Final Presentation

Module 5: Concept Map: Static vs Dynamic Technologies

Education is growing more towards technology, and as educators we must be willing to change and grow with it,  Technology can be either static and dynamic.  Static technologies are podcasts, web pages, and text.  They are one sided communication that allow learners to capture information (moller, 2008).  They do little to build one's knowledge.  The dynamic end of the spectrum includes tools that involve learners on a deeper cognitive level (Moller, 2008).  Such tools as virtual simulations and gaming are called a mind tool.  The learner is engaged and gains a deeper understanding.

Moller, L. (2008).  Static and dynamic technological tools.  [Unpublished Paper]

Tracy

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Distant education has grown immensely in the past years.  According to our article it can be as effective as traditional instruction when the technologies are appropriate for the instructional tasks (Durrington, Berryhill, & Swafford).  Online instruction can provide opportunities for students to build interactive relationships.  Communication tools such as email, Skype, and the discussion board provide a place for students to interact and provide feedback.  The article states that the instructor should provide an open, supportive, and respectful online environment (Druuington, Berryhill, & Swafford).  In an Asynchronous discussion board guidelines must be established.  A timeline for when the postings are due and how many postings are expected are needed guidelines.  Skype may not be available to all students, and the time zone may be an issue.  Email is a tool that can be used to communicate privately to students.  Collaboration tools are used for small groups to work on projects together, instead of the whole class.  Blogs, Wikis, and virtual classrooms are places where students can post projects and comment on them.  Virtual classrooms such as second life allow students to interact in a 3D environment through avatars.  Students can socialize and participate in individual and group activities.  Wikis are used collaboratively among a small group to post and edit information.  Students can have their own page and choose who can edit the pages.  Blogs are a part of a website that is individually maintained.  Videos and other media can be uploaded to the site.  Others can follow or comment on the postings.

Durrington, V., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Stategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching.  vol 54/No. 1.

Tracy

Module 3: Assessing Collaborative Efforts

In a learning management system, an educator can assess students based on:

How many times they log on,

How many hours they spend online,

How many hours they spend in group related activities,

How many posts they contribute (Siemens, 2008)

Participation in a collaborative learning community should be assessed equitable and fair.  I personally like the rubric.  A rubric is a scoring tool that lists the criteria for what is expected on a project, performance, or task.  The rubric lists the expectations of the students with a score or rating for what is expected.  A rubric will help a student self reflect as well as self assess.  It is a great communication tool between the professor and student.  It is a very fair tool because students know what to expect before working on a project or task.  They know the criteria for getting a perfect score verses getting a moderate score.  I looked up an online rubric for discussion board.

http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/rubrics/discussionrubric.html

If a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community, they should not take the course.  Collaborative communities can be challenging for many students (Siemens, 2008).  I remember the last class that I took online.  There were several students in that class that are not in this class.  I talked with a student, and he said that online classes were not for him.  He stated that he needed face to face interaction with the professor.  There are things other members of the community can do to get students to participate.  They can have them role play, participating in a high functioning learning community (Seimens, 2008).  The instructor must create a mix of individual and community based environments (Seimens, 2008).  Collaboration and cooperation are the keys to successful online communities.

Siemens, G. (2008). Assessment of collaborative learning. [podcast]. Laureate Education, Inc.  Baltimore: Author.

Siemens, G. (2008) Learning communities. [podcast]. Laureate Education, Inc.  Baltimore: Author.

Tracy

Story Board video presentation - Collaboration

Story Board

Elements of distant education

Siemens (2008) listed the growing acceptance of distance education is fueled by the increase in online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing comfort with online discourse, and the ability to communicate with diverse and global groups.  Distant education is growing more popular and is being accepted more widely.  He discussed three possible elements of distant education that are creating more effective learning experiences and giving distant education and identity of its own, apart from face to face courses.  They are global diversity, communication, and collaborative interaction.  Collaboration has evolved by the use of virtual classrooms.  Indiana University has acquired an island in Second Life.  This island has seven different meeting places.  They interact using avatars and communicate by chat or voice teleconferencing.  Classrooms and conference rooms have a type of whiteboard which include a web browser for students to see the content of a specific web page. Instructors could upload their PowerPoint presentation to websites such as slideshare and then show them to their students within Second Life.  Students can practice their 3D skills in the sandbox area.  This is a site to see!  Unfortunately, the island is constrained due to instruction.  Second Life has to be downloaded and installed. 

Collaboration dates back to Vygotsky, who stated that children learn from each other in a social setting.  Collaboration in distant learning can increase students’ learning and higher order thinking. 

http://icoblog.wordpress.com/category/distance-education/

http://ateacherswrites.wordpress.com/2007/04/02/collaboration-at-a-distance-a-case-for-collaborative-learning-in-distance-education/

Blog post #1 Evolving education to the next level.

Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) mention that distant learning is becoming a popular choice for professional education, mid-career degree, and lifelong learning.  Many of us are in this class for the convenience of being able to work at our own pace around our jobs and family.  There are obviously benefits to usage of the Internet and any new technology.  Educators need training and solutions to evolve the next generation into distant learning.  Many educators are not trained so they use a craft approach.  They design and develop the course based on what has worked in the traditional classroom and put it on the web.  Simonson (2008) states that online students and traditional students learn in different environments.  Therefore they should have the opportunity to learn appropriately.  Online students should learn through equivalency.  That means learning through a variety of experiences that are tailored to their environment and situation.  Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) agree that online learning allows for strategies not possible in a traditional classroom.  Educators must reexamine the process of learning.  They need to prepare online learners to focus on thinking, creativity, collaboration, and dialogue.  They must also reconsider what constitute instruction.  Traditional learning controls and manages the educational experience, while online learning has more social collaboration and learner to learner communication.  Educators must adjust to the course development, control of the learning process, collaboration, and intellectual property rights.  Online education is more work than traditional classrooms.  Teachers feel that student evaluations will be lower than traditional classroom students.  Online courses carry a stigma that reduces the credit given to teacher for the work they put into the classroom.  Yet a study by the National Education Association (2000) showed that seventy five percent of faculty had positive feelings about online learning.  They liked the flexibility and felt that there was more individual student participation.  The asynchronous communications allowed for more think time to formulate responses and make greater connections (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008).

Moller, L., Foshay, W., Huett, J. (2008). TechTrends.  Vol. 1 (4)
 Moller, L., Foshay, W., Huett, J. (2008). TechTrends.  Vol. 52 (4) 
Simonson, (2000).   Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classes.  New directions for teaching and learning.  84 (29-34)

http://libraryguides.waldenu.edu/educ7102

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