Really good points. I like that you used competency rather than expertise. The fear of the unknown really plays a large role in the online environment for both student and instructor.
Great points!
The level of expertise for instructors is often a serious concern. Some instructors are not at all comfortable with students knowing more than they do. On the other hand thought, you can learn some of the most interesting things from students.
Instead of expertise, I like to think of it as level of competence. I dont need to know everything, I just need to know enough to guide the students in finding out more about the tool or the process.
For example, if I had waited until I felt fully confident with using wikis in the classroom, my students would have certainly suffered for the delay. In addition, we would not have had the same types of experiences with troubleshooting and dealing with tech issues that we now have.
I advocate "a be minimally prepared and jump in with 2 feet approach", when it comes to tool implementation.
But the caveat is that I feel super comfortable with technology, due to my background in engineering. I never feel there will be a problem that I can not figure out how to fix.
I know others may not be so confident in this area, and thus they might take a more cautious approach to the implementation of tools.
Joy Robinson
The 3 most important things to consider are
1) the tool
2) tool fit: how the tool is implemented or used by both students and instructors
3) Tool learning : the learning that results from the use of the tool
Not every problem is a nail requiring a hammer. Tool selection, fit and learning objectives all must fit for the tool to be right in the environment.
And just because a tool is available doesn't mean it is suited to any use. Therefore, choosing the tool is one of the more important parts of the process.
One example I have is related to social media. The entire world is alight discussing what social media brings to the various groups that participate in it. Sites like Twitter are repeatedly being considered for use in the classroom. In this instance Twitter, being the tool, is not a simple fit into an educational environment. It might be usable in an online situation. But what is its use? How is it implemented? Does its use achieve a learning objective?
As we can see here, just because the tool seems cool and hip, doesn't mean it will work. Sometimes the latest rage, is not suitable at all for learning environments.
Hi Dr. Wilkinson,
I believe the three most important things to consider when using technology tools in a virtual learning environment are:
1. The tools must present to students a single, consistent, and intuitive interface.
2. The tools must provide all the components required for a course, e.g. Syllabus, Administrative Information, Teaching Materials, etc.
3. The tools must be capable of supporting numerous courses.
Thank you.
Susan Ceklosky
Haley,
WOW - thanks for your organized thoughts and details on the topic. It is important to know the technology that can best serve the purpose of the lesson/course/etc. I like to say that using the "lowest common demoninator" is the best. That would be teh technology that all students and the instructor can use and the technologh that works with a multitude of computers/devices/etc.
Nice job.
When using technology, it's important to consider the nature of the technology and how it might serve the needs of the students and instructors.
It is also important to think about possible obstacles that student might face with a given technological instrument. For example, do the audiovisual components require a high bandwidth in order to operate? That might make or break an instrument in a given setting.
Instructors should also consider the accessibility and implications for the given technology -- such as cost, skill level the administrator must have in order to operate the instrument or even the required level of competence for students. It would not make sense to choose a learning technology that is too sophisticated for students to operate.
What do you think the other two are?
One thing is to make sure your tool meets the needs of the instructor and students.
