Web Based Courses

I ordered four courses from the Manitoba Education website: Grade 9 Social Studies, Grade 10 Social Studies, History of Canada for grade 11, and World Issues. During high school, I took grade 12 Biology using the Blackboard system. After exploring the courses, my opinion of the web-based system has not changed. I still don't think it would be my preferred system of learning. My goal as a history teacher is to make history come alive, because a lot of students HATE history! They find it boring and monotonous. The online courses are based on reading modules and answering questions or participating in a discussion. I'm not sure that this type of system is effective for the majority of students. It does not make the material interactive and relevant. However, I could see online learning being extremely effective for those students that are very self-motivated or who have trouble with classroom interactions. I think it is very valuable to have the online courses for students who have to be away from the school setting, perhaps due to other responsibilities, sickness, motherhood, or work commitments. I could also see these courses being useful for teachers in their planning of courses. It gives a nice outline of topics to be covered, and there are a few assignments that could easily be adapted to be interactive in the classroom. I plan on exploring the courses even further, and printing out the sections/resources that I would be able to use in my own classroom!