As a teacher, I have been faced with many different
challenges in the classroom, but I have yet to experience the joys of teaching
an online class. I have been fortunate enough to experience distance education
by earning a Master of Arts in English degree entirely online, and I am lucky
enough to work on a second Master of Education in Educational Leadership
online. Without distance education, I would not have had the opportunities to
learn in a non-traditional way. I have obtained experiences through my distance
learning experiences that have taught me the dos and don’ts of online learning.
If students are not ready to take an entire course online, he/she should be
given the opportunity to experience distance education through the means of a
hybrid class. By definition, a hybrid class is a blend of both worlds:
face-to-face and online instruction. Students are given the opportunity to
learn about their unique learning style and learn what is best for them.
Hybrid learning is a learning experience not just for the student
but also for the teacher. A portion of class instruction needs to occur online
which means reduced interaction in the classroom. As a result, it is important
for instructors to be fully prepared with answers to questions from students that
may arise through the class. Complete online learning is a scary concept to
many students, but with the creation of hybrid learning, students are able to
experience the online environment without the fear of being completely lost in
a sea of names in an online class.
At first, students may be skeptical about online learning;
therefore, it will be essential to slowly introduce online learning aspects of
a class to students. Students who need a teacher-centered learning environment
may feel over-whelmed and scared about the lack of teacher support in the
virtual classroom. With technology on the rise, more and more higher education
institutions are leaning toward distance education and more and more primary
and secondary schools are looking toward the internet to help introduce collaborative
learning in the classroom. Younger students are better prepared to learn via
technology than current students enrolled in a higher education institution. In
order to help pave the way for a transformation of distance education in the
future, hybrid learning should be a requirement not online in higher education institutions
but also in secondary education.
Veteran instructors are skeptical about the effectiveness of
online education, but in reality, they are skeptical about their effectiveness
to teach in an online environment. With the creation of the internet and other
technological advances, education will be constantly changing. With that, education
for those educating our future needs to have the proper education not only in
their subject matter but also with technology and its ever changing status. In
order for this to be achieved, time and money need to be invested in continuing
education for current teachers as well as in the technology that will be used in
the classroom.
Hybrid learning is the current gateway to opening the doors
to the future. In the not so distant future, distance learning will outweigh
traditional learning methods. In order for teachers and students to be familiar
and comfortable with the idea of online learning, hybrid learning needs to have
a more significant role in the classroom. Hybrid learning is the bridge that
will get us to the new advancement in education: distance learning.
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