Rebekah Frohlich
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I have discovered online classes are perfect for combating the comparison issue. When working online I can focus specifically on how to better myself, instead of wasting energy concerning myself with the opinions of my classmates.
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– Rebekah Frohlich
Through personal experience, I have discovered online learning is the perfect opportunity for a student at any level. I would struggle to find a single complaint regarding online/blended courses. I have taken multiple courses and have appreciated what each one had to offer.
Online classes can provide a variety of different benefits for all students, regardless of their academic standing.
One major benefit is that they alleviate the stress that a normal classroom setting can cause. Many students struggle with the pressures that come along with living in a culture where people are constantly comparing themselves to others. This major stress causer can potentially scare a student to the point where they no longer want to attend school. I have discovered online classes are perfect for combating the comparison issue. When working online I can focus specifically on how to better myself, instead of wasting energy concerning myself with the opinions of my classmates. Another advantage of an online/blended classroom is every student has more control over their own learning process. Oftentimes they are able to re-watch or reread materials if they need to. This takes away the anxiety that students face when asking questions in front of their peers. This also makes for a more personalized and calm learning experience.
This brings me to another reason why I believe blended/online classes have benefited me. I have learned a variety of new strategies to effectively communicate through non-traditional medians, none of which I could have learned from a traditional classroom setting. I have learned how to clearly and politely type out my thoughts to send to a teacher. I also learned how to communicate professionally with other students in the class. I learned how to describe myself honestly to help others get to know who I am and what I enjoy, without ever meeting me. This process also helped me develop a greater respect for the value of grammar.
I have taken a wide variety of online learning classes, these include: intro to sociology, intro to psychology, college algebra, public speaking, med related careers, and I am in the process of completing English composition. I believe all of the courses I took had very distinct characteristics, each one was attractive in its own way. For instance, in both psychology and sociology, I gained a lot of knowledge for my planned major in the future. I am on course to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Health Science. Neither of these courses were offered at my school so I was blessed to have an opportunity to take them online. I strategically choose my online classes based on my interests and my future occupational goals. I set high goals for myself and these courses are a great stepping stone for the path towards achieving my ultimate career goal. Most of the online courses I have taken have given me an opportunity to earn college credits during high school. Accumulating these credits now will allow me to take more challenging college courses earlier than I would have otherwise been able to.
I love online classes because I can create my own atmosphere. I can go to a coffee shop, sit in my room, or concentrate in the student lounge. In a traditional classroom setting, I am bound to one specific area. This can cause many students, such as myself, to get bored and lost in thought sitting in the same space every day for the same amount of time. In order for most of us to fully comprehend what we are trying to learn we need to have breaks, which can be very unrealistic in a classroom setting. Along with the classroom setting comes classmates. I have struggled in the past with classmates who are extremely distracting. This has been a source of frustration for me and some of my fellow classmates as it makes it difficult to focus on the teacher. I have found that I have been able to focus better while taking online classes, which has allowed me to produce a better academic product.
Blended/online classes will continue to play a big role in my academic journey during college. I enjoy the atmosphere this style of learning provides. I feel like I have more control over the learning process in a blended/online setting. This added flexibility allows me to work at my own pace and produce a high- quality education product that I can be proud of. Overall, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to learn a different way than the traditional classroom setting.