This post is a response to an article I saw earlier today in Cool Cat Teacher Blog (CCTB).The article stated that “… online students in college and continuing Ed programs score in the 59th percentile versus classroom students in the 50th percentile.” All of this of course coming directly from CCTB @ http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/ . The site itself had retrieved the information from the New York Times.
When a student does not respond in the classroom, they will not respond online. Then of course the online notion of an all online school is going to seem bad. This may seem to be a radical statement or two, but let’s put them into context. When applied to the text of the article, we are referring to not communicating. If a student lacks to communicate in a physical classroom; therefore also proving to lack communication in an online classroom, failure is only immanent. But, there is the beauty of the online self worth. There is always the chance that online education allows students to be who they are and not what others make of them. As many of us have friends or it could be ourselves, our profile online is nothing more than slimming, intelligent, great personality, and more money than we can deal with…who wants to date? The students are less likely to be open for attack in such an environment. I’m not saying it’s not going to happen, because eventually everyone gets curious and starts giving up information, but internet safety is to be left for another post.
I have yet to explain the title of this blog, but this exact notion lends to my perception of Intellectual Anarchy. (Now that it has come up, I will explain it. I am honestly quite surprised no one has questioned me on it from my 685 class, Principles of Distance Educ. But then again, I may be behind the ball and they know what I mean. So, I will just explain it to appease myself and for all those in net-space who may be curious. ) Students are creatures of curious habit and learning is one of them. They actually will take the time to use every skill they have to figure out how not to have to learn. This is where I find this article very interesting. As a substitute, going on 4 years now, the notion I have developed, Intellectual Anarchy, would easily be remedied from bricks to clicks. Even if it was sitting in a brick building using clicks. –The irony of it-
The author’s notion to build a school of both brick (actual face to face interaction) and click (virtual classroom) I believe to be a progressive step toward improving the surmountable educational issues our nation faces. At the end of the article, the author leaves us with some thoughts:
I still have to wonder about the need for both bricks and clicks in an effective school: providing the social interaction, the face to face of a good school, and the differentiation that can happen in a good classroom as well as online spaces that truly reflect global engagement and involvement. There are such great things to be gained from both environments: shouldn’t we pursue the development of the ideal f2f and online environment?
Intellectual Anarchy 