Distant Learning

PROS of Online School
·Convenience - Students can take online courses whenever; students are not limited by a school's annual/semester/quarter system.
·Flexibility - Class times are not set, and the pacing of assignments and readings occurs at your own discretion. You can proceed through your degree program at your own rate.
· Availability - Accredited, reputable, and educationally vigorous distance learning programs have increased in recent years.
· Cost - Pricing for online degree programs is usually cheaper than traditional school programs.
· Self-Direction - Students are able to control their learning environment, moving through courses at their own pace.
· Classroom Time - Some distance learning programs have a classroom component; however most do not require attending a physical school. You can learn, study, and graduate from the comfort of any computer location.

CONS of Online School
·Instructor Face-Time - Distance learners typically don't have the face-to-face interaction that is important to some students
·Technology Requirements - Distance learning program requirements are usually modest: computer and an Internet connection. However, students must have some proficiency in using computers.
·Social Interaction - Though online learning environments often have chat rooms and message boards they lack physical classroom interactions with other students.
·Limited Support - Students are required to take their own initiative in completing assignments, reports, and exams.
· Campus interaction - Distance education programs lack the physical value and attractiveness of attending a campus location.

I think that virtual schools will have a great impact on my teaching. Due to the availability of cheaper technology and the economy many parents and teachers could be looking for a cheaper and more convenient way for their child to obtain a degree. Which means for me is I need to be flexible and prepared for learning how to be an online teacher or learning how to incorporate online interactions for my students. I think distance learning can be a great way to help students earn degrees from all over the country especially in rural areas. This gives students and equal chance to have available education.

Emerging Technologies Project

Emerging Technology Project:

Teacher Website: http://teacherweb.com

This is a great technology to implement into the classroom if you want your students and parents to have another way to connect and communicate with the teacher. First, Teacherweb is a website designed for teachers. Teacherweb allows the teacher to create their own template for their own class website. The teacher then can customize his or her website and use it as way to communicate to the students virtually. The teacher can post grades, give exams, have a calendar of events and much more. Teacherweb has incorporated many neat options that the teacher can use to make the classroom more efficient and organized. According to the website Teacherweb was created in 1996 and now has over 100,000 teachers using this technology. I feel like this use of the internet will keep growing because computers will become cheaper and more available for the masses so Teacherweb can really be affordable and a great way to connect to the 21st student.

The Teacherweb can help the teacher be more organized and this will help the students stay on task. The Teacherweb will allow the teacher to post upcoming events, important information from class lectures, create WebQuests and many other projects that the students can refer to. One of the most important and great aspects of the teacher website is the communication for students and parents. Student will be able to see what is due and what is being taught in their classroom. Like I said before in this post, this will allow the student to stay on track with his or her assignments for the classroom. Also, the students will be able to post questions and concerns that they did not have time to ask in class or were uncomfortable to ask in front of everyone. The website will create a safe environment for the student to express his or her feelings to the teacher.For parents this is a great way for them to see their students’ progress in the classroom. They will be able to see how well their student is doing and what their student needs to be doing. This will also allow the parents be more involved in their student’s curriculum. The website, will basically, give parents a light into their child’s life in school. Finally the classroom website will allow the parents an easy way to contact the teacher with questions and concerns.

Skype-http://www.skype.com

Is an online free software program were you can connect and chat with people all over the world. Also, Skype allows people to use video chat for free. Skype is a great technology for people to use for communication.

This technology can impact my teaching by allowing me to communicate to my students and other teachers through the internet. By having this free access to chat it will enable me as a teacher to chat with other teachers who can aid me in creating new lesson plans. Skype can impact the student learning because this will allow the students to be able to communicate with other students around the world. This communication can broaden children’s views about the world because it makes them see and hear other perspectives.

Kidinspiration: http://www.inspiration.com

Inspiration and kidinspiration is a software program available for teachers to use in their class. The software allows the student to interact and create projects to help further their learning experience on the computer. In the software program students will be able to work on math problems, create concept maps for an array of subjects.

This program can help students have a better understanding in elements in literature. The students could create a concept map that encompasses the main elements in literature such as theme, plots, and main characters. Another benefit for kidinspiration and the Concept Map is enhancing science lab write ups. The students can write down their hypothesis and use pictures and diagrams to show there experiment. Finally students can use this program for math. There are many interactive games to engage the students to learn fractions and arrays. Also, the students can design their own math problems by using icons to create their very own word problems.

The impact of using a Concept mapping will be very positive for student learning. The student will be able to organize his or her ideas and make connections to the concepts being learned in class. Also, this program is a great visual for students to see relationships that is being taught. Concept Mapping is very hands on, interactive and allows the student to have visual aids. This is great for students who are kinesthetic learners.