Online Education and Panty Hose
Posted by Pamela Gustafson on February 5th, 2009
Online courses became a reality as colleges realized education is like panty hose. One size does not really fit all. I am a relatively small woman 5 ft 4 and 138 pounds and I know that if I buy pantyhose with the label one size fits all, they are going to be somewhat snug. I was drawn to the online courses because they fit my hectic schedule, the on site environment no longer fits my needs.
I take online courses because I believe in the importance of staying up to date on methods and trends. Educational researchers have discovered a great deal about brain development and 21st century skills. At the same time, the monolithic approach in K-12 education that served students well during the industrial era of our country, is declining in its effectiveness.
Students are far more diverse today. Educatiors need to individualize education to meet this diversity. Monolithic approach teachers run the risk of boring students and frustrating others. I did not need a new degree to stay employed as a teacher, but I did need contemporary courses to stay up to date with what I described in the paragraphs preceding.
Professional courses were either online or online with on-site contact. In the process, I learned a lot about the online environment and how it could be used for my own students. Courses included the use of Elluminate, a real time chatting program, where I could hear the voices of my online classmates. There was a “white board” that could be turned on for online student responses. This program and programs like it have great potential for meeting individual needs. Because I teach middle school, many students still need the auditory and visual presence of a teacher. Many middle school students are still not reading well enough to be educated online – they aren’t up to “read and respond” assignments. Read and respond was great for me, but I read and write at a sophisticated level. Like many people working on college degrees, I had to keep working to support myself and online education provided me this opportunity
The courses I took were of my on choosing to enhance what I do as a teacher. But courses are greater than the sum of the individual skills and concepts of the courses. I learned how to “excel” with Excel, set up discussions for staff development, integrate technology into reading, assess student work, and more. More importantly, I became adept at being a student in the online environment – preparation for my own foray into online teaching.
Education is like pantyhose; one size does not fit all. College professors and administrators have figured this out by using the online environment to enroll students who must work full time while getting their degree, or for students like me who need new skills while working full time.
