Tanya,
Great post. You do have to make sure that students are clear with what is expected of them and what they expect of the instructor regardless of the technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Amen to #2 Juliet. I completely agree that students who lack the knowledge to use the technology will not reach out to gain a better understanding and therefore will not succeed.
Creativity is a key area. One can become stagnet and repet the same scenarios which would not be real engaging for students.
I feel the three most important areas to consider are:
1) The ability to effectively communicate via technoloy
2) Helping students gain a BETTER understanding of course content via technology
3) How comfortable both teacher and students are with utilizing the technology available
Personally, I find it a little overwhelming to pick and choose what technology items might be most appropriate for my courses. The subject matter I teach has a very large knowledge set that students are required to learn, and this often makes me feel like there's not enough time or space for additional technology tools. So, for me, when considering technology tools I evaluate:
-how user friendly the technology tool is (which includes both the ease of the UI as well as the intuitiveness of the tool). If a student has to take more than a couple minutes to learn how to use a tool, then, in my opinion, it is no longer an effective supplement to the course.
-recommendations from other instructors since I firmly believe in not "reinventing the wheel," and I do reply on other peoples input for tried and tested methods.
-student feedback on the tool. online courses are constantly being revised, and I appreciate students' input in order to design a truly effective course.
Virtual environment technology tools such as Google docs, Flicker and other media design tools are beneficial to elearning students. These tool provide interactive communication.
Charolette Brown
In my opinion, the ease of the use of the product is the most important thing to consider. If a product is too difficult to use, students will be turned off and will not use the product.
When using technology tools in a virtual learning environment, what do you believe are the three most important things to consider?
1) Discussion forum - provides a tool which permits students and instructor to interact in an asynchronous manner to topics and to interact with other students.
2)Assignment Tool - provides a place for students to submit assignments. Especially helpful when there is a pre-list of all required submissions. Students can quickly identify what they need to do and/or what they missed
3)Grading and Feedback Tool - It is critical that instructors be able to quickly provide feedback on assignments and identify the earned grade. So this tool will include, as well, a grade book for each student.
Anthony J Matias
Patricia & Jim,
I fully support the ease of use with any technology tools that students are introduced and required to use. The more instruction and guidelines that students are given the better they become at mastering new technology. Thus, students become more comfortable using tech tools to help them achieve their educational goals.
Some of the tools that have been successful in teaching online are Adobe Connect, Elluminate and Jing!
Students who are enrolled in any of the medical coding courses are required to learn and successfully master the use of encoders. Not only do students learn the coding concepts but also how vital it is to use the encoders for accurate code assignment.
VCs are essential to student success as they can actually see a live demonstration of various software applications. This allows the students to practice with the software and become more confident.
Camtasia and Jing are great tech tools that instructors can use to reinforce a learning objective. When students are challenged or intimidated by some software applications, using a variety of tech tools can help overcome the challenge.
There's so many tools that I myself would like to master but as with my students it takes time to learn and then incorporate that into the course.
Donna Thompson
When using technology tools in a virtual learning environment things to consider would include:
Availability to students/instructors
Impact on learning/communication
Ease of use - tools that require in depth knowledge of technology may be intimidating to some students
Kathleen,
Love the Water Cooler term. Also, planning for a plan B nice post!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Niki,
Nice! Great student centered post, particularly #3.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lois,
You are right. It is true that tools should add variety and engage the learner. Well said.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Make sure that there are clear expectations between the instructor and the student as to what is required. Make sure that students are comfortable with the technology used. Make sure that the technology used is appropriate for the topic or subject matter presented.
Patrica, I agree with your choices. I would also rate communication as the top considertion. I encourage students to posts questions of a general nature in the "Water Cooler." Questions of a more specific nature can be messaged to me. I feel it is important to place expectations in more than one location in order to minimize confusion.
I also feel it is important for students to take an orientation course so they learn how to navigate in the platform being used.
Students should also have a "Plan B" in the event their computer becomes unavailble. It is surprising to me how many students enroll in an online course without having the necessary tools.
Kathy Kruse
In order to use technology tools, the three most important things to consider are:
1) Students must understands its purpose.
2) Students must understand how to use it.
3) Students must understand that it is mandatory.
Juliet,
I appreciate your #3. I would very much like to add more engagement to my courses and want to learn, but so far have not had the opportunity to utilize some of the tools presented. I hope this course will help me get more comfortable. You are so right, if the instructor is not comfortable with a technology tool, it really cannot be utilized fully.
When considering a technology tool I consider:
1. Whether the tool is the best way to present or share information. I use a tool that adds to the learning.
2. The tool needs to be something that all the students will be able to utilize easily. If they have difficulty with the tool, the learning suffers and students may become frustrated, blocking further learning.
3. I use tools that add variety and engage the learners. Using only one type of tool for every module may become boring and less effective.
I have never used a Blog, but it sounds like it would be perfect for a practicum course where students will be working with a mentor and can reflect on their learning and meeting of course outcomes. I hope I will learn how to set up a Blog in this course. Has anyone ever set one up or used one?
Ted,
I like your "stimulating student engagement" Technology can be used for that. Good post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Edward,
What a great opportunity! This will allow you to explore options to improve learning using technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
