Saturday, May 5, 2012

Technology


Dean DeGroot
Eng. 102
Laura Cline
5 May 2012
Technology!
            What can I say that has not already been said?  Online learning is not as enjoyable to me as classroom based learning. I enjoy human contact and real interaction. In the classroom when there is a debate that I don’t partake in verbally, I can still benefit by listening. The benefits to online learning for me are; flexibility, and the ability to pause and/or rewind the instructor’s online lectures.
            My children, who are now 19 and 22, came home from kindergarten with photocopies of computer keyboards. They have grown up with a technology that I rejected until two years ago. I cannot begin to explain how much I have learned to a younger generation that has grown up utilizing it. The more I learn about technology the more I realize I don’t know. The trick that I learned this semester that I utilize now on a regular basis is hyperlinking.  Hyperlinking is so easy, but until this semester I had never been exposed to it and didn’t know it existed.
            English, for me has always been a difficult subject. I cannot say that my English 101 class was any easier because it was classroom based. My good ole boy concept of English class has always been; proper punctuation and sentence structure. Although those are important my concepts have changed and I continue to relish in the challenges of being a non-traditional student.
            “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow” (Ronald E. Osborn) http://www.iwise.com/Ronald_E_Osborn

3 comments:

  1. Hello Dean,
    English has always been a very difficult subject for me also. This class wasn't any better! I am so glad to be done! I did really enjoy all the different aspects of technology that we got to learn this semester. I have taken a lot of online classes, but never any like this. I had never used a hyperlink before either. Now I have a blog, have created presentations on Prezi.com and through power point, and many other things! Hope you enjoyed the semester and good luck to you.

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  2. Dean,
    I agree with most of what you say in this post. I prefer classroom based learning because the kinesthetic aspect is emphasized much more. While greater flexibility and 24/7 access to online lectures is a plus, they simply cannot replace face-to-face interaction. Technology is progressing exponentially and if one does not make a significant effort to keep up, they will surely fall behind. This also begs the question; how much is really necessary? Proper punctuation and sentence structure is a great place to begin the study of English; however, as we learned from literary analysis, there is much more involved. Embrace your non-traditional approach and steer clear of the sheep. Best of luck in your future education.
    -Aaron

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  3. Dean,
    I can relate to some of the challanges of online learning that you had written. I have never done a blog before or used a hyperlink in assignments. I learned using it on a powerpoint class, but never had to use it in any other of my online classes. I enjoyed your cartoon character in your blog, and is how I have felt many times in this class. I always enjoyed your blogs this semester, and good luck in the future.

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