Because today's students are considered to be "digital natives" familiar with using technology in their everyday social lives, advancements in online education continue to sweep the nation. Online students are no longer restricted to specific school hours and often complete their work during the evenings, late at night, early in the morning, and on weekends. With the dismantling of the typical "school day," online learning also allows students the opportunity to interact in a classroom environment without geographic, ethnic, or socioeconomic restrictions that they might otherwise encounter in a traditional setting. Reasons for enrolling in online courses vary tremendously. Some students use the virtual venue to accelerate course work or to access additional electives not offered at smaller private or public schools. Other students may choose online classes for more flexible scheduling options, enabling them to participate in more extracurricular activities. Students attending full-time online programs can focus on the learning experience from the privacy of their homes rather than on catching a school bus, fighting traffic, or shuffling from class to class.
E-learning formats come in many shapes and sizes, with some classes structured similar to a standard 50-minute class session. From a teacher perspective, the online environment eliminates many classroom-management issues, allowing teachers to focus more directly on instruction rather than on behavioral issues. Through online learning, participation can often be more thought provoking and relevant as student input becomes a permanent record in the class.
Through virtual classes, schools and districts have access to a larger pool of qualified teachers not inhibited by geographic barriers. For example, small rural schools that incorporate virtual learning may have access to the expertise of qualified teachers in more-urban or -accessible geographic locations.
The skills students acquire in online courses help better prepare them for the 21st-century work force as well as for college. Information literacy is an acquired competency that is critical in order to maximize learning opportunities in an online class and will become more mainstream in a traditional classroom setting. Communication skills and the level of inquiry can improve when diverse learners' discussions go beyond content and seek mutual understanding. Virtual education has the potential to even the playing field and to help overcome socioeconomic barriers by providing quality curriculum, optimal instruction, and a wealth of resources. Well-designed courses with engaging chats and threaded discussion provide a venue for meaningful dialogue on subjects as well as opportunities for students to interact with other students in different time zones and belief systems, while engaging in collaborative discovery.
Finally, online learning gives students greater access to course electives not available at their own schools as well as the ability to accelerate graduation requirements and to seek instruction and learning according to their own schedules rather than instruction confined and directed by the traditional 50-minute bell. Virtual learning is in its infancy, but progressive educators are recognizing its potential applications for special-needs students, second-language learners, and at-risk students, as well as for gifted learners on the other end of the continuum. Integrating technology through multimedia and creative online classroom design can be adaptive to all disciplines and grade levels.
The virtual arena directly affects students who use digital media as an educational tool rather than just for socialization. Online social environments that libraries can use for educational-service purposes include chat or instant messaging, gaming, and other virtual spaces traditionally used for socialization such as MySpace or Facebook. Adapting these traditional virtual social spaces to be used for library support services can be effective in meeting students on their own virtual turf while enhancing the online environment for more-educational purposes. Media specialists also facilitate the use of Internet tools such as Google, Wikipedia, and free-versus-subscription Internet services. With such access, media specialists can help teachers further integrate Internet resources into their curriculum.
The digital face-lift of educational delivery also requires new levels of collaboration between administrators, curriculum developers, teachers, and media specialists to develop learning models that incorporate emerging technologies to enhance online courses. The leadership role of librarians and media specialists as architects who provide support in integrating premier virtual tools to online learners can help close achievement gaps and meet the individual needs of all types of learners.
Cited Source: Rohland-Heinrich, Nancy, & Jensen, Brian. (March-April 2007)Library resources: a critical component to online learning. In Multimedia & Internet@Schools.