New Educational Technology Trends
MOOCS
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course, and they are available online to the public at a free or low cost. People enrolled in this type of course can study what they choose, but they are not in the traditional classroom setting with the teacher in the front of the room, as the entire course takes place online. Some MOOCs can be transferred to university credit, but many provide the student with a certificate instead. As these courses become more popular, they will give people the opportunity to be life-long learners. They will be able to study their interests or topics that connect to their current professions to expand their knowledge.
A potential problem that could arise is that MOOCs become so popular that they replace the traditional classroom setting, and professors may not have job security. However, it seems that the citizens of the United States as a whole value university education and the learning experiences students receive from it. Currently, MOOCs are not considered to have the same quality of education as courses from university education. Without a traditional professor, students are given completely different assignments and assessments, and they also do not have the easy, personable access to the educator that university students have. Unless the structure of MOOCs changes in the future, they may just be an extra source of education for people to use to expand their own learning outside of earning a degree.
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course, and they are available online to the public at a free or low cost. People enrolled in this type of course can study what they choose, but they are not in the traditional classroom setting with the teacher in the front of the room, as the entire course takes place online. Some MOOCs can be transferred to university credit, but many provide the student with a certificate instead. As these courses become more popular, they will give people the opportunity to be life-long learners. They will be able to study their interests or topics that connect to their current professions to expand their knowledge.
A potential problem that could arise is that MOOCs become so popular that they replace the traditional classroom setting, and professors may not have job security. However, it seems that the citizens of the United States as a whole value university education and the learning experiences students receive from it. Currently, MOOCs are not considered to have the same quality of education as courses from university education. Without a traditional professor, students are given completely different assignments and assessments, and they also do not have the easy, personable access to the educator that university students have. Unless the structure of MOOCs changes in the future, they may just be an extra source of education for people to use to expand their own learning outside of earning a degree.
The Tablet
Currently, as educators discuss how to integrate technology into classroom, the idea of providing students with tablets has arisen to give students a more engaging, thorough learning experience at school. As one can imagine, this has created quite some controversy. Tablets are not cheap, and citizens of a town or city want to make sure their money is going to the right places. Will tablets truly benefit students' learning in the classroom?
Los Angeles schools had recently decided to provide their students with iPads. However, people complained and expressed disapproval that the school district prioritized buying iPads rather than repairing older parts of the school and providing teacher funding.* They felt that this technology was a necessity for the school district. Another issue that arose was the ethical use of the tablet. When students were given their iPads, some had found a way to get through the security wall and visit sites that were not permitted such as Facebook and YouTube.** Such issues can occur at any school district
However, since there has been a great amount of information on the Los Angeles schools' experience with the tablets, more school districts may now be more aware of the problems that can arise. In the future, if more school districts decide to provide their students with tablets, perhaps they will keep in mind the incidences from the news. One can only hope that school districts will be sure they can afford them, that they will be a necessity, and that educators and students will know how to appropriately and efficiently use them for educational purposes. If used properly, they can be very beneficial and engaging for the 21st Century learner.
*Paraphrased from the Los Angeles Daily News site
**Paraphrased from the ABC News site