Reflection (Week 15)

Reviewing your previous blog posts, what, if anything, has changed in your attitude toward online schools and online schooling over the past 15 weeks?
When I began this course, I had little knowledge of what online schools and courses were available to students and what models of instruction were offered. I am more supportive now of the idea that online courses can be just as effective as traditional classrooms. Even though there is still a need for more research to be done, I now have a better understanding of what exactly is known about online learning. I feel more confident in my ability to explain to others how online learning courses are developed and what courses and schools exist in the country.

My attitude toward online schools and online schooling at the start of the semester was also that online courses were really only being taken at the university level or for high school students that wanted to take courses that their schools did not offer. I thought that the high school courses were only going to be self-paced, but I was surprised to find out that a lot of effort is being put into designing classes that involve group work and student-student interaction. I am very encouraged to see what advances this field makes in the near future. Even though that many see online learning in its early stages, I now feel that it is further along than most people know, so I feel very positive about the impact that it will have in many traditional schools.