Modeling
Overloading our students with pages of text is not the appropriate manner of engaging online students. This doesn't take advantage of available technology, and negates what gives online education an advantage over the traditional model. If we want our students to learn well, we need to provide them opportunities to manipulate the material. This can be typing in a blank, drawing a quick picture, or using innovative technology to communicate.
James,
Right. If someone just puts text on a screen and then gives tests on the material, it's a correspondence course, not an effective, engaging online course. Thanks!
I agree...a vast amount of text can be discouraging to many students. This is especially true if it is not presented in a neat and clean appearance on the page. I've seen some pages just filled with bullet points and sub points and long paragraphs and...in the end, it's almost impossible to know what is going on. You made a good point here.
LaMonica & Roy,
The overload does continue. It's like time management --> Time management isn't the issue any more it's priority management because we don't have time to get everything done. It's the same with technology. We have to figure out what works for us and learn it and utilize it to the max. We can't learn all technology.
Roy, you have pointed out a key point. There are tons and tons of techology out there for the student to have to be overloaded with too much text. Most students respond better if they are interactive in the learning process. It is important to accomodate to all learning styles which includes the kenistetic student. Most cannot grasp the concept unless they are actually touching or interacting with it.
Lori,
You are right. There should not be text overload. You have to appeal to all learners. Thanks!
I also think that by overloading the students with pages of text is not appropriate. I feel that on a powerpoint there should be no more than 5 or so lines and keep it to a minimum. Pictures are a must.
What I mean by innovative technology is just the newest kinds of technology.
For me, this means looking into the new types of websites. I'm not familiar with twitter, for example, but it is ubiquitous. Using applications such as twitter might engage students and show them that when we want them to be flexible with technology, we do so because we are also flexible and trying new things.
Maybe we could use twitter as a type of forum for our classes. Rather than discussing content material in isolated websites, we need to publish where all can see.
My main point is that we should model the type of behavior we want to see from our students, especially the behavior that's expected of them in their assignments, lessons, etc.
Hi Roy: This is a great suggestion. Can you specify what kind of "innovative technology" you meant? Where I teach online, we have live chat sessions and I can post a power point, give "voice" to students (if they have a microphone on their headset--otherwise, they must type), and provide illustrations via a whiteboard--all during the chat. This is fun for those who are present. But for those who can't attend the live chat, what would you suggest to provide them with the same type of engagement?
Roy,
So true. We need to do more than make online courses simply read and test courses. Communicating with students in a variety of ways and engaging them in the content is a must. Thanks for your input.
