“It establishes a habit of learning -- continuous, on-the-go and flexible -- that's indispensable to workers in a rapidly changing knowledge economy.”
Wayne Scott, who “teaches social work at Portland State University and manages training activities for Multnomah County,” has a guest column in the Oregonian titled “Teaching beyond the traditional academic template with online learning. It says, in part (here):
When I began teaching, I followed this template, but it didn't really work. I assigned term papers. They were anguishing to write and more nightmarish to grade. I held office hours, but no one showed. My class met until 9:20 p.m. -- a tsunami of yawning students.
Online learning saved the day in this era of the working, overcommitted, tech-savvy learner. Eventually, I shortened the class time and asked students to join an online discussion, tailored to curiosities expressed in class. Suddenly I heard every student's voice, not just the ones comfortable talking in groups. I posted YouTube clips of other teachers giving lectures, expanding access to high-level thinking about a topic, not just my perspective. Most sacrilegious of all -- given that the average student posted more than 5,000 words a quarter on the blog -- I stopped requiring term papers, those time-venerated behemoths.
That's when my students became smarter…..
And:
…. I would add that online learning is another type of community, a powerful and inclusive addition to the real-time classroom, allowing a student's natural voice and intelligence to emerge organically, in settings more conducive to reflection. It establishes a habit of learning -- continuous, on-the-go and flexible -- that's indispensable to workers in a rapidly changing knowledge economy.
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