“Online courses were the most brutal confrontation with what was lacking in me as a good student. Being forced to teach myself, I became more aware of all my scholastic shortcomings. My faults were never as evident as when I first started out. I was always confused, had trouble following directions, could not focus on the task at hand, and expected to be hand-fed all the information. Crestfallen by these heart-breaking revelations, I desperately wanted to redeem myself.
“Finally straight fromt he horses mouth.. If you who seem to be more advanced then the average rank and file city student realize your own resposibilty in the learnig process might we also infer that other students face this very same thing? I mention this not as a put down to students but rather to highlight the fact that there is another part to the equation that is hardley brought up and that is student responsibility for their own learning. In this data driven world we live in right now teachers arebeing held accountable for student outcomes and there is a movement afoot to have their pay tied to this as well. Its right to hold to the teacher to some mearuable accountability but to leave out the role student responsibility plays in the outcome is folly. I just wanted to thank you for your forthright honesty in highlighting you experience as a learner.. By the way I took my masters classes online.. They were tougher then any class I ever sat for in college. Good Luck

I really appreciate your opinion on the NYC iSchool. It seems really interesting. I’m definitely putting it on my application. I really loved the blog. It was well written. Thank you.

I first started developing better self-restraint skills when I realized what the trade-off was. Either I adapted to the courses or I failed my classes. Though this may seem like a harsh, sink-or-swim situation, this just demonstrates the necessary attitude when presented with a new and often unconventional idea. Initial bewilderment is often a given when there is a change or the creation of a new method: online learning means learning a new method.

To answer your second question, I doubt the lack of advancements occurring in schools is intentional. I think that with everything that has already been adressed and improved, the full adoption of this school model hasn’t represented a definite priority. I am sure more schools will follow this initiative.

Angelica

While I strongly agree with online learning, I don’t think that we should abolish the original teaching methods altogether. The online courses should be the product of intensive collaboration by both teachers and students (for example, in the beginning we gave teachers suggestions regarding the clarity of the material and the difficulties we encountered). Also, in some courses such as Living Environments, we review what we learned online, especially what the teacher finds we struggled in during tests. This process proves effective, as we get the best from both sides of the spectrum: the lecture classes, as well as the independence from the online ones.

Hope that answered your question!
Angelica