Ashford MATLT Student Blog

Traditional v. Online Communication Traditional communication is different from online communication because traditional is instant and immediate.   Online communication has the flexibility to be accessed anytime and from anywhere, but there’s a delay that happens because it’s not face-to-face contact.   People can wait from minutes, to hours, to even days to receive a response from an email, text message, post, etc.   That’s one of the major drawbacks of online communication. An advantage of online communication for students is that it levels the playing field for everyone involved.   Students that tend to be more reserved can avoid the face-to-face interaction and write what they want without that contact and potential interruption of someone that has a more gregarious personality.   Students can also choose what they want to respond to, and to what length they want to respond, without fear of offending the person they’re talking to.   I like that on...

Blended Learning In this blog post, I will talk about blended and hybrid [G1]   learning and include definitions of them both.   I will explain whether hybrid and blended learning are the same and give an example of blended learning.   I feel blended learning is important to talk about when it comes to education and online learning because it’s one of the hot topics when it comes to discussing technology and integrating it with instruction.   It’s one of the aspects of the 21 st -century classroom and continues to grow. Blended learning is combining the traditional teaching methods with digital technology to enhance the educational experience.   It does not mean that technology does the job of the teacher in the classroom but really just adds to the overall learning of the students by creating a more engaging environment.   By utilizing technology in the classroom and blending it with traditional teaching methods, the st...

In this blog post I will be discussing the shifting roles of teachers and students as they move to online instruction versus traditional instruction.   There are different responsibilities that both students and teachers face when transitioning to an online environment, and by utilizing different techniques they can fulfill their role and teach and learn effectively. Traditional instruction is an instructor-led environment.   Instructors use white boards and various classroom tools to transfer the knowledge from the instructor to the student.   The student is passively learning in this particular environment.   In an online environment, the educator acts as a facilitator as opposed to an instructor.   Online educators have to design course material in a very clear, and concise format, in order for it to be understood by the students.   The instructor’s role is that of a resource, a moderator, facilitator, coach, monitor and adviser. ...