What is a MOOC?

Massive Open Online Classes or MOOC is making a huge impact in the world of education. These classes are 100% distant learning with everything a student needs online. With tuition free, this makes higher education more achievable to more students. This will increase college enrollment, keep students out of debt but also make the job market more competitive.

Schools like Harvard, Stanford and Yale recently started making courses free and online. Some schools even offer them on iTunes. This means, anyone can go online and learn for free. The only downside is that most are noncredit courses. This would mean students wouldn’t be receiving a degree. Some do offer credit with tuition as low as $7,000. 

Without a degree, how will this change the job market? Someone can have more education but not a degree. Who gets the job? How important is the diploma? I think people are starting to change their mind about college. Yes, a degree is important but more people believe in “It’s who you know not what you know.” MOOC needs some type of enrollment system so employers know students have completed a type of course. Learning is learning and people should get credit for it. 

More downfalls to these are the lack of group projects and lack of communication. There is no possible way to connect and respond to every single student in the class. Being able to work in a group and bounce ideas back and forth is a component of being qualified for a job. Students won’t have that chance and be forced to be own their own. 

With enrollment more than 100,000 students per class, I think this isn’t for me. It would be very easy to fall behind. I would have no relationship with a professor and I wouldn’t have a place to ask questions. The learning style is the same with lectures, power points and presentations but I could fall behind and no one would notice. Personally, I wouldn’t work hard in this type of class because employers don’t know about this to understand its the same as a traditional university. 

Twitter Lectures

Recently in Sweden, a group came together and put their lectures into tweets. With only 140 characters, is it possible to effectively teach this way? I think it would be convenient to have my classes on twitter but I feel like I would get too distracted. I could see how this could be helpful for some professors and students. It gives a way for more students to connect, a way to constantly check out new information and make classes more accessible. 

Students from all over can use this twitter to understand course material. Tweets can be read and students can interact and respond to other students without feeling like they are interrupting. Having class online could also help students who are shy to reach out and ask questions. Teachers can also individually answer question and could encourage discussion through questions students ask. 

Students would also be bale to check up on class whenever they had free time. If the professor keeps it updated out of class time. It is a good way to share current events, ideas or discussion questions and responses. It would also provide a way for more students to participate in class. Students may have to distance learn because of a job or personal reasons. Teaching lectures online would help all students stay focused and they can work on class assignments hen they have time. 

The downside to this is, will 140 characters be enough to explain class content? I don’t think it would be possible to teach that way, unless a link to an article is used in each tweet. But that isn’t teaching, thats just sharing information with one another. For these reasons I think twitter should be a tool but not a way to teach a class. Students will have too many questions, professors won’t have time to reply and students will get aggravated because they cant understand the information. 

I’m still not convinced that we are ready to go 100% online. As a student, I learn best in the classroom with handwritten notes. I’ve taken online classes but I am not as motivated and I feel weird asking questions. I never saw my professor so I felt like I couldn’t ask questions or voice my concerns. Do you think Twitter could be used for lectures? If you are still unsure then check out http://bit.ly/18zy34x 

Digital media and social media improves students writing

Around 4,200 teachers were surveyed and results conclude that students writing improves because of social media usage. They survey was done by AP and National Writing Project teachers. Teachers claim students are more creative and put more effort into their work when it gets posted online. On the other hand, students tend to be sloppy and less formal when writing online. I think students need to learn equally how to write online and how to write by hand. How does social media change the way we write? What are the best ways to teach this to students? I agree with this study. I think online revising workshops, mixing informal and formal writing and making sure a big audience will read their work is the best way to transition into more online writing.

Students get more excited about writing when they know their peers and a wide audience will read their work. Making students keep a blog or publish piece to their online portfolio will encourage them to try harder. If a student hand writes their work then only the teacher will read it. Making students publish things online will also help them with networking and possible jobs. Having a blog or portfolio will also make applying for scholarships and colleges easier for students. They would already have a place to show off things they read, their opinions on things or papers and stories they have written.

Our generation grew up with using technology so it shouldn’t be ignored. Yes, we tend to be less informal online but that’s who we are. We don’t need to change who we are just so we look perfect online. There’s a time and place for everything. Discussions, personal posts, blogs and maybe even portfolios can be informal. I think being informal shows personality which is just as important in the working world. Things like emails and online applications should still be formal. Bottom line: There is nothing wrong with being informal online. It’s just knowing when to use it. Students should be able to have an informal blog but still have to formally answer questions online. Then they know they when and how they should communicate.

