Technology and Education

It is obvious, particularly through this course, that technology is playing an increasingly important role in the educational process. Advances in technology have allowed us to do things we never were able to do before in the classroom and have even, in some instances, gone so far as to replace the classroom. Whether or not this trend is a good thing has yet to be determined, but common knowledge would say that it is. Although there are some drawbacks to the new found reliance on some of the technology, the benefits far outweigh those drawbacks. The fact that I can take classes around my own personal schedule allows for me to get an education that otherwise would not be available to me. An elementary student or high school student who has to miss school while sick or for an extended period of time now has the ability to stay on pace with the rest of the class thanks to webcams and screencasts. Gone are the days of your mom picking up the work with a note attached, now the students mind, eyes, and focus can be in the classroom even if their body is physically elsewhere.

Here's some good related material on distance learning:

Advantages and Disadvantages of distance learning

Distance vs. Face-to-face