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Today I have Jessica Cortez guest blogging. Please be sure to check out her unique guest post. Guest posts are always welcome, please contact me.E-Learning, is, without doubt, one of the most exciting technological developments of our age. While there are millions of "trends" occurring right now, all fueled by the Internet, e-Learning is one such phenomenon that has transcended Web fashions that seem to always come and go. E-learning is here, and it's here to stay.
Perhaps the only way to combat perennial global problems like poverty, the spread of disease, and violent conflict, is through education. E-learning makes education affordable and available to all. The power of this simply cannot be understated.
Both on the Net and within academic circles we hear ad infinitum about the new methods in teaching that e-learning as a whole has developed. However, something that I'm particularly interested in is examining valuable lessons distance educators can import from traditional academia. To be sure, many aspects of the Ivory Tower are slowly but surely crumbling and I have no reservations about rejoicing in this. Old, entrenched ideas must necessarily be constantly questioned, re-envisioned when necessary, and disposed of entirely if new problems and challenges arise.
My personal academic background, I must shamefully admit, was solidly brick-and-mortar. And I graduated from my alma mater--an insular, private, unconscionably pretentious school--quite bitter about the state of higher education. Yet there were, of course, some things I learned that have changed me and my worldview for the better. I firmly believe that some of these personal and intellectual improvements were accomplished in specific ways. We in the business of fashioning the future of e-earning should retain some aspects from the past. Development, as the saying goes, is built up by standing on the shoulders of giants.
One such giant is our established canon of philosophy and literature. These simply cannot be forgotten, because they give us a structured sense of our development as human beings. Another, closely related aspect of academia which is not as emphasized in our supposedly "traditional" curriculum as much as it should be is primary sources. The wonders of Wikipedia notwithstanding, we should be sure to still place value on the "straight from the horse's mouth" method. And of course, one aspect that I particularly enjoyed at my university was seeking and maintaining a rapport with professors. This hardly happens in larger traditional university settings, although I experienced it to a measured extent at my school. E-learning, fueled by the Internet's connectivity, is the perfect platform to foster a healthy, intellectually stimulating student-educator relationship.
These are only a few ideas that retain the valuable lessons we've learned from a traditional educational system that is experiencing many, not so forward-thinking upheavals. Whatever the future of the brick-and-mortar university, e-learning must take the reins and think carefully about its future trajectory now that it is still in its early stages. For the future of online education, now is an absolutely critical time.
This guest post is contributed by Jessica Cortez, who writes on the topics of online degree programs.
She welcomes your comments at her email Id: cortez.jessi23@gmail.com.
Many thanks to Jessica Cortez.
Enjoy your reading!