Personally, I find online workshops very helpful. I think uploading papers to google docs and letting my peers read it online is very helpful. Replying to discussion questions and adding their opinions to blogs is another great way to help students learn how to communicate online. The only part of they study I didn’t understand was teachers graded their students work as being “good” not “very good” or “excellent.” The study contradicts itself that way. Teaching students to help each other with their mistakes and let them have their own opinion should mean their writing is better. I would strive to keep grading students better and better.

I think its time to embrace online writing. That is the direction things are moving especially with newspapers and magazines going online and not print. It’s important to still have hand writing skills but the focus needs to shift to online. Email, chats and social media sites are the way we communicate the quickest and many people feel more comfortable behind a computer screen. To find out statistics on students writing online check out http://bit.ly/12tYLIp

The advantages of being friends with teachers on social media.

Using social media for school purposes is becoming popular. Teachers post homework, class information and set up discussions online for students. Students befriend one another and communicate through social media as well as doing work. Since its easy for people to communicate through social media is it okay for teacher and students to follow each other on Twitter or be friends on Facebook? I don’t see a problem with students and teachers being friends. I think it could help student network, keep up with class and friends at the same time and decrease the amount of cyberbullying. The state of Missouri has gone back and forth on this issue and I don’t understand why.

Getting a letter of recommendation, references for job interviews or a way to learn more about a career choice are common reasons why students look at teachers as a positive influence. I still use my high school teachers as resources. Having a teacher all four years of high school could build a good professional relationship between the student and teacher. Teacher attend conferences and could share job openings or people they met on their personal account. A student could get a lot out of that. It only takes one name, one letter or one message to land a job or that extra reference for a scholarship.

With Facebook and Twitter apps on phones, students have access to social media all day and night long. Notifications pop up on phones when new activity occurs on these sights and this could help students keep with up with class. If teachers update social media sites with class information it would get sent right to the students phone. They can easily check when something is due, find links for notes or extra information and easily contact teacher if they have questions about their work. Some argue that email is just as effective. I disagree. I check my social media constantly. I check my email only a few times during the day and hardly ever after the school day is done. Student would have the capability to read about class and their friends social life at the same time.

Having teachers and students being friends could also add another authoritative figure on social media. I’m not saying teachers should constantly be on the look out for cyberbullying but if they see it they could report it. Knowing that teachers can see interaction may steer students away from talking bad about a peer or staff member on social media. I mentioned that having a good learning environment for students is necessary and this is just another way that will be promoted. Students may be more comfortable with telling a teacher something interfering with the students achievement because the student sees that teachers have a personal life as well.

Of course there are the few mishaps that get reported on across the nation. Those few incidents shouldn’t make it impossible for students and teacher to interact online. Those same incidents could happen in the classroom just as easily. There are more benefits than drawbacks. I am friends with many of my teachers on Facebook. I find their posts to be funny, interesting and useful.

For more information on the “Facebook Law” check out http://on.ksdk.com/NAVqoT

To learn more about advantages, cyberbullying and other laws check out http://bit.ly/1fqsAiT

Using Pinterest for class success

I recently read two articles that mention using Pinterest in education.  I don’t understand how or why this would be a good choice. There is only a place for pinning ideas to a board. Where is the communication in that? How does that help students? After doing some research I came across an article on the Today website. The article explains how teacher, Melissa Dillard, transformed her classroom due to social media. The article link to a Pinterest board named “Teachers on Pinterest.” Using Pinterest provides a way for teachers to share ideas, promote a healthy environment while learning and other blogs for even more ideas.

Teachers on Pinterest offers boards Pre-K to sixth grade, classroom decorations, boards by subject, best school supplies and other blogs. With that many boards, there should be something for every teacher. I found a lot of helpful ways to remember information and ways to present lesson that won’t bore young students. This is perfect for the not so creative teacher. Holding a students interest takes a lot of patience. I did not see a lot of actual worksheets and lesson plans. Most things on here are creative art projects for students to do. To maximize Pinterest usage maybe a board with actual worksheets would be beneficial. Teachers could compare how they teach and quiz their students.

This Pinterest board also offers plenty of ways to promote  a safe, fun environment for students. This board offers ways to discipline and rewards students which seems very useful. Students respond to rewards and prizes over getting lectured over what they did wrong, This board also has themed bulletin boards and ways to maximize space in the classroom. Decorating classrooms can also help students learn. There was ideas for incorporating the ABC’s, numbers, colors and months into the decorations.Once again, this would only be useful for the noncreative teacher.

