Online learning has a lot of potential because it offers the opportunity of using endless resources and different teaching approaches to help different learners. It also exposes students to technology keeping them updated. It also results convenient for students that work or have to travel long distances to attend classes. Furthermore, it gives opportunities for networking, flexible schedules, learning self-discipline, etc.
On the other hand, accessibility to technology can be limited. Previous basic technology knowledge is a must for students, the teachers have to go through professional development to prepare to teach, lack of human interaction, among other issues can be a down side of online learning.
Personally, I found online classes a little bit challenging but at the same time convenient. I like the fact that I can work when I have access to the internet or print the lectures and read between my classes to respond later. I like that I can manage my schedule. However, it has been a little challenging because of my lack of experience with computers and some languages obstacles. I’d still prefer face-to-face classes because I can make questions and find answers right away. I would take another online class if my schedule would not allow me to attend a classroom.
I think the language barrier is potentially the most difficult to overcome in an online class because of the readings that can be overwhelming. I wonder if trying to translate the readings to Spanish using an online tool (e.g., Google's language tools) would help? Perhaps the translation is too poor to work???
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