In most online courses and/or ‘adaptive learning systems’ …
- Students do low-level work at times that are convenient.
- Students do low-level work from places that are convenient.
- Students do low-level work on their own, unique path.
- Students do low-level work at their own, unique pace.
But it’s still low-level work.Â
Digitizing, chunking, and algorithmizing worksheet-like learning tasks doesn’t move them out of the domains of factual recall and procedural regurgitation. The modality doesn’t change the substance of the learning task. Until we are willing to address the kinds of work that we ask students to do on a day-to-day basis, not just the delivery mode, the any time, any place, any path, any pace mantra isn’t going to change a thing…
I work with kids who take online. We use it as a supplement to what we are able to offer on campus, and I’m there as a resource for our kids. One of my biggest complaints, other than the ones you mentioned, is that many of the online platforms like Blackboard and Brain Honey do not work in all browsers, and they make little effort to keep up with browser updates.
Technology should be used to enhance the Relationship between student and teacher. To do this, the teacher needs to have a presence in the online portion of teaching just as they do in the face to face. The two modes (online and face to face) need to be purposely and consciously linked, not accidentally linked. As noted here, there’s much missing from Horn’s version of blended http://developingprofessionalstaff-mpls.blogspot.com/2015/04/b.html
I believe that as a stand alone ANY TIME, ANY PLACE, ANY PATH, ANY PACE will not take education to a place that all of our learners deserve. However, if we implement it with a strategic focus on the creation of higher order thinking, real world applicable projects that are designed at an appropriate level for our learners, we will be hitting the mark. We must also have the desire to listen to our learners and have the flexibility and creativity to allow them to have a voice and choice in the projects of their choice.