Nice ideas. I think the one about catch-up technology training for online colleges should not be limited to onlines'. We're using these tools for in-class courses and prospective students should be tested now for a preparatory technology course now, the same as Fundamentals of Math or Composition. Trying to boost the technology learning curve in the middle of a course needing it is so very difficult.
Great points, Dray. Indeed, in my life time I saw the arrival of color TV, and I don't think I'm that old!! :) So the issue is not to imagine a day when every student and teacher will have access to and knowledge of every existing technology but that we create learning communities within which new technology can be explored and applied. We are all constantly moving ahead and learning more...
Mariska;
I fully agree with you on many students not being technologically savvy. I can’t say that it’s extensively contributed to “economical depression†as you stated, because I’ve observed inadequate technology skills at all ages, cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, etc. Additionally, I’ve found that there is really no definitive indicator of which students will lack technology proficiency, because of this diversity. Consequently, the younger student that you might think would perfectly know how to navigate MS Word, may be the very student that cannot retrieve a “saved†document off of a hard drive, and you may have an older housewife, that hasn’t worked full time in years, that can navigate your virtual environment better than you can.
Because of the very large gap of technology proficiency, I really feel that online universities should take additional steps to assess all new students, identifying their level of technology aptitude. At that point, the incoming student may need additional resources and time to bridge the technology learning curve, until they reach a user ability that meets a pre-defined comfort-level of expertise. I’ve grieved many a day trying to assist an otherwise efficient learner with the course material, grasp the technology necessary to access the online learning materials. In the process, they may fall behind, triggering the normal reactions of becoming overwhelmed, frustrated, and hopeless, even to the point of withdrawing from the college.
So to answer your question, I do believe that we are all having this technology learning curve impact our courses, and our students’ successful outcomes, and many of us are pulling students “by the nose†through the courses, as you colorfully described it. I don’t know that there is a clearly defined solution to this dilemma, other that our continuing to remain fluid and versatile in our teaching methods, as well as not discarding of traditional methods. So don’t throw out that VCR just yet. ïŠ Let’s be a voice for our students, because sometimes you don’t know that you don’t know, until you find out that you don’t know. If I personally fuss and whine every time Microsoft updates the Windows or Office software suites, when I’ve been immersed in progressive technology since I was a little girl, then I can only imagine the depths of the technology shock that students experience when they have successfully avoided technology for the past 20 years, and are now being “baptized by fire†into the full abundance of modern innovation.
Hello Mariska,
Some students are more of slow learners than others when it comes to technology, either because they find it difficult to learn and handle or they are not just interested in technology. They are your students either way. Be patience and teach them well to the best of their "learning abilities"
It happens to the best of us even at the PhD learning level. :) Believe me I seen it happen.
