Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

 

In this scenario there is a high school History Teacher located on the west coast of the U.S. and wants to show her students new exhibits from two New York City museums by way of virtual tours where the students also are able to interact with the museum curator.

As a novice designer, I would have to make sure the method of learning is student centered “ because it so strongly promotes active learning, collaboration, mastery of the course material, and student control over the learning process” (Simonson, M., et al. 2012). The hybrid/blended learning approach would most likely be the best choice to use in this situation because students will be able to view and participate in the presentation and gather together back in the classroom to collaborate and critique. They would use a web conferencing software tool such as Blackboard Collaborate or Elluminate which “provides an online learning environment with Voice over Internet Protocol (Vo IP), video and collaboration options that allow teachers and students to interact as if face-to-face” (Laureate Edu., 2013). It can also be integrated into CMS’s such as Schoology. Using this CMS the instructor will be allowed to “adapt students learning strengths, differentiate instruction and easily develop new methods of instruction” (Schoology, 2013) as well as get her students to think and question things on a higher level, spark debate and increase participation. Within the museum tour the Curator will be able to interact with the student while giving the tour virtually and they will be able to get instant feedback to questions as well as participating actively in the session as if they were actually there. “Participants are also able to draw, write, and collaborate on the displayed content simultaneously” (Blackboard Collaborate, 2013).

Since Blackboard Collaborate can be used in conjunction with Schoology, this helps in boosting student engagement because the teacher can post pictures of the two pieces of artwork that she had chosen for the critique and the students can respond to what they see via instant messaging among each other. Then once the learners return to class within the face to face environment, the discussion can be continued and they can form their groups to critique the two art pieces the teacher had posted for them to talk about.

 

 

 

 

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Blackboard Collaborate, (2013) Sharing content in a web conferencing session. Video Presentation.

                Retrieved from: http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Collaborate/Resources/Recorded-Demos.aspx

Laureate Education,  (2013) Menu of technologies.  Discussion technologies. Video Presentation

                Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2095296_1%26url%3D

Schoology, (2013)  Schoology’s teacher tools.

                Retrieved from: https://www.schoology.com/classroom-management.php

Mind Map

Defining Distance Learning Mind Map

Prezi link:

http://prezi.com/ivhldkca8e99/copy-of-distance-learning/?kw=view-ivhldkca8e99&rc=ref-28805207

Defining Distance Learning

Week 1 Application

 

The actual definition of distance learning is an “institution based, formal education where the learning group is separated and where interactive telecommunications are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (Simonson, M., et al 2012). My definition of distance learning is being able to have access to courses and learning material from a remote location. Also having the ability to communicate via email, phone, or through online discussion forum.

In my experience as a distance learner I’ve been exposed to three types of distance learning. The first was a hybrid course during my undergrad studies about 13 years ago. I was able to have the F2F instruction from the professor for part of the course and the other part of the course was to be completed online. With this format you get the best of both worlds because you have the instructor to guide you along if you encounter any issues and it allowed for more flexibility, but one of the drawbacks was that it meant having more work and making sure to meet the requirements for weekly F2F class time and log in time outside the classroom.

The second experience I had was through synchronous learning. All of the courses were online so there was a lot more flexibility than hybrid but with this format the class was scheduled to meet at specific times and days. There was also the use of video conferencing and instant messaging with the instructor and classmates; this was a great idea for participation and engagement but when having to meet a specified times it could conflict with work schedules and be an issue for students in different time zones. In my case it began to conflict with my work schedule and family at the time.

The last approach I took to distance learning was the asynchronous format here at Walden. Out of them all, this one is best suited for me because I am able to work on my own time, participate in discussions where I’m able to formulate my thoughts when responding, unlike the synchronous approach where you are chatting live and others seem to overpower the discussion.

The definition of distance learning is always changing because DL is going to continue to evolve. There will always be ways to make improvements as technology continues to change.

In looking at the history and evolution of DL, it started out with correspondence study stemming way back at least 160 years ago, then eventually evolving into audio recordings, teleconferencing, video conferencing, computer technology and the internet, even the use of mobile devices. “Distance education provides the opportunity to widen intellectual horizons, as well as the chance to improve and update professional knowledge. Further, it stresses individuality of learning and flexibility in both time and place of study” (Simonson, M., et al. 2012).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at   a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.