I agree . The most respected input to the student comes from an instuctor who can take his knowledge and make it interesting and can show how it apllies to thier lifes. Sometimes we lack the feel behind what we are trying to teach by using on line devices. Our job is to make sure we take our time to put the feeling behind what it is that we are trying to get across.
Ra'kia,
Technology is here to stay and is only going to become more and more a life staple.
Shelly Crider
I agree that developers of online courses do not have to be technological wizards; however, they may need some training so that they can implement the technology. The developer will have to know how to make the desired outcomes of the course media a reality by using technology. Also, they will have to know how to change or fix whatever is wrong with the course media.
Stacy,
Oh so true! The message goes with the student into the work place and into the customer's hands!
Shelly Crider
Disagree,
The rapid advancement of technology used for learning environments often pits the student that has self taught technical skills against the wall. The technology can be limiting to the student's learning practice and thereby force the student's efficacy to diminish versus stimulating the student to develop a solid understanding of the subject through engagement. This reality exists in the practices of higher education. Every student may have different valid means for how they approach the use of the technology for input. However, those that see the technology as a convenience are more directed towards a task oriented process of attaining a grade motivated by completion versus engagement with the subject to demonstrate effective learning to earn the grade.
With this understanding, those individuals charged with constructing online interfaces for distance learning classes must be proficient in technology development skill. The online classroom technology must be developed from a pragmatic perspective.
Agree and disagree. The developer of an online course requires a certain level of technological expertise, but the "message" of the contents communicated in the course goes far beyond the technological aptitude of the designer.
I agree to a point. I think that there needs to be an awareness of what is available and being able to have a certain level of comfort with the technology.
Within today's social media, there are millions of ways to learn the technology that you may not be comfortable with. I just watched a "YouTube" video about a month ago about imbedding media within PowerPoint. I also use my tablet to download all types of apps that aide in my designing of a class as well as giving demonstrations in front of a class.
Developers are not required to be tech wizards, but it helps tremendously when you have a technical back ground. This brings ease of navigation through the database.
Hi Shelly,
I think developers should be experts/wizards when it comes to being technologically savvy. It is very important to for the developers to be above certified or qualified in order to design new courses or rebuild courses. In addition, it takes expertise to clone courses as well and this is done occasionally for online course developments.
Romanda Cooper
Cherise,
You do need knowledge of the platform you are working with as students will go to the facilitator first for help.
Shelly Crider
Disagree: Reasons are that when an issue arises that may interfere with the success of a student due to technical issues, the designers and support team should already have a work-around in place to fix this. Students' grades are very important to them, so if issues arise where items do not line or match up or cause unnecessary confusion, this student could become disengaged and feel defeated when trying to be successful in class.
I do not believe that you need to be technological wizard to develop an online course. However, you need to have some knowledge of the platform you are using, as well as other software products if you want to develop an innovated course.
Kathryn,
We do not need distracting classes. This is why it is good to have some sort of quality control in the development of classes.
Shelly Crider
I think it depends on how the development team is structured. I know of teams where the developer is required to add all the technological aspects him/herself and others send the course on to another team or person to add in the technology. There are a number of course development software products that enable the novice to animate, etc. This can also be an issue because technology might be added in without considering the learning strategies. Rather than enhancing the course, it ends up being a distraction.
Philip,
Trial and error.....this is how I have learned along the way as well! We, non-wizards, can also sit in on free webinars....thus adding to our professional development as well!
Shelly Crider
I agree. However, I think that you should have a relatively good working knowledge of technology - especially using the internet. This willl allow you to effectively and efficiently research information that may be useful for your course. It would also benefit developers to take a few online training classes to help them understand where they can get the material they will need for their courses.
Les
That depends on your definition of a wizard. I would have used the term competent. Powerpoint is a great example. I'm not a wizard but I can read the directions on how to add backgrounds, use charts and graphs, and import photographs. However, I have problems adding sound. Can I get the job done? I think so. I might need some help with the sounds and seek out that wizard you refer to.
HI
I think developers need to be comfortable with technology and see what is available to create a more dynamic course. I don't think they need to be "wizards", but it definitely helps to be savvy and eager to learn new technologies.
Thanks!
Jocelyn M. Dervis
I agree. The biggest challenge is how to translate those soft skills that we use everyday in on-ground instructional delivery into an on-line environment. How many times have we had the tone or the intention of an email misread by the audience? Because there is no face-to-face interaction at the time they are reading an asynchronous email, student's perception of our comments may differ from our intentions. Technology helps mediate that distance between student and instructor, but it also presents new challenges.
Richard,
Teamwork is stressed in the work place, it should be in our classes as well!
Shelly Crider
