What are the similarities and differences between f2f classrooms and VLEs?

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What are the similarities and differences between f2f classrooms and VLEs?

2/18/2015

If you missed mast last post, The Race is On..., take a minute to go back and check it out. I think it may be encouraging to you as you face the end of this winter season and the beginning of wrapping up these months of schooling.

This week I have spent much of my time pondering what are the biggest differences in educating students online versus in face-to-face(f2f) classrooms. In theory, a teacher is trying to accomplish the same aims, in terms of content, whether the instruction takes place in a virtual learning environment (VLE) or in a f2f classroom. However, the strategies and techniques for creating community, establishing norms, reinforcing classroom policies and procedures, and facilitating discussions and interactions take on completely new forms (and likely require more involvement on the teachers part) than in the f2f classroom.

While wrapping up my reading for my third ROL annotated bibliography (again looking at online learning, but specifically online discussion boards) I came to the idea that perhaps a giant Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting online education and f2f instruction would be an appealing avenue for presenting my ideas later this Spring. I think I have plenty of information to accomplish this, but I am not jumping on it yet because I fear I have too much information and am worried that all my work will not show well the differences and similarities between the two. This is because even as I begin to explain or try to define the difference I have experienced, I struggle to communicate how even though the aim of the content is similar and that there are tools available to implement many of the IDEA concepts, I just can't seem to make it clear to myself or others why teaching online seems so much more challenging and less rewarding than f2f instruction.

Perhaps it is simply my own personal bias toward online education? Perhaps it is my particular VLE and the polices of the school (that hinder my ability to implement good instructional tools)? Or a combination of the two.

Yet, it is not that part of it that has me so frustrated. It is that I feel I am unable to clearly communicate exactly my perceptions of online education (even after doing loads of research and being an online teacher). And if I have such a hard time with coming to a conclusion on how/if online education is effective, do others not also struggle to determine if online learning is actually a good thing? How much time do other teachers in the online world of education take to reflect on whether how they teach is effective?

Maybe the rub lies in that as an online educator I have no one to ask these questions to? I have no relational-colleagial support network to bounce ideas of from or to seek out answers to questions I have about best practice and adapting f2f teaching to my VLE.

Then I wonder, what are f2f teachers perceptions of online education at the middle and high school level? Are there even perceptions out there? If so, what are teachers in f2f classrooms saying about the online education alternatives available to students (prior to college)?

7 Comments

Grant

2/19/2015 06:36:20 am

Commenting on The Race is On post, I think the end is always there but for all of us in our action research, it is merely the half-way point. What revisions can we make to improve upon our current action research? What went wrong and how could I improve it? How can I take my data and apply it all over again? The process is very cyclical so the end is merely the end of the program in my eyes.

In regards to your action research? Why do you support online learning? What are you struggling with when it comes to voicing your opinion? What key points do you want to express about your online experience? What has your data shown you in regards to your research?

Jaci

2/26/2015 12:59:30 am

Great questions for me to ponder! I don't know that I can answer all of them in one comment (or even one post). To start, I honestly have a hard time supporting online learning because in some ways it goes against what I feel is the greatest aspect of teaching--being in direct contact with students on a daily basis. But I have to admit that online learning is not going away and the world of online learning needs some really great teachers who can take the content and relational aspects of teaching and figure out how to effectively use the tools of technology to grow students as learners and also as people. I simply struggle to feel like I know how to do this well in the context of my virtual learning environment (VLE). What I need to figure out is whether it the format the school has set-up that is the problem, or if I am simply not cutout to be an online teacher because I can't get over my own biases that favor classroom education. I am guessing the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
My research confirmed that building relationships with students (and students feeling a sense of community and commitment to the learning community) is necessary for engagement and to decrease dropout rates. So, I have the research to back that teaching online is about more than content. However, building that community is VERY time consuming and quite honestly, I feel like I simply run out of time to actually know the students (maybe because I don't ever see their faces and we meet one day a week). Thus, I don't know if it is the system that is causing my frustration or my own limitations that is leading me to have a negative impression of online teaching. But within all of my research and experiences I have learned a lot about myself, instruction, technology and the need for high quality educators in the virtual world of education.

Grant

3/2/2015 02:46:43 am

Jaci--It sounds like one of your biggest struggles is getting feedback from students whether they understand the material or not? I feel when you teach f2f you get to see students expressions and get immediate questions if something is overwhelmingly confusing and you don't have those opportunities in a VLE. Is this a good conclusion?
Are there ways to alleviate this in a VLE community?

Ethan Simonson

2/24/2015 03:19:49 am

You have a whole host of challenges with your set up that I can't even imagine. It is so helpful to bounce ideas off of a colleague. Hopefully your AR is finishing up alright and you're getting something useful out of it.

Jaci

3/12/2015 01:14:27 am

You know, the crazy thing is that as hard as the experience has been, it has also been the most educational. Had I not faced opposition I would likely not have cared as much about my ROL or AR process. Because of what I was experiencing in my "classroom" I was able to value my master's work at a higher level. And now we are 1 month away from Spring Conference and I am pretty excited that I have all of the main parts of the project completed...now for planning an relevant and engaging conference session.

Lindsey

3/8/2015 06:52:37 am

Could you survey the experience of what is more pleasurable, memorable, etc. rather than straight up data since that appears the same. Questions about community and relationships? Could you survey your VLE students to see the support or nonsupport to online and then survey your Master's Community about face to face? Would something along these lines be beneficial?

Jaci

3/12/2015 01:15:50 am

Those are great ideas that I may need to look into for my next AR process. Thanks. I love questions.

Jaclyn Loween

EDUCATION
M. Ed. in Teaching and Learning, St. Mary’s University, Winona, Minnesota
B.A. in Communication Arts & Literature Education, grades 5-12, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota

TEACHING EXPERIENCES
Bachelor's & Master's program Writing & Communications, Education Instructor, Curriculum Director and Instructor, Writing Instructor, International Baccalaureate English Literature & Writing Teacher (South Korea), English Department Writing & Literacy Coach