It was not long ago that I was sitting in a high school classroom. I remember taking notes, taking tests, and turning in projects. All of these tasks had one thing in common, other than being school related of course, I did all of these things by hand and in front of my instructor. Four years have passed, and I am hearing all sorts of new thing going on at my alma matar. First, students have been given chrome-books to use during school through the " 1:1 Initiative" . Second, it is now a graduation requirement in the state of Florida for students to complete at-least one course online.
My research question stems from this new graduation requirement. " Why is it mandatory requirement for students to complete at least one course online?" I am so interested in this question, mostly because I am so against online schooling. I think that it takes a certain kind of student to take an online course and I also think that not all subjects can be taught through a computer screen. I know myself as a student and I know that I am the kind of student that needs the face to face instruction of a traditional classroom.
I have a theory about why Florida is instituting the online course requirement, which I could be totally wrong. I think that instituting the new high school online graduation requirement is a preparatory measure towards what students at the university level face. Through my high school classmates, that chose to stay at a Florida state institution, I have gathered that many university students are forced to take a class online. I can't help but feel frustrated for my friends, nothing would make me more angry than taking a Chemistry class online while paying a hefty tuition fee. Thus, because of the large student populations at state universities, students are being forced to take courses online.
In order to explore this more, I plan on looking at press releases from the school board and statistics from Florida's state universities. I think it would also be interesting to hear from students themselves, at the high school and college level. What do they think about taking courses online? Am I really the only one that needs that face to face interaction?
Hashtags: #FLVS #FlordiaVirtual
Follow: @FLTeachonline
I agree with you! I am such a kinesthetic learner and face-to-face interaction is so important to me! I have always chosen to avoid online classes because I know that it isn't how I learn best. So, if I had been required to take one in high school I wouldn't have been too happy either! I am excited to read more about your research into this topic.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you!!! I was born in Florida and all of my cousins were born and raised in the Florida school system and now attend FSU. I would love to hear of more personal accounts on the matter! You chose a great topic and I can't wait to follow your blog throughout the semester!
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