Online learning has been established to be one of the best ways to get an education. Online learning occurs when knowledge or educational materials are obtained from the internet. We have all had interaction with face-to-face learning in the traditional classroom setting. We seem to be most comfortable with these forms of settings and seem to learn most by taking part in them. If you love the flexibility of online learning, but still treasure the effectiveness of face-to-face learning, you are probably wondering if the two can be blended together to form a teaching method that is both flexible and effective. Blended learning or face-to-face online learning is the process of combining traditional classroom setting learning and online learning.
In a traditional classroom setting, students and instructors face each other, face-to-face. The instructor tells the students what to do and the students follow. In some instances, the instructor might write something on the board and the students could write it down if they need to. On the other hand, online learning does not usually require the instructor and the student to even be online at the same time. At times the instructor might only be required to mail instructional material to the student. However, today, it is being demanded that these two education settings coalesce somehow. Advancement in technology is increasingly making it possible for an online face-to-face to become a reality.
Video chats between instructors and students are the closest thing to make face-to-face online teaching a reality. It allows instructors to speak directly to their students without having to rely on things like DVDs and VHS tapes. Some of the video chatting systems used by online tutors today include Skype, Microsoft NetMeeting, webcams and Adobe Connect among others. Research has shown that students are able to better concentrate when they can see their instructor, as opposed to when they only hear them via voice recordings or email or chat. Video teaching is a promising instructional material.
There are so many advantages presented by face-to-face online learning, which is why it is becoming a trend today. Below are some of its advantages.
– Instructors present a sense of leadership; providing an opportunity to the students to closely follow their instructors as part of the overall training.
