Can creativity alone expand learning? Yes, of course! Can it expand learning in all disciplines? No, I don't think so. I took biology online this past summer. Yes, I learned a lot about the human body as well as the environment I live in. However, I hardly learned anything from the online labs. Perhaps I am wrong, but I think that there are certain areas of learning that cannot be effectively learned online with without creativity. Science labs is an area that requires hands-on experiential learning. Would you want all the education majors to have their teaching field experience online? No, because there is something about experiencing a classroom and teaching in front of kids that really prepares you for the real world. It is the same way for science majors. They are not going to learn as well with online labs because they need to have the hands-on experience. Another area that would not be the greatest online would be nursing majors. There is a big difference between taking care of patients online for their clinical practice and actually experiencing it for themselves. Nurses need to see the blood, stitch the wounds, meet the patients. That is what makes them nurses. And I am afraid that technology would hinder that in some way.
I am not saying that technology cannot be creative and promote great learning opportunities because it can. Creativity really enhances technology for students. The use of skype, films, smart board and so much more have really helped further technology's influence and success in many learning areas. However, technology is not the solution to the needs of every learning area.
I agree that technology can be very helpful in your lessons, but it is still possible to have a good lesson with out it and I think a lot of people are beginning to forget that.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. Along the same lines, my mom, who is a 5th grade teacher, shared that her students can watch her solve math problems all day long but if they cannot do it themselves, they aren't learning it. So with technology, we can watch programs or work with interactive apps to try to get a concept, but until we do it face-to-face, working it out by hand, the concepts do not stick with us and help us learn.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts! I too took online bio this summer and had the same thoughts. (I did, however, enjoy not having to dissect anything.) I think you are right, some majors/ disciplines need in class time to really learn the subject matter.
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