Classroom use of Technology

I have taken quite a few online courses through Marylhurst, mainly for the sake of convenience. I find that while the majority of my professors at Marylhurst have been very engaging and interactive in the classroom- technology or no-, that has not been the norm with my online professors. I have only had two online professors who either: 1- Knew how to teach in an online environment or 2- Interacted sufficiently with the class. Because of this, I avoid online classes when possible. I suspect they are more of a challenge for the professor than for the students. For example, I dropped one online course before the end of the first week because the professor could not write. I think that no matter what subject is being taught, the professor ought to be able to compose sentences reasonably well. Otherwise the appearance is remarkably unprofessional. I sympathize with typos, but in this case these were assignments that ought to have been proofread. Even if the subject is math or science, I feel it is imperative that the professor be a better communicator (in written form) than his or her students. I have had other professors who can write, but who seem to put minimal effort into maintaining a classroom environment online. I have great admiration for those who successfully engage their students. The way they have done this is by reading our posts and then summing up our discussions a couple of times a week. Often they post thought-provoking comments to the discussion and try to answer any questions that come up.
Even so, I find that the most active online environment can't compete with the classroom for intellectual stimulation and personal interaction. Some of my professors have made use of technology in the classroom; others have not. I would say that it hasn't mattered to the learning environment one way or another. I appreciate this course in technology because I am learning life skills, some of which I will apply in the classroom. However, I think that taking a basic computer skills class online might be too difficult for students who don't already have basic computer skills.
The classroom professors who have assigned work that required me to use technology have stretched my learning. But just because a professor uses technology to present their material doesn't mean that I am learning any more than I would have had they simply stood up and lectured. I should perhaps mention that I haven't yet taken any hybrid courses. Overall, I don't feel that technology has been a major factor in my learning at Marylhurst- smart professors have been. Smart students . . . Great authors . . . The library . . .

Course Outcome

"Identify and appropriately utilize content from the Internet, digital media, software applications, and hardware systems and tools to address academic, professional, and everyday tasks and problems. Demonstrate an understanding of and ability to respond to the benefits and risks of applied technology, including networked computing, ethics, and personal security in an ever-changing technological context."

I think this outcome sounds great, and hopefully is what I am learning to do in this class. I might add "confidently" to this somewhere, as previously I have done some of these tasks and aspired to others with some degree of trepidation. I do feel that I ought to be able to work the ethics and personal security out for myself, but then again, I haven't completed the reading for this week. Maybe I'll learn about dangers I wasn't aware of.