The article I chose to critique for topic 8 was very informative. I had only read the first few pages before I had to download the .pdf so I could highlight and mark up the document in order to share it with others at my school. I fired off several emails to my co-workers with quotes from the article as I read it through. The first of these was, "in the virtual classroom, every student is in the front row because he or she has one-to-one interaction with the teacher and is directly accountable for every query, question, or exercise," (McFarlane, 2011). This quote made me excited because it is what we have been seeing with our attempts at using Edmodo as an additional resource for students who want to work beyond the classroom setting.
This is not to say that online learning is a panacea or a solution for all students. The author of this article, Donovan McFarlane, outlines the pros and cons of both online and face to face instruction. My reading of this article helped me better understand that it is the individual student that matters. Each student has different needs and goals that have to be considered in order to determine what method of instruction is a better fit.
McFarlane, D. A. (2011). Are There Differences in the Organizational Structure and Pedagogical Approach of Virtual and Brick-and-Mortar Schools. Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900), 3(2), 83-98.
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