learn. Digital learning truly only works if you can break the digital divide and allow both sides of the spectrum to realize the benefits of online learning.
This class has not only opened my eyes to all of the tools and benefits of digital learning, but it has also showed me great points as to why digital learning may not be the best idea. The first week of class we watched a YouTube video of Marshall Jones speaking his mind about the digital world. Marshall touches on the subject that everyone relies on their phone and the media for everything. He states “No friends? There’s an app for that” which is applying that this generation thinks that social media and their phones can be substituted for real face to face communication. I personally think that my generation is the last generation to believe that phones take up too much of our lives. Of course there are plenty of people within my generation that are so caught up on their phones, sometimes I am too. I still manage to realize that nine-year-old kids should not have an Ipad. Young children should be outside playing games and doing sports, but instead, they are on their phones, Xbox, laptops and Ipads. To be honest, I find it extremely surprising that parents are even on board with the idea of their kids having all of these devices but the problem is that once one child gets an Ipad; every child is going to want an Ipad too. I think it is one thing to have all of the media outlets in front of you if you are using them to learn, but we all know that in most situations that is not the case.
When I signed up to take this course, I was skeptical about whether or not I was going to be successful. I went from having very little online learning experience to taking two online classes so I really was not sure how I was going to handle it. This digital learning class has actually been much more engaging than a few of the classes I have face to face with the Professors. I have found myself really enjoying the readings and videos that are posted for us every week. I also love the idea of not using Sakai what so ever. I can honestly tell you that I never even thought of twitter to be a resource for learning but I love scrolling through my twitter feed for this class even more than my personal twitter feed with all of my friend’s posts. Another thing I enjoy about the class is that we still use a textbook. Even though I am gaining so much from digital learning, I still find reading from a book to be helpful. For never taking an online course, I think my participation has been going pretty well.
In this class, I have noticed that talking through Google hangouts makes participating a lot easier. Everyone gets an opportunity to talk and say their piece rather than a few kids getting called on in class. Using Twitter and creating blogs have also been a great way to engage with other students and I feel a more personal connection by tweeting back and forth. I think I am catching on to the concept of digital learning very quickly and I have even found myself wanting to look up more information online because I realize how easy and beneficial it can be.
In conclusion, this class has allowed me to see the potential I have to become a more active online learner. Instead of finding the Internet and social media to be distracting, I benefit from the information it gives me within the palm of my hand. I do believe that the digital divide is still a problem that needs to be fixed. With all of the articles and videos out there supporting digital learning, I think that it is possible for teachers and parents to gain a better understanding of how to use these online resources as learning tools. I am eager to see what this class will bring to the table for the rest of semester and I am even more curious to see how much I profit from digital learning.
*Here is the link for the Marshall Jones Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEZPgdkEiLE
Works Cited
Liu, David. "How Should We Approach Education's Digital Divide? - Bright." Medium. 21 July 2015. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"Marshall Jones at Common Sense Media- MTV Town Hall, October 2012." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.