Eve Glenn
“Digital technology transformed my life by giving me the opportunity to learn beyond the constraints traditional educational environments have. Without a doubt, through blended learning, I literally learned to learn and how to succeed when offered a less tactile teaching style. This is imperative in everyday life as a shift from physical to more digital platforms is apparent.”
– Eve Glenn
As the resilient child of a current active duty service member, I have had the opportunity to attend eleven schools during eight international moves. Despite being, “that military kid” at each new diverse location, I have been able to maintain excellent grades and a top rank at school through online and traditional coursework.
Since STEM is a passion, blended and online coursework in math and science subjects have been paramount to my success. Conversely, when entering localities unfamiliar, the resource of online courses allowed exploration of advanced topics otherwise unavailable in my current geographic setting. Expanding boundaries, online learning courses bridged gaps within my own traditional education–leading me to become a well-rounded student. Ultimately, the availability of online learning curriculums provided the opportunity to study topics often unavailable or at an advanced level.
“Participating in online coursework made me more confident in connecting with teachers as they were never more than click or two away. In my traditional high school, this competence forged from online instruction gave me the ability to discuss and collaborate with educators in the classroom. My view of a teacher as a mentor is directly a result of my interactions online with online learning educators.”
Exploring programs, classes chosen were not based on predisposed characteristics. Instead, my seemingly infinite desire to learn led me to choose, at random, fascinating subjects unfamiliar. However, the nature of online learning prompted me to become an educational advocate–especially during times material was unfamiliar. While my online global and traditional educational environment constantly changed during military moves, the timeless availability to learn online, anytime and anywhere, made the world seem much smaller and connected. Online classes were essential supplements to my high school educational experience. Traditional classroom settings provided the opportunity to learn through passive lectures. Similarly, in traditional high schools, staff had limited classroom availability and materials.
Online resources provided continuous and intricate feedback to help navigate the learning process throughout the day. While my experience with the two pathways of learning has been complex, I am honored to have been able to explore differing educational opportunities.