After a whole semester of researching technology in the classroom, I have come to a final conclusion about technology in the classroom and the Florida graduation requirement. I have spent a large amount of time looking through academic journals and academic articles. Psychology will do that to you, get you so wrapped up in the research and science of it all, that you lose sight of the big picture.
The big picture in this case, is how does this new technology guideline effect students in the long run. So I wanted that first hand knowledge, I asked a recent Florida public high school graduate how technology has effected his current college course work. Attached below is our interview:
Interviewer: Did your high school require you to take a class online?
Interviewee: Yes, I took a advanced placement class online
Interviewer: Did you feel that taking an advanced placement class online was sufficient preparation for the end of course exam?
Interviewee: Yes, my online teacher was actually my most involved teacher that I have had in high school. I scored a 5 ( the highest score) on my exam
Interviewer: Now that you are in college, do you think that your traditional " non-online" courses prepare you for your college courses?
Interviewee: I think that my advanced placement courses definitely had a hand in preparing me for college.
Interviewer: You mentioned that the online course you took was advanced placement. Do you think that course was as helpful in preparing your for college as your traditional advanced placement courses?
Interviewee: Absolutely, I did not mention that the class that I took online was Advanced Placement Computer Science. I am now a computer science major because of the interest that I found in it from my AP course.
Interviewer: What do you think made you enjoy this course so much?
Interviewee: Well, I really liked that I could complete the course at my own pace, and my instructor was pretty much available at any time. I did not feel like a number, my teacher knew me, as a person.
Interviewer: Do you regret not taking more of your advanced placement courses online?
Interviewee: Yes and No. Yes I enjoyed my experience with AP Comp. Science, but I would only want to take more courses online if I could ensure that my instructor was just as knowledgable and as helpful.
I think the most interesting part of the interview was that the college student saw both the pros and cons of the online course requirement. I thought the approach of individually asking my own questions was also much more direct than shifting through countless academic journals, though I understand that academic foundation is necessary in order to make a claim. Overall, I have enjoyed researching this topic and have learned alot!
