When a killer uses a knife, it is a murderer's tool to kill."
-Soyeon Kim-
My action research topic is on "maximizing art-making time through online critique using digital portfolio." As I was collecting Cycle 2 data from my students, one mentioned in his response.
“...However, I sometimes do not agree with this new online system because even though it may be a great new method to help each other out, this whole online thing isolates us from reality. What does it matter if we critique online, in our future careers most of us will have to learn to talk in person most of time. The online critiques might decrease our ability to confidently speak in front of another.”
It made me think and I really appreciated his honest concern when he mentioned “online thing isolates us from reality.” I had a similar concern with this student before I took Full Sail Online Program. I sometimes saw on newspaper articles that virtual world or online games influenced people in negative ways. I saw chatting were blocked in work places because people constantly chatted online and got distracted by it. If I were the boss, I would be mad and blocked them too when my workers got distracted by personal chatting.
In contrast, I have observed many times online tools were used in promoting better communications. I have been in the United States for 16 years and I still have contacted my old friends through social networking sites. My friend update their lives and share with other people all the time. My fiancé is in Grand Rapid, Michigan and I am New York but I talk to him all the time. As soon as I go home, I start video chatting with him and spend time talking and even watching TV together. This is a good communication tool for us till we get married. Can you imagine us doing it even after we get married without seeing each other in person at all? That sounds terrible. What is the whole point of seeing each other online if we are not going to see each in person at all? I mean we see each other in person and online.
My point is that online tools cannot be the only communication tool when one really is trying to have a close personal relation with someone. It is an asset to whatever existing. However, depending on how one uses it, one can really communicate in depth for business and educational purposes.
When I compare traditional college with online college that I attended, I see rare difference on how they impacted my learning. Even though I have never physically met any of my Full Sail University faculty or classmates, I felt as close as I was with traditional college classmates and faculty. The way Full Sail faculty and classmates interacted was as valuable as the other way around. There were specific feedbacks, videos, synchronous class, project sharing, social networking and games. I have learned my thought clearly with more people through blogs and discussions. Ironically, I have gained confidence of speaking in front of people because of so many media presentation projects.
In conclusion, I realized that it is not so much about technology that decrease the ability to speak in front of others or isolation from reality. It is the way people uses technology as tools. Tools have no value until people put positive or negative value in it.
Soyeon - I really appreciate your perspective on the pros and cons of using certain tools, particularly in communication. I think that it makes sense that, as you highlight, certain tools can be the sole option in certain instances. Communication online, like with your long distance communication with your fiancé, could be the only available option. Still, it is less than ideal when compared to the live, face-to-face communication that we crave as human beings.
ReplyDeleteFrom what you say about the connections that you have made with professors and classmates through Full Sail Online, what I am hearing in your post is that sometimes we take what is not ideal and compensate for it. For me, since I know that I do not have the live connections with my classmates in FSO, I have made a point to use FSO differently and interact differently with my classmates and professors so that I can feel that connection. For example, I often send text chats to my past class group project members during Wimba sessions just to say a quick hello. In a live classroom, I would probably be more likely to just focus on the professor and not worry so much about interaction. It’s not to say that I wouldn’t be friendly, I would just not feel the strong motivation to make sure to stay connected because I would assume that my presence alone would indicate my connection with the group.
What I appreciated in the reading for this week is that it helped me to see that perspective is what makes our reality and this is exactly what you have so effectively highlighted in your post.
Thank you for your comment. You have a valuable point that " sometimes we take what is not ideal and compensate for it."
ReplyDeleteI really want to make an open discussion with my kids and see what they have to say about it.
It was interesting to read about your student, and his concerns about the online system you set up for your class. It's ironic that he pointed out the isolation aspect, because my husband and I just finished a conversation about the positive and negative aspects that accompany this new era of networking and online communications. Our concerns dealt with the ability for fringe people that have extreme ideas and are typically isolated, now having the ability to find like minded extremists and essentially support each other in potentially extreme and off balance conversation. Connecting the isolation your student talked about and the isolation my husband and I talked about is a stretch, but looking at the positive and negative aspects of online communications is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the response from you student. At first it really shocked me because I did not realized that students actually viewed the online environment as isolation. So many of my students are on facebook and or Myspace and it has become an intricate part of their "socializing lives." I found it interesting that this particular reflected on the need to be able to interact in conversation with a human rather then a computer. This has given me new hope for the future!
ReplyDeleteI was amazed at your students quote. I do see both sides of the coin in this situation. I would have taken away the chatted if my employees were doing more of that than working. I do however see how valuable it is. As you said I have not met any of my fellow Full Sail students but feel that through chatting and video I really know whom they are and have created a bond with them. In my district so many things are blocked and I am wondering if it is because they think students will not do there work if they are able to access Facebook, ichat, etc. I look at as another way for students to interact with others in different states and countries and how that would influence their learning.
ReplyDeleteYour student was very brave to express his opinion. I think the most important aspect of his concern is that there must be a proper blend while incorporating Web 2.0 into the curriculum. There must be a mix of both intimate contact and digital communication. Social skills are a huge part of education and I do think there should be some concern that digital tools could hinder social growth.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that today's students really do need to be fluent at both face-to-face communication and digital methods. Teaching for real life experience students need to be prepared for many modes of communication.
The reason you don't notice as much difference from your online learning to classroom learning is because at the University level I think that most students have already developed their social abilities.
The more I think about it, online communication is for formal and superficial relationship. At the same time, just like what Beckie said, people can really write what they think and spread it. The influence people make each other through online is greater than I have ever expected. It is up to really how one uses it.
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