I think the most beneficial board is the  Education blogs board. This links the authors of “Teachers on Pinterest” to their real blogs. This provides a more personal feel to the information they are sharing. Also, you can link their ideas to their personalities, find out more about a topic that interests you. This board is a great way to make teaching connections and find new ways to incorporate social media in the classroom. I think the educations blogs board needs more pins. There are a good amount of blogs but there could be more of a variety.

Overall, I think Teachers on Pinterest is a helpful tool for elementary teachers. The organization is a little messy and I could see where some teachers wouldn’t want to scroll through all the pins. This is most beneficial for non creative teachers. It’s not for teachers that need help with lesson plans or worksheets. Teachers on Pinerest only goes up to sixth grade so now my question is how can Pinterest be used in higher education? Pinterest could be a great place to share news articles. It could be a way for students to show articles in class and to their teachers. Pinterest isn’t as popular as Facebook or Twitter so I’m curious to see what direction Pinterest will use to get more students and teacher users.

Here is the link for how Melissa Dillard changed her classroom completely http://on.today.com/12seDhC

Check out Teachers on Pinterest for more teaching techniques! http://pinterest.com/teachers/

Using social media in the classroom: The basics

How can social media be used in class? It is helpful or a distraction? Social media can be used for comparing ideas, promoting or sharing information quickly. I don’t always prefer to use social media in the classroom. I think social media is being pushed too hard and people haven’t thought about the negative effects. Social media can have negative effects because it limits face to face conversations, causes distractions and could cause student conflict.

Our generation is becoming accustomed to talking online and through text messages not face to face. Having students share their thoughts online may be convenient for teachers and students but it wont help students receive a good job. Being able to speak in public is necessary for any job position. Students need practice speaking in front of others,not just typing away on their computers. Online discussions could easily be held as an in class discussion. The same topics can be discussed and students would have instant responses instead of waiting for their classmates to reply in a discussion.

Multitasking is common today. Student think they perform better multitasking. A study showed that student cannot multitask and those students do worse than those that focus on one topic. Using Facebook or Twitter for class could result in more distractions. I always have my personal Facebook account up. Whether I’m doing homework or not. All my classes require social media as a learning tool. I find myself checking email, tweeting or reading articles while working on school assignments. Yes, this is a time management issue. Personal accounts and the web provide too many ways for students to forget about studies.

Cyberbullying has been an issue among students for a while now. Engaging in conversation over social media for class could potentially cause an argument. Controversial topics are common in classroom so what happens when that carries on to an online discussion? Feelings could get hurt or something could be taken the wrong way. If a discussion gets out of hand, would a student target another student based off their opinion? These questions need to be addressed before considering using social media in the classroom.

I think social media can be worked into classrooms but not replace traditional teaching. Students learn best in person and with pen and paper. I think social media can be incorporated into lesson and can be a useful tool. Reading articles, reviewing tweets and viewing multimedia pieces can help visual learners. Maybe I am old fashioned but I like hard copies of my assignments.  I don’t want to rely on Twitter and Facebook for information about my classes. Some questions to ask before turning to social media are what is the purpose of using social media and will students learn the best this way?

The Price of Higher Education

College tuition keeps rising every year. More and more students are getting turned down for loans and cannot attend their school of choice. Going to college isn’t optional anymore. All careers need some sort of degree. Earlier this week Obama introduced a new college rating system. This proposal will be helpful because it will give colleges incentives, rate schools based off graduate earnings and tuition and encourage more lower and middle students to apply for college. 

This proposal plan should come in effect by 2015. Obama is trying to give colleges more money if students who received pell grants graduated. This is a good idea because it will encourage colleges to take more diverse students and not just upper class students. It will also help lower the cost of tuition since colleges are getting some money back from the government. On the downside; small colleges will not receive as much money. 

The ratings will be based off the affordability of the college, number of graduates and earnings of graduates. I think this is a effective way to rate but GPA should become a factor. The end goal of college is to graduate and earn more money but how well students retain the information they learn there is important. A college should get rewarded for having a high overall GPA and students should get more money offered to them if they choose to attend a school with a good GPA. 

If a college is ranked well then students have the opportunity to receive more loans and grants for these schools. This will open the door for many students who are afraid to apply to a well known school becasue they will have a higher chance of being able to afford it. 

Higher education should be a right and not just a privilege. The first thing an employer looks at is education. Students who cannot afford college are missing out on great jobs. They may even be more well suited for a job than someone who could pay for their education. Obama’s plan seems to lack flaws and will help students achieve their goals.

The information in this blog is based off USA Today and Journal TImes. For more information check out http://bit.ly/18bMj1U and http://usat.ly/177pLlU