Article Review

Title of Article : Have you thought about this?
Author:Dean Shareski
Date of Publication: January 2010
Website Address : http://www.techlearning.com/Blogs/26946

A. Proper Citation of The Article

This article entitled, “Have you thought about this?” by Dean Shareski (2010) . It is retrieved from: http://www.techlearning.com/Blogs/26946, the Tech & Learning blog which is published under Digital Learning Environments. This group of writers mostly writes articles for suggesting readers to reduce educational budget by expending the use of computing in learning.

B. Summary

This article discusses about the impact of online-learning development on teachers’ reputation as well as the students’ achievement. The author tried to bring teachers’ concern on the demands of innovation in teaching strategy. The author highlighted some teachers’ attitude towards teaching which has given inappropriate insight towards teachers’ roles and reputation. Teachers are claimed to be ignorant about the outside world which make them out of the stream of the world’s changes. Thus, teachers’ development of teaching strategy seems to be static. This ignorance might cost teachers by which there is a possibility for replacing teacher with online learning for the reason of flexibility of time and space on students’ learning pattern. The author points out question for teachers to think of their action to encounter the issues of our education with the consideration of students’ rights to learn from various sources at anytime and anywhere without risking their profession as educators.

C. Review of the article

I found this article interesting since it opens up teachers’ mind to think of ways to improve their teaching strategy and improvise technology into classroom learning activities. This article has also awakened every one of the roles in education field. It has clearly made me think that online learning cannot replace teacher hundred percent. Computer and multimedia can only serve us as tools and tutor in learning field instead of teacher. Teachers have to manipulate multimedia and computer to assist their teaching and to boost students’ motivation to learn.

Research indicates that online learning is, in many ways, better than face-to-face. In terms of educational discussion, online learning gives a different insight on the quality of interaction between students, students and teachers, and students and information. Some say that meaningful discussions can only effectively happen face-to-face. But if you don’t want to get into discussions with classmates or hear the opinions of teachers, online learning isn’t for you. Often, in an on-campus class, a group sits in back of the room, takes notes, and never talks. In online classes, you must interact. Students cannot avoid being dragged into conversations because online teachers track who is interacting, how many times they interact, and what they discuss.

Moreover, Shy students who wouldn’t dream of raising their hands in class and are not good at thinking on their feet appreciate the time that e-mail discussion gives them. Online teachers often comment that the depth of online discussions exceeds what they can achieve in the classroom. Many online teachers base part of the grade on student participation. Some require participation three to five times a week and not all on the same day. Teachers who know how to effectively manage online discussions can prevent aggressive and talkative students from dominating a conversation and easily steer a conversation toward their class goal.

While I agree with this post for the most part, this quote bugs the heck out of me: "There isn't much on the immediate horizon threatening the livelihood of the millions of teachers who work behind the closed doors of classrooms around the world." Is it true? What about state budgets for providing computing facilities for each student and to hire teachers in hundreds schools around our country. Furthermore, the funding for school is always subjected to our economic status. Due to the decreasing economic income and the downfall of trading, there is no hope to get enough fund to equip everyone with computer neither to hire more teachers. Class sizes are going up, and there are schools in other country like California are being shuttered and one school in Kuala Lumpur closed on a protest of funding which is not equally given due to the level of school’s standard and students’ achievement. Now, the government wants to cut the number of teachers’ intake to teach in school. Later on, additional allowance such as for teaching in remote area, stationary allowance and many more will be cut down or abolished to cut down the budget. So, do not do those of us who are not on the brink of retirement the disservice of stating our livelihoods are not being threatened. For thousands of us, the rug is being pulled out from under us.

D. Conclusion

In conclusion, the actual issue in education is not on how much fund we have spent nor how advance the technology that is used to teach because history has proven that the education has evolved well in China decades ago although with pen and paper only. What we need is to give the impending opportunities for students to learn online and in other spaces; teachers ought to be considering how to make their classrooms untouchable. While many see distance learning as a cost saving measure, in reality it's still about learning and my belief is that the best teachers will emerge.