Frameworks Discussion

I agree with Bill in that the articles are concerned that online learning has only been used as an extension of the traditional classroom. I am interested in the Community of Inquiry communication medium proposed by Garrison et al. The model could be the key to bringing online learning away from traditional learning while keeping some of the aspects that allow students to learn. Some of my best learning experiences in traditional classrooms have been those that were started (by subject matter) by the teacher then allowed me to go forth and read/study the subject and then engage in discussion with others learning. The teacher did not stand in front of me telling me what I should know and how I should think about the subject. As Amuary put it, the teacher was not necessarily the knowledge provider but the knowledge guider. I believe the teacher is not only engrained in the learning experience but is a necessary part. Change is hard to deal with so some teachers may not want online learning to go any farther than an extension of the traditional classroom. Possibly more thinking of this nature will allow them to see that their role is not going to disappear and allow them to move beyond traditional teaching. As I write this, it makes me wonder if teachers and students are the ones that are not allowing online learning to move forward...

Do Guides Transfer? - Curtis Jay Bonk (Sep 16, 2005 1:22 am)

Well, Christina, if online fosters a more guided learning approach, does this transfer to face-to-face and other forms of instructional delivery? Do teachers consistently and explicitly reflect on their new teaching techniques? How can we foster this? I wonder if anyone has studied this? Someone asked me this question recently and I think it was in terms of a potential dissertation research project. I think a doctorate to see whether guided leanring online transfers to other environments would be an interesting and important piece of research. What say you?