Originally, I was going to write about how informative I found the "Working the Web for Learning" article to be. Going through it was a breeze and the examples were actually really cool to try out (it gave me a few ideas for cyber camps), but then I read the BBC News article, "UK and China sign E-learning deal" and some things struck me as important to turn my attention to. Not until that moment, after reading the entire article, did I realize how e-learning could impact our societies.
Pros to e-learning:
1. Many people choose to leave their homelands in order to acquire a better quality of life; however some eventually miss their original residences and want to return home. E-learning will allow these people to become educated in the curriculum of their homeland and return there with an education relevant to that country and thus making it easier for them to acquire a job there.
2. The e-learning movement may allow schools in countries where English is the second language to save money on the hiring of ESL teachers from other countries. As well, students who want to learn other languages will not necessarily have to attend special language schools or physically attend classes at a school...they will just have to sign on.
3. Doctors of other countries, such as India, have always had a hard time coming over to Canada and acquiring a job as a physician in this country because the schooling and practices in India are not compatible to our practices and schooling. With the coming of e-classes, doctors in other countries will have a better chance at getting jobs in their career field, even maybe even their exact positions prior to their move.
Cons to e-learning:
1. Producing and supplying systems for e-learning is becoming a major market economy. As stated in the BBC News article, the UK has claimed 28 billion British pounds in education exports (in Canadian dollars that works out to approximately 56 billion dollars). Although this is good for the countries that are involved in this marketing economy, it is not so great for those countries that cannot afford to produce these systems, nor is it great for those countries that cannot afford to buy these systems. Rather it is creating a larger gap between the rich and poor countries because it is allowing those better off countries the opportunity to get higher quality and more accessible education. Thus, allowing for the less wealthy countries to be left in the wealthier countries technology-laden “dust”.
2. One thing that bothered me when reading the “UK and China sign E-learning deal” article, was the statement made by Mr. Sanghrajka saying that the “best practices in one country will be applied elsewhere.” Who is to decide what the “best practices” are?? I mean, I don’t argue with the fact that it would be nice to common practice to many things, such as health care practices, in every country. But, how do we say that one thing works better than another? How can we limit people like that? The only good thing about this is that it won’t limit people to work in only one country….for those that wish to travel, it will allow them to do that work that they are familiar with and still see those places that they always dreamed of visiting.
Conclusion:
With e-learning being a fairly new thing to most countries, there will be a few kinks to work out. So long as countries are willing to work together and agree on "best practices" together, this e-learning thing looks to be very encouraging as a revolution in the education atmosphere. Now, if we could just get everyone to agree that education should be free to all....we'd make huge leaps!
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2 comments:
I totally agree with your ideas about the cons of e-learning. Despite how e-learning is convenience or able to acquie a better knowledge. In some poor countries, it is so difficult for them to have the e-learning systems. It may not due to people in those countries don't want to learn and acquire a better knowledge, I think they even can't get a chance to have internet or may be computers. I will say we are really lucky that living in a prosperous country. And I agree with your agrument about "Who is to decide what the 'best practices' are?". I believe that education and knowledge is infinite. No one will know all the stuffs. So, what and who is "the best"? I believe that no one can say "mine is the best", since I thonk that knowledge has improvement. I think a better e-learning should gather different information from different people and different countries. It may not be the best practice, but after students learned it, they can improve it and make it better. I agree that education should be free to all!
This was a very interesting post, which examined web-based learning from a deeper perspective than that of the canadian classroom. Through our readings and assignments, we have seen how the online learning environment can influence our students' progress and achievement through collaborative projects, independant study and immediate feedback. However, it had not occured to me to think of online learning in the broader context of globalization, or standardization of educational practices or training.
Oloosie's post documenting possible advantages and disadvantages illustrates how the web can bring nations together, as well as drive them apart.
I have always considered online learning to be more accomodating to adult minds and purposes, and reading this post further reinforced this belief for me. However, in reading the pros and cons of e-learning, I was struck by the possibilities to incorporate these seemingly adult tools in the classroom. For example, students studying ideology in high school could exploit the benefits of video-conferencing and speak with students in a country which employs a different government that we do in Canada (China, for instance, given there is the possibility to speak in the same language). The online discussion could facilitate a debate on whether online education closes or widens the gap between nations.
Oloosie's post allowed me to see how online learning is a great tool to introduce and examine social justice issues which are very relevant to educators and to education in general. Having the world at your fingertips via the internet is a great advantage for students when learning about conditions around the world, which can differ a great deal from those in our backyard.
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