This
article talks about the shift in education that we are experiencing, and the
way people are connecting to one another through MOOCs. A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course that
people use to learn more about a topic.
The resources are available online (massive) and free (open) for
everyone to use and collaborate with.
The article talks a little bit about the “big three” in the MOOC world;
Udacity, Coursera, and Udemy. Most of
these MOOCs offer a certificate upon completion, but they are not accredited
classes for the general public. The
article also makes mention of the drawbacks about MOOCs. One of the biggest drawbacks is the lack of
income for MOOCs. In the future they may
put a fee on assessments or utilize advertisements throughout. There are other skeptics who have raised the
question about cheating on MOOCs. The
article gives us both sides to the current trend that is MOOCs.
Response:
After
reading the article I can see why MOOCs are very popular around the world. They help people understand information and
allow them to collaborate with one another in doing so. The biggest factor (in my opinion) that draws
people to MOOCs is the fact that they are free.
I do not think MOOCs would be as popular now if they had some sort of
entrance fee or assessment fee associated with them. While I can see that MOOCs have become very
popular, I don’t think they will replace college courses or any type of higher
education system we currently have because I don’t think they’ll be able to
support themselves. Eventually, MOOCs
will need to charge a fee or utilize advertisements to keep running. In doing so, it will make a majority of
people unhappy and thus, steer them away from MOOCs.
Technology in Education:
BYOD & Equitable Access Summary:
In
this article, McCallum talks about BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and its current
state in relation to our education system.
McCallum points out some of the benefits of implementing BYOD. Included are: Lower cost for the school,
students can access their work at school and at home, and teachers won’t be
fighting over limited amounts of technology in our schools. McCallum also points out some negatives of
implementing BYOD, the biggest being money.
A lot of families can’t afford a device for their children. They can’t afford apps, repairs, updates,
crashes, viruses, etc. In turn, these
costs will increase the digital divide in the classroom if BYOD is implemented.
Response:
I think BYOD can work for some
school districts, but for most, it will not promote a “fair” environment for
the students. I look at my own school
district and the populous that makes it up, and I have a hard time envisioning
a majority of my students being able to afford a device for BYOD. We are a K-12 building, and the High School
has adopted BYOD, but no teachers have implemented full use of technology in
their curriculum because not all the students have a device. We have a limited number of laptops “floating”
around the school, but again if one teacher is using it, it becomes unavailable
for another class. While BYOD does save
the school district money it will alienate the students who can’t afford a
device and increase the digital divide with the haves and have-nots.
I agree with your statement saying that MOOC's will not be able to replace college courses or other higher educational systems due to financial situations. I feel that eventually they will need a fee in order to stay successful in our growing technology world. We have implemented BYOD in our school system, but it is up to the teacher if or when the students can bring their devices into the classroom. I feel this has been an opportunity for us to connect with some students and gain their attention on our lessons by allowing them to use a device they are familiar with and enjoy using. However, it is not fair to the other students that do not have them. When I have lessons that I want to use technology, I sign up to use the computer lab and allow those students who prefer to use their own devices bring them in. That way all students are provided with the resources to fulfill the assignments and explore using technology.
ReplyDeleteUsing any form of technology in the classroom is great, and I always support it one hundred percent. I allow students to use their cell phones at times for educational purposes and we use the website, socrative (m.socrative.com for students and t.socrative.com for teachers), for quick quizzes and anonymous polls. However, even when I involve all the students at school, it doesn't mean that students will be able to have the same experience at home.
DeleteIf I teach a lesson and a student finds a lot of enjoyment/engagement in it and feels the need to enhance their learning by researching more at home, it is great for the student to have a device in which to use. If the student doesn't have the means to research further, then I am also increasing the digital divide in my classroom.
I completely feel the same way. There would be so many enriching activities, games, research, etc. that students could be doing at home to improve their learning and expand on what we are learning in the classroom if only all students had the resources at home. However, at least we are able to use technology and to give these students the experience to use technology at school. I find the students are a lot more engaged in the lessons if they are either a hands-on activity or using technology.
DeleteEverything you mentioned on your reflection I agree with. At my K-6 school we have a computer lab, and I needed to use it for a project, but I couldn't find any time because it would hamper other classrooms using it for technology class. In my classroom I only have 4 students out of 25 that have a BYOD. If I would install BYOD many of my 6th grade students would feel alienated. Having a laptop cart would be the best fix to my school;s current lack of incorporating technology in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteJoe, I feel your pain. I forget what grant you proposed from our previous class, but have you thought about writing a grant for a laptop cart. Our school district just got a new cart last year and while it didn't fix all problems it at least gave us one more way to help even out the digital divide. I know teachers don't have a lot of extra time to focus on other things, but maybe it could be a summer project for next year.
ReplyDelete