1

Running head: K-12 ONLINE LEARNING

Issues in K-12 Online Learning

Rebecca Jones
Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UIS 350 Technology in Education, Fall 2016

ISSUES IN K-12 ONLINE LEARNING

Introduction
The internet is an amazing tool to use in K-12 education. However, online learning has its
strengths and weaknesses in regards to how children learn in using it. In review of three selected
scholarly articles, there were three main issues, one from each, that were noteworthy in regards
to K-12 online learning that educators are faced with today. In order to use the internet
effectively as a 21st century tool for education, proper communication, skill development, and
relevance are key elements for success in online learning.
Communication
As great as the internet is, only with proper communication between the teacher, the
students, and one another, will this tool be utilized to its full potential inside a learning
environment. In Jennifer Levin-Goldbergs article titled Are Students Tuning You Out or
Downloading You In? Improving Online Instruction for 21st Century Skills she shares that, In
online environments, we do not have the opportunity to read peoples body language and hear
their tone when communicating. Therefore, your words are imperative (Levin-Goldberg, 2011,
p. 3). When our future students are learning at a computer instead of face to face with us,
problems can arise if the communication is not clear. This is important, because as future
educators, we have to make sure that our assignments and rubrics are clearly communicated to
avoid confusion and wasted learning time. Communication among peers is important to online
learning as well, because it encourages students to use their critical thinking skills and engage in
a greater learning experience when giving positive criticism to each other. Finally, another

ISSUES IN K-12 ONLINE LEARNING

equally important part to communication when it comes to online learning that was highlighted
in Levin-Goldbergs article, was the element of evaluation in order to gage if the material is
producing desired results or not. We cannot just teach the material and move on, we have to
evaluate our students learning and see what adjustments we need to make in how the
information is presented (Levin-Goldberg, 2011, p. 2).
Skill Development
Computer skills, especially computational thinking or CT is a very important skill for
students to have in preparing them for success in the workforce. CT is a skill that not only is
becoming more important to have in the USA, but also in many countries around the world. In an
article titled Perspectives and Visions of Computer Science Education in Primary and Secondary
(K-12) Schools, written by four different educators from four different countries: Germany,
Israel, Norway, and Austria, it shares their perspectives and findings in regards to K-12 computer
science education in these countries. Over the last couple of years, there has been a shift in focus
on how computer science is taught. The article points out that, students should learn basic
concepts of computer science such as algorithms or data structures instead of mere user skills
(Hubwieser, Armoni, Giannokos, Mittermeier, 2014, p.7:1). This information is important for us
to know, because as future educators, we are going to have to learn these skills ourselves, so we
can implement them and teach them to our future students. The article also compares the United
States and Israel in regards to their K-12 computer science standards. What I found to be
interesting is that both face similar challenges in education such as the lack of understanding of
CS as a scientific discipline, a curriculum that must be constantly reviewed and revised, and able

ISSUES IN K-12 ONLINE LEARNING

to engage all students, ensuring that teachers have the technical, content, and pedagogical
knowledge needed to teach CS, and providing schools with access to resources in order to teach
a rigorous, up-to-date computer science curriculum (Hubwieser, Armoni, Giannokos,
Mittermeier, 2014, p.7:6).
Relevance
Lastly, in order for online learning to be effective, the information that is presented and
the way it is presented to students must be relevant. As future educators, we must continue to
stay up to date with software, hardware, and computer applications in order to help our students
to get the most out of online learning and computer science. It is our responsibility. No student is
the same and all have different learning styles, even when it comes to gender. In the article How
Early Does the CS Gender Gap Emerge? A Study of Collaborative Problem Solving in 5th Grade
Computer Science written by three different educators, it was pointed out in their research that,
The finding of a possible gender discrepancy in computer science achievement as early as
elementary school highlights the need for research on diversity and equality in K-5 (Boyer,
Tsan, Lynch, 2016, p. 393). When it comes to computer science, boys learn differently than girls
and this needs to be taken into consideration, when we are creating our future online lesson
plans. In addition, to capture and maintain the attention of all online K-12 learners, boys and
girls alike, it is important for the material to be something they can relate to in real life. We can
inform students to what they are learning, why it is important to learn the material, and how it
ties into their life (Levin-Goldberg, 2011, p. 1).

ISSUES IN K-12 ONLINE LEARNING

Conclusion
We, as future educators have a great responsibility when it comes to teaching using the
internet. However, if we keep in mind the three important points previously discussed, which
were communication, skill development, and relevance, we will be more equipped for success in
implementing and utilizing this valuable tool in each of our future classrooms.
References
Armoni, M., Giannakos, M.N., Hubwieser, P., and Mittermeir, R.T., (2014, June). Perspectives
and visions of computer science education in primary and secondary (K-12) schools.
ACM Trans. Compu. Educ. 14, 2, Article 7, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2602482.
Boyer, K.E., Lynch, C.F., and Tsan, J., (2016, March). How early does the cs gender gap
emerge? A study of collaborative problem solving in 5th grade computer science. ACM,
Memphis, Tennessee, 388-393.
Levin-Goldberg, J., (2011, December). Are students tuning you out or downloading you in?
Improving online instruction for 21st century skills.
http://0-elearning.acm.org.library.regent.edu/archive.cfm?aid=2077317.