Technology has played an important role in
the learning system, but it can also be detrimental to education. At first sight, web-based resources open the door to further education
for many individuals who lack the conditions to do it any other way allowing
people to gain a degree while still working full-time. However, when people
decide to get enrolled in some virtual graduate or undergraduate programs, they
miss the chance to interact face to face with others.
Supporters of virtual education argue
that online learning may be more student centered and it can accommodate
different learning styles. To a certain extent they are right since studying in
this way represents self-paced learning,
while reducing the travel, time and cost for attending face to face instruction. However, this type of
learning may represent loss of
motivation and high rate of failures and drop-outs, because there is not direct
interaction with the professor and other students.
Dzakiria (2005) reveals that one of the greatest problems
experienced by distance learners is feelings of isolation, which makes the
possibility of a trusting relationship between the learners with the teachers
and with other learners difficult. Such evidence is parallel to Walker’s (in
Vrasidas & Glass, 2002) discussion of his paper entitled “Is anybody there?
The Embodiment of Knowledge in Virtual Environments”, a plea not just for
information but also for contact, for human presence... Such isolation
according to Simpson (2002) must inhibit, if not prevent “any possibility of
dialogue” in learning, and interferes with the learning process.
Opponents of traditional learning-enforced in
the classroom- argue that virtual education allows students to easily manage
their assignments and assessment submissions, and evaluate their performance. However;
the learning process requires not only the acquisition and management of new
information, but also the communication and interaction with others. At this
point is important to emphasize the findings of some constructivists such as Vygotsky
and Maria Montessori. They stressed
the importance of the nature of the learner's social interaction with
knowledgeable members of the society. They also stated that without the social
interaction with other more knowledgeable people, it is impossible to acquire
social meaning of important symbol systems and learn how to utilize them in an
appropriate way. Actually, the students can enhance their learning in a classroom, where
they get involved in cooperative tasks. Furthermore, they can enrich their
knowledge or sort out their doubts with the help of somebody else. Some constructivist scholars agree with this and
emphasize that individuals make meanings through the interactions with each
other and with the environment they live in.
Interaction is
what makes people better communicators , especially in the academic field
because they have the chance to strengthen their personal characteristics such
as patience, respect for others, self awareness, kindness, intelligence,
tolerance and sociability. Nevertheless, if technology empowers of education,
its social emphasis will turn into a more mechanical process and the social
dimension will be shifted away.
To sum up, technology can enhance
traditional methods of learning but cannot replace the human touch. Although
internet offers many opportunities to succeed in the academic process; the
energy and spontaneity of discussion among people sitting together in a small
room cannot be replicated by electronic exchanges. People should think about
education as a more valuable experience if it is developed in a communicative
context.
REFERENCES
·
Dzakiria,
Hisham. The Role of Learning
Support in Open & Distance Learning: Learners’ experiences and
perspectives. Malaysia ,University Utara Malaysia: 2005.
·
Turkish Online Journal of Distance
Education-TOJDE April 2005 ISSN 1302-6488 Volume :6 Number: 2
· Walker, R. (2002) Is there anyone there? The
embodiment of knowledge in virtual environments. In C. Vraasidas & G. Glass
(eds.), Distance education and
distributed learning (pp.99-114),
Greenwich , Connecticut : Information Age Publishing
·
Simpson, O. (2002).
Supporting Students in Online, Open and Distance Learning (2 nd edition),
London : Kogan Page.
·
McLeod, S. A. (2010). Zone of Proximal Development. Retrieved
from http://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html
·
Abrahamson, C. E. (1998) Issues in interactive
communication in distance education, College Student
Journal, 32(1), 33–43.
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