Free Time and Online Learning (Response #6)

About five years ago, I got ready for the first class of my college career. I walked to class, my bag strapped around my shoulder, pens in my pockets, and the sheet of paper that listed my class schedule and room number in my hand. Before entering the classroom, I set my phone to vibrate and I took my seat. Everyone waited for the professor and after some introductions he passed out the syllabus and started to lecture. I remember teasing my younger sister about her school schedule because since she’s still in high school, she had to be in school from 7:00 a.m. to about 2:00 p.m. I bragged how I’d have class twice on Tuesdays and I’d start at noon, so I can sleep in late and after my second class that ended at 2:30 p.m., I am free to do whatever I’d like. In those years, the time I did not spend in class is what I considered free time, now that I am working full time in an office and going to graduate school full time as well, my “free time” dwindled into an hour for lunch and some stolen time at the office to read the required readings for my courses. If I am not at work or at class or doing schoolwork, I am getting ready for work or commuting. The problem of the tremendous decrease in “free time” is what the technological developments resolve, because it ultimately expand and make the most of the “free time” an end-user is left with throughout a working day. Technological advancements continue to feed upon the response from end-users and the results are the emergence in popularity of online education and the increase in the usage of digitized memories. Both are products of the developer’s attempt to satisfy and make the most of very little “free time” an end-user has.

The article, “Education Goes Digital: The Evolution of Online Learning and the Revolution in Higher Education,” by Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff claims, “online learning is a new social process that is beginning to act as a complete substitute for both distance learning and the traditional face-to-face class” (60). This alternative way of learning accommodates the majority of people who are in the working world but would like to pursue a higher level of education. The time spent and the process of preparing for class and commuting to school can be spent on other things, thus expanding free time. Another advantage of an online class is its accessibility. In the past, students have brought in a tape recorder to record lectures in class so that they may reference it when studying for exams or writing a paper. With the class lectures and content available online, a student can easily access these course materials and spend all the time they need with them. In addition to course materials readily available online, communication with the professor comes easily as well: He can be reached by e-mail, blogs, or instant message. While there is a telephone etiquette that people should abide by, an e-mail at 2:00 in the morning is acceptable while a phone call at the same time is not.

“Digital Memories in an Era of Ubiquitous Computing and Abundant Storage,” by Mary Czerwinski, Douglas W. Gage, Jim Gemmell, Catherine C. Marshall, Manuel A. Perez-Quinonesis, Meredith M. Skeels, and Tiziana Catarci, explains, “time management, improving productivity at and away from the workplace; improving coordination among family, friends, and co-workers; and identifying relevant or proximate information, given the current context (including but not limited to location)” (46) is one of the reasons what someone might do with collected memories. The growing interest in online learning has a relation with the people’s increasing fascination with digital memories. The course materials readily available online usually consists of images, audio, and video that drive the online learning experience. The increased usage of digitized memories is a result of the technological advancements that make collecting, transporting, sharing, and storing of these memories quickly and efficiently. Digitized memories, which includes images and both audio and video can be imported to your computer, edited, saved, printed, e-mailed and uploaded online or downloaded by another, decreasing the amount of time spent in sharing these memories.

The subject of time is the most significant aspect of online learning and digitized memories. A focused and responsible individual can personally set the time needed for the course in accordance with his learning style and abilities. This person can view the materials uploaded or sent by his or her professor instantly, reducing process time. Online learning may not be suitable for people who require more motivation and maybe a face-to-face lecture will be better for them, but it does not hurt to have materials online to be easily accessed by these students as well. Problems with digitized memories, include privacy matters because as Czerwinski argues, “the more one stores, the more likely it is that personal information could be compromised” (47). However, I believe this does not differ from a person who hoards personal information in paper form. Ultimately, online learning has a bright future in education because of its accessibility and “free time” expanding capabilities.

Citations:

Czerwinski, Mary; Gage, Douglas W.; Gemmell, Jim; Marshall, Catherine; Pérez-Quiñonesis, Manuel; Skeels, Meredith; and Catarci, Tiziana (2006). Digital Memories In An Era of Ubiquitous Computing and Abundant Storage. Communications of the ACM, 49(1), 45-50.

Hiltz, S.R. & Turoff, M. (2005). Education goes digital: the evolution of online learning and the revolution in higher education. Communications of the ACM, 48(10), 59-64.

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