Technology
There are many technologies that truly enhance online learning. We can convey and receive information from students with ease at any time, from any place in the world. The freedom that this allows both student and instructor is great.
Not being technology literate enough is a problem for some online students. There is (or definitely should be) a thorough screening process that would not allow a student to enroll in an online course without the required tech skills, software, and hardware.
Besides that, I find we often rely too much on the technology always working when we need it. It breaks down just like everything else and the students (and instructor) need to be tech savy enough to have an alternate method if the current tech is not available. We can't pass or fail the some students just because the assignment online upload process has "bugs". We may have to accept those assignments as email attached files for example.
Claudia,
I am sorry that you are trained that way or feel that way. I want students to use the skills they learn in a class I facilitate to solve problems. We do have to realize we can influence students. Learning should be empowering not brainwashing.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I disagree with you on many points but I agree with you on some.
As traditional teacher from an undeveloped country we struggled a lot with lack of professionalism from colleagues. We have a dangerous power in our hands, as well as the internet those days.
We, as teacher, we were not trained to create thinkers, we were trained to create followers.
Donald,
Wow, I don't agree with you at all. Not every professor works to use students analytical skills but many do. The Internet is not the only technology that is technology. Critical thinking involves knowing what tools to use in the most efficient manner. When I work with students they have to determine if the data is information to them, they can connect to experts to determine solutions, they use Excel for "what-if" analysis. That is technology for critical thinking. Technology can do the thinking; students do and it is my responsibility to help students develop these skills and evaluate the results of their endeavors.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The learning issues in society are manifest. Basically, the elite teach students only enough information to do their jobs. Critical thinking skills are not demanded by most business schools even though a great deal of lip service is given to critical thinking and its benefits.
Now comes the internet.
The internet is the great liberator of the age. One can learn almost anything on the internet. The reason is because collective knowledge is vastly superior to expert knowledge. If desired and if the effort is made, a person can get a college education by reading material on the internet without necessarily going to college and paying tuition. This fact is one of the main reasons why academic attendance is dwindling.
Can critical thinking be learned from accessing knowledge on the internet? My answer is maybe. Most people use the articles on the internet to reinforce their belief structure, and not necessarily search for truth. I have not seen a great number of articles on the internet on critical thinking. It could be because I just have not looked for them with any effort.
I think that this is where teacher can make a huge difference. By challenging students, students can develop critical thinking skills as a reaