Szep, J. (2008) Technology reshapes America's classrooms. Reuters. Retrieved from:
Summary:
America's education landscape is changing Say goodbye to notepads, paper, textbooks, and say hello to online courses, kid-friendly laptops and virtual teachers. Schools around the nation are adopting virtual classes to cut education costs and teach more effective lessons. Online lessons are tailored to children specifically, allowing for a wide range of learners to be one classroom. A teacher no longer needs a one-size-fits-all lesson plan. This can lead to a reduction in the demand for teachers-- with everyone on the computer, not as many teachers are required to maintain order. Additionally, a lot of private companies are pushing for state education to adopt new computer classes. There is a lot of money to be had if they can get states to switch over to digital education.
Reaction:
When I first read this article, my initial reaction was fear. As a teacher-candidate, I already know that the job market for me is going to be really tough. Now, I'm reading an article that says online courses are going to reduce the demand for teachers even further? Yikes! I decided to do some additional research on the issue, since the article was written in 2008 and I wanted to get the most up-to-date information. Apparently, new research has shown that blended instruction, a combination of one-on-one teacher/pupil interaction and online instruction is the most effective. The Department of Education has released a statement saying that it supports blended instruction, and not replacing teachers with online classes. That is good news for me!
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