Baker
The Future of Our Education
By: Justin Baker
In the twenty-first century, society is being driven by technology. Technology has given users the ability to connect with their friends, family and acquaintances via a cell phone, but that was not enough. They have now given that same cell phone the ability to email, text message, connect with social media applications and so much more. However, the true drive behind these technologies is the attempt at making life easier for everyone. According to Meikle & Young (2012), all developments in communication technology make possible changes in the experience of space and time. Think of the ancient Egyptians. At one point the Egyptians were using stone as a medium for writing hieroglyphics. They then moved to the medium of papyrus. The reason for this change was that papyrus was easier to carry and could hold more writing. These changes made a larger impact on the world, as papyrus was easier to take around. This created more interest in learning to read and write. Because technology is driving the force behind how and what we do, changes that alter the way we do things are inevitable. Changes that have altered the way we have done things forever. One of those huge changes occurs in the field of education.
Education has always consisted of a teacher teaching students inside a classroom, which is part of a campus. But today, education is now being made available completely online. It was a slow transition that is now moving full steam ahead. It is with the help of convergent media that education is not only happening inside a classroom. According to Meikle & Young (2012), technological convergence is being adapted to the classroom environment allowing for students and teachers to not only meet inside a classroom but to also be connected through types of media. This transition is what opened the door to online education. From there, technology has allowed for teachers to teach without the restrictions of walls and increased the number of students that can be taught at once. But, while online education is an amazing thing, change is never easy. There are many people who have doubts and there will definitely be bumps along the way, but like many other changes, once all the kinks are out the system tends to work much better.
Online education brings so many positive aspects right to the forefront. One of those aspects is the financial savings that come from online education. Online education allows for much less overhead than a building in a school campus. Another aspect susceptible to changes is productivity. According to London (2014), in terms of cost, the two biggest issues a university faces is the need for physical proximity and the second is productivity. It is expensive to add students because the more students, the more buildings and classrooms will be needed. As far as productivity, only so many students can fit into a classroom, which creates a need for more professors. Both issues lead to higher costs of education, but this is not the case with online education, as it seems to be a solution that solves both those issues. Online education has up front fixed costs. These costs can involve the cost of setting up and running the course, but once the course is set to run you just need to sell the course to the students. Once you make your money back on the initial costs, the rest is pure profit. This could, in time, lower the costs of education, leading to lower tuition fees allowing for more students to receive an education.
Change does not always come easy. There are many people who have doubts about the online education system and what it is missing. One of the largest components the online education system is missing is the personal connection that students and teachers make with each other and also their peers. While online education does allow for interaction between students, often times in chats and discussion boards, it never allows them to be face to face. It also can create group projects to be quite problematic. Many of the students who participate in online education are not located around the school. This means actually meeting up with them on campus rarely ever happens. In a recent interview with Cathy Cheal Links to an external site., she explains it is actually quite the opposite. Students in her lecture style classes were rarely motivated to show up to class and when they did they were never a part of any of the discussions. They were simply there to show up, take notes and pass the test. By restructuring the same class online, Cheal was able to get the students participating in discussions with other classmates about the artwork they were looking at. In fact, more students began to open up because there was less stress than standing in front of a class full of peers.
A second issue that often comes up is associated with integrity. Online education is built heavily on trust from the students. While cheating goes on in both online and in class education, it is much more difficult to be aware of online. In the online education model all the work is done from behind a screen. This allows for the students to easily manipulate the system. But according to Rhode (2012), this can be fixed through the educator. The educator is the one who holds all the cards. By creating a classroom that encourages the students to interact with each other in fun and exciting ways will allow for the students to want to participate rather than feel they have to do it. Rhode also mentions that online education can be brought to social media platforms. This will create an atmosphere in which the students can feel comfortable. This aligns quite well with the theory of transmedia. According to Andersen (2011), transmedia is the process in which narrative information is dispersed across multiple media channels. So, if a company is producing a show they are not only creating fan interaction through the television, but they are also reaching out to the audience via social media, email, etc. Online education can use transmedia to keep their students involved and interacting with each other.
Now it is just a matter of getting everyone on board. The transition is much easier for some rather than others. Some students are self motivated and online classes make complete sense for them while other students need that push of being required to be in a class room at a certain time. As for the educators, it takes a drastic change to their teaching methods to transition into an online class. Some educators are very technology savvy and the transition is exciting to them while others fear technology and would prefer to stay away. Michael Kovacs, a current professor at Gavilan College in Gilroy, has been teaching in a classroom for many years but feels that the transition is not something that scares him. In a recent interview with Kovacs he states that he has been working online and with technology forever and feels that while the transition may be challenging, it can be done. He has both participated and taught both on campus and online classes and feels that technology is what is opening the doors to the future.
Either way, technology is doing all it can to make the transition easier for everyone. Learning management systems, like Canvas, are open source applications that have been developed to remove the fear of change. Canvas makes life easier for both the student and the teacher. Automated tasks, notifications sent directly to and from the users and the ability to submit media posts are just the beginning of what Canvas can do. Learning management systems like Canvas are what make the future of online technology possible.
The education model is changing. The need to show up to a tightly packed lecture hall and scrambling to get all the notes jotted down in a dimly lit room is diminishing right in front of us. The online education model allows for schools to turn a pretty heavy profit while allowing more students to participate in their classrooms. While there are some flaws today, these can get worked out in the future. Whether it is the use of Apple’s Facetime or Google’s Hangout there are tools that are being developed for students and teachers to connect with their peers face to face from behind a screen. Online education is the way of the future and it is vital for the future of education.
References
Andersen, M. (2011). Transmedia across disciplines at national association of broadcasters. Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2011/05/transmedia-across-disciplines-at-the-national-association-of-broadcasters Links to an external site.
London, R.A. (2014). The disruption to come. The Economist. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/02/online-education Links to an external site.
Meikle, G. & Young, S. (2012). Time, space and convergent media. Media convergence (pp. 148-171). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Rhode, J. (2012). Best practices teaching with Twitter. Retrieved from http://www.jasonrhode.com/twitterinedu Links to an external site.