Distance Learning and Interactive Tours

Scenerio:


A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?



Suggestions:


As the instructional designer in a scenerio such as the one stated above; I would suggest using a technology that is very user friendly, inexpensive and something that students can actively participate in with their classmates. The course reading states , "taking tthe time to develop good visual media will enhance the quality of the learning experience" (Simonson, M. et. al., 2012). One of the programs I chose is called Prezi. This program comes at a small cost but there is a free trial with this  that gives you the feel of its features and allows you the opportunity to create your own presentation. A summary of the features include:

• The ability to zoom in close or pan out for better visualization of your ideas and concepts
• Being able to import images, youtube videos, PDF's and other types of media
• Adding a story line to go along with visuals
• Collaborating with peers in real-time
• The ability to present on and offline
• Customizable themes

This technology would be very beneficial in this situation because the presentation would be very professional, outline and emphasis key points and provide the opportunity for student critiques.

Features and interactive example:

Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCmL0P5RNA


Another technology that can be used in combination with Prezi is Skype education. With this program students are allowed to communicate via video and voice conferencing as well as through instant messages. By using these two programs in conjunction with each other, students will be able to effectively communicate with the curator and they will become actively engaged in the learning process.


References


Simonson, M., et. al., (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) p. 159


Youtube, (2009). Prezi Demo 2. retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCmL0P5RNA




One more technology I would like to share is called The Docent Tour, I I saw the video and thought it was pretty intriguing:

retrieved from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeLuDol1XVo

Distance Learning continued

Distance learning is defined as a method of education where the learner is physically separate from the teacher (Simonson, M., et. al. 2012). The potential benefits of distance learning as an online student is having the ability to be flexible and work at my own pace. Although I am not in the traditional classroom setting, I can utilize various resources and effectively communicate with the instructor and classmates. In regards to benefits and opportunities within the k-12, higher education and corporate training; this method of learning has emerged through virtual schools, mentoring and tutoring, interactions with outside experts through the use of video or telephone conferencing and professional development courses.

Even though there are many benefits to this form of learning; there are also some challenges. People have very different learning styles and some are not able to learn effectively through distance learning alone and still require the traditional classroom methods. “Problems and barriers encountered by the student fall into several distinct categories; costs and motivators, feedback and teacher contact, student support and services, alienation and isolation, lack of experience, and training”( Galusha, J., 2008).

References

Galusha, J.M., (2008). Barriers to learning in distance education. Retrieved from: http://www.infrastruction.com/barriers.htm

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson. Chapter 2, "Definitions, History, and Theories of Distance Education" (pp. 32–41).

Distance Learning

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Reflections

Throughout this course I have learned quite a bit about how I obtain knowledge. Before this course I wasn’t familiar with the different learning theories and what they meant or how they applied to me but now my understanding has changed a great deal. Something that I found surprising in reference to how people learn was when I was able to identify myself as more of a constructivist type of learner versus before where I would just say im a visual learner or I learn more with hands on activities. As a constructivist you learn from everyday life experiences and are able to contribute what you learned to elaborate on something new and it goes along with being hands on as well as visual therefore this theory striked me because I thought it appealed to me a lot more than the behaviorist or cognitivist theory.

This course has deepened my understanding of my own personal learning process in a way that now that I know what my learning process is it helps me as a student by implementing different techniques in making sure that I am able to learn and understand information. It also helps me as an instructor because I have a much better understanding than before of the different ways students learn and how to appeal to the different learning styles as well as keeping my students motivated. There has to be a balance between the use of the theories and there should be bits and pieces taken from each one to achieve effective instruction.

As for things I can take from this course regarding the different learning theories, styles, educational technology and motivation pertain to how these factors are beneficial and important to us. In reference to the theories and styles, they are a huge benefit because it helps us to identify ways in which we learn and how it can be used to help others that could be different from you as well has how it can be beneficial within the instructional design field. In educational technology and motivation, I became acquainted with the term connectivism which is a learning theory geared toward the digital age as well as the term andragogy which has to do with adult learning, it is stated as the art and science of how adults learn. With that being said those two terms are connected because they represent a new style of learning which is through new digital technology as well as the use of social networks and the ability for adults to learn at their own pace the use of online classrooms and last but not least the factors that motivates adults to learn and they consist of; the need for instant feedback, having the control of their learning (learning at their own pace) and the need to advance themselves career wise or for personal educational gain.

In conclusion what I have learned in this course will help me further my career as an instructional designer in many ways because I will be able to utilize what I have learned to design instruction that uses effective strategies and motivational techniques to boost learner engagement and success.

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.

Reference Info

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.

Fitting the pieces together

Before this course I was not very familiar with what learning theories were or how they worked but now as this course is nearing completion, I have learned a great deal about how we learn. In the beginning I described myself as a constructivist learner (learning from prior experiences and relating it to new knowledge as well as being hands on). I still think of myself in that way but I also think it could be a combination of the different theories we discussed because there are bits and pieces that could be taken from the different theories to assist in the learning process.

What I learned about the different theories and what distinguishes them from each other is how learning occurs within each one. For instance:

·         Behaviorist associate learning with response to stimuli

·         Cognitivist relate learning to receiving, storing and organizing information

·         Constructivist learn through past experiences and are actively engaged

·         Social learners learn through modeling, imitating and observing

Connectivism is a term that was brand new to me before this course and now that I am familiar with it I know how it’s applied. It’s used through technologies such as social networks and communication and it is also used in classrooms by the use of smart boards as well as online training courses on the job. Another aspect to the learning theories is Adult Learning. This allows learning to be self directed and self motivated. As an adult learner it’s useful and beneficial to me because I have the flexibility to go at my own pace and the ability to balance work, family and advancing myself educationally.

Reflections on Connectivism and Learning



1.     How has your network changed the way you learn?

It has changed the way I learn because there are so many resources

that can be accessed as an Instructional Design student and helps

with obtaining mastery within the field.

2.     Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

In this case, what helps me to facilitate learning is to use the Instructional

design blog sites, e-books, and using resources in the e-library.

Other outside sources that assist in facilitating learning could be

Twitter or Google buzz.

Those would be more within the social realm and they are great

Forums to discuss and reflect on topics of interest.

3.     How do you gain new knowledge by asking questions?

You gain knowledge by asking questions because it helps you get a

clear perspective on whatever the issue may be. It assist in checking

understanding and broadening your knowledge.

4.     In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?

My personal learning networks support the central tenets of connectivism

because there is an opportunity to appeal to people all around the world and share

experiences, strategies, skills as well as ideas.