Open Access in the Classroom

Open access in the classroom is the ability to access information, about whatever, from anywhere and anyone. Students are allowed to access online sources entirely unrestricted. These are reviewed scholarly sources. However, in the classroom, students are able to get a lot of the information they need online. This is especially great for students a little older like middle and high school. Students can work on the internet while getting assistance from the teacher, yet doing most of their work on their own.

I like the idea of being able to teach and learn from anywhere and being able to reach all of your students. However, this is coming from me as a college student. I love that I can go somewhere and only have my laptop yet am able to do a lot of my homework without my books and or notebooks. This makes things a lot easier, especially with how on the go I am all the time. Thinking back to when I was in high school. I would have loved to have this as an option. I don’t have to lug my book bag around or freak out when I don’t have one thing out of my bag. I feel I will always be this was about my planner though. I have a panic attack if I don’t have my planner with me at all times.

However, looking at this very same topic but for early childhood students, I’m not sure if I entirely agree with being able to work from anywhere. I love the idea that, anywhere a young child is, and has access to a computer, he can further his education by going on websites that benefit his learning. However, I believe that young students need more of a hands on, in the classroom, experience where they can learn how to independently work on their own, when they are older. Students need to start those core years of learning in a classroom. That’s not to say that open access within an elementary class isn’t beneficial because it is! I just think that a balance of both is what younger students benefit more from, in their learning environment. At least, this is what I’ve seen at the elementary school that I work at. We work in centers, every week the children get a different group of centers to work on. There are four and every day the children are rotating, throughout the week, to the different centers. These include, working on their own, working with one another, working with the teacher, and working online! These centers go for both Math and English. I think this is a great way for the students to work through a new topic in ways that can benefit all different types of learning!

It complete lowers the use of textbooks! Which for a college student, like myself, is great! In a weird way I think it also makes the information more exciting to learn. I say this because textbooks are so boring to read and there’s something about dreading about reading a textbook. When I’m looking at an article online or watching a video on the lesson instead I feel so much more engaged in what I am learning. I say this because it’s different and exciting rather than the same old same old. Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy the having an actual book in my hand to read. However, there’s so many more options for learning when you are using technology instead! I would say that at some point, yes, textbooks will become obsolete!