Journal Entry 24
Well, this is my last post for the class. I can't believe how it has gone by - 6 weeks sounds like a lot, but in comparison to a fall or spring semester it's nothing.
I think I figured out what my problem is with online courses: I'm a creature of habit. For me, someone who has been in school for the vast majority of my life (every year for the past 15 years), online classes are out of my comfort zone. It's ironic; I'm presumably one of the youngest students in this class, yet others much older than me seem to be more comfortable with learning online. I'm so used to being in a classroom, with a teacher and classmates present, at a scheduled time each week, with test to study for and guidelines to follow. It's kind of funny in a way, because this is so ingrained in me and the way that I learn. Yes, I grew up in the technology era and I'm a "millennial," but I still went through a formal education, not taking any online courses until my last 2 years of college. I value the classroom experience, and I don't think that there's anything wrong with that (besides, how else will people learn to socialize?). I'm not completely against online learning (I wouldn't be in this field if I was) and I've learned a lot about it from this class. I think that online "instruction," along with web 2.0 tools should be used in conjunction with "traditional" learning, to make it easier for the increasing number of students in schools, both seconday and post-secondary. I'm all for anything that's going to educate and help people to learn.