Thursday, December 02, 2010

5(+1) Biggest Mistakes in Online Education

Guillermo Ramirez from Politecnico Grancolombiano in Bogota Columbia has shared a provocative presentation on SlideShare that attempts to bring us back to the basics of what education is and what education is not. His presentation highlights that the primordial essence of the concept of education is strongly rooted in a relationship between teacher and learner. He goes on to caution us that 21st century technology should not replace the requirement for student-instructor interaction. The presentation is a good reminder that educational models that put the learner first, the instructor second, and the technology third are models that are congruent with long proven educational concepts. Conversely, models that put technology higher than 3rd on that list are in danger of producing unwanted outcomes. Have a look at the slides below. Do you agree with Guillermo’s argument? Why or why not? Leave a comment below.

3 comments:

Nathan Pedretti said...

I disagree with Problem #2 that Virtual Education isn't Mysterious and Complex. Right now, it is. People just don't understand how this process could work. I think as schools more virtual programs, and better processes and software are put in place to help teachers manage new complexities, then over time, the process will simplify. But right now, it takes signficant technology skill and teaching experience to roll with the ups and downs of an online course. In the short term, being an online teacher will continue to be a mysterious and complex profession.

Trident University said...

It seems like a sound principle; the technology or online medium is merely a tool to facilitate learning but student/teacher interactions and participation are important when it comes to learning in any type of setting.

Lance Eaton said...

Those are all great points (and an awesome presentation!) I have to agree with much of it and I've written about these as well on my blog about the challenges of online education too: Online Education: Some Considerations