Is "Brick & Mortar" Relevant?

 As an English teacher, I am always reminding my students to think about his or her audience. Who are you trying to reach? What impact do you want to make on this group? It is important that I consider my audience while I am teaching, as well. How can I best reach this classroom full of teenagers?

As I dive into the terminology of blended and online education, a phrase that is often repeated is "brick and mortar." "Brick and mortar" refers to the traditional classroom setting, where students and teachers convene in an actual building for education. This has been the venue of public education for centuries. The question is now whether or not the traditional classroom setting, or brick or mortar setting, is the most productive and the most beneficial setting for both students and teachers. Will barriers be raised or broken with this move to blended learning?

One of the most obvious advantages to the brick and mortar setting is that synchronous learning happens on a daily basis. Students and teachers are in the same place at the same time to give and receive information. This allows for students to ask questions right away, teachers can receive feedback, and communication is instant. However, there are barriers that are inherent in this type of learning.

1) What if a student is absent?
2) What about students who need extended time to respond?
3) How do you keep your lessons current and relevant?

Fortunately, online learning can help break those barriers down. Online learning allows education become asynchronous, as well. This means that students and teachers can communicate with each other over an elapsed period of time. This can be done with blog (I am completing an assignment now!), discussion forums, or other assignment platforms. 

If a student is absent, he or she can complete his or her assignment at home or, at the very least, all the information is in one place for students to access. All educators should know that students work at different paces. Asynchronous allows students to work at their own pace, making it ideal differentiation for each student.

Finally, the easiest way to stay relevant in your teaching style is though technology. It's no secret that portable devices such as cell phones can be a distraction. However, these devices can also be harnessed to our advantage. Children of the internet age are born with iPhones in their hands. What better way to reach these students than by communicating with them in this fashion? Textbooks, curriculum, and programs are constantly being revised to stay relevant in our society - why aren't all teachers holding their methods to the same standard of relevance?

I am piloting a program called "My Big Campus," this year for my school. I describe it to my students as an academic Facebook. They can create profiles, chat, post pictures, comment on posts, and most importantly, complete assignments. Working through this program has let me see first hand how those three barriers are broken with online learning. While we work in same computer lab, they are working on their own pace and communicating with each other. Most students are already computer literate, so computer "training" takes very little classroom time. So far, My Big Campus has a success in my class because those three primary barriers were broken.

Online and blended learning is not perfect. If fact, it can raise some barriers, as well. While computers contain a wealth of knowledge, students can easily become distracted. Keeping students on task becomes a classroom management exercise. Technology is sometimes unreliable. The internet might be down, papers may not be saved properly, etc. Access to technology is one of the biggest issues at my school. I can do so many new and interesting lessons online, IF the computer lab is open. Only about 50%-60% of students have computer access at home, so actually getting students on a computer becomes a problem. 

That being said, I believe, with online learning, the pros outweigh the cons. There will always be barriers in the classroom, but if education is to move forward, teachers can not be daunted by them. In the future, brick and mortar classrooms might be transitioned out of education. If so, we are doing our students and ourselves a great service by being pioneers in online learning.