Diego
Greetings! When it comes to education, I believe that learning is a life-long process from which no one is or should be excluded. Although the bulk of my education has been in a face to face environment, I have had and embraced the opportunity to take many of my courses online. Although there is a learning curve in online learning, the benefits are well worth the effort. For example, collaborating with others across the globe is a unique and valuable experience that is made possible through modern technology. In terms of technology, although it also has its limitations and is not to be regarded as a replacement for good teaching/learning, it is a tool that empowers communication and collaboration in both old and new ways. Most importantly, it is these new tools that extend the concept of learning communities and communities of practice beyond the traditional boundaries of space and time, and that foster the collective construction of knowledge and experience. Collaboration being, by default, experiential, allows for a more holistic education that values the acquisition and verification of knowledge by self and in relationships with peers.
Of course, online education is not necessarily to be regarded as a replacement for a bricks-and-mortar education, it is certainly just another option that may be particularly suitable for some, for example, working professionals and/or those living in remote areas. In fact, it does not have to be one or the other, as they can both co-exist and compliment each other quite well. Ironically, although online education/learning is often perceived as being easier and/or less work, it can oftentimes be more work in terms of the amount of time it requires. Albeit, how the necessary time is scheduled is more flexible in a modern Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) online environment than in a traditional Face to Face (F2F) one.
One of the most valuable experiences that I have had as an educator, has been volunteering with the One World Youth Arts Project (OWYAP); a modern curriculum-based program that creates music with technology. Not being a formally trained artist or musician, I quickly realized that technology and arts (the outer game) skills can be learned but that, ultimately, they can also serve as the medium by which students and teachers can achieve a more holistic and higher form of education (the inner game): self-actualization. In many ways, some of the best and most memorable courses that I have either taken as a student or taught as a teacher, have been those that have taught me not just the hard skills that the workplace requires, but also the soft skills and self-consciousness that the world so desperately needs.
As you embark on your own professional and personal journey, I hope that online learning and technology can help you achieve your dreams/goals... and that the information, resources, and tools that our team has put together for you on this website can serve to make your travels a little smoother :-)
Of course, online education is not necessarily to be regarded as a replacement for a bricks-and-mortar education, it is certainly just another option that may be particularly suitable for some, for example, working professionals and/or those living in remote areas. In fact, it does not have to be one or the other, as they can both co-exist and compliment each other quite well. Ironically, although online education/learning is often perceived as being easier and/or less work, it can oftentimes be more work in terms of the amount of time it requires. Albeit, how the necessary time is scheduled is more flexible in a modern Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) online environment than in a traditional Face to Face (F2F) one.
One of the most valuable experiences that I have had as an educator, has been volunteering with the One World Youth Arts Project (OWYAP); a modern curriculum-based program that creates music with technology. Not being a formally trained artist or musician, I quickly realized that technology and arts (the outer game) skills can be learned but that, ultimately, they can also serve as the medium by which students and teachers can achieve a more holistic and higher form of education (the inner game): self-actualization. In many ways, some of the best and most memorable courses that I have either taken as a student or taught as a teacher, have been those that have taught me not just the hard skills that the workplace requires, but also the soft skills and self-consciousness that the world so desperately needs.
As you embark on your own professional and personal journey, I hope that online learning and technology can help you achieve your dreams/goals... and that the information, resources, and tools that our team has put together for you on this website can serve to make your travels a little smoother :-)
Advanced User
Remember that even us advanced users can still act/feel like newbies when old technologies are updated and/or new technologies arise. Perhaps the key is to never ever stop learning: learn from what others know, and teach others what you know. As advanced users, although some technologies that we are/were perhaps proficient in may now be obsolete, oftentimes we are able to find similarities between the old/obsolete and the new/current, in other words, some of our skills are transferable... we just have to be cautious in our assumptions! Being an advanced user is exciting because we still have more to learn before we become experts, yet we have the confidence to go out and learn. One important aspect of being an advanced user is our role in helping those with less experience/knowledge than us... after all, we were once novice users and intermediate users... not long ago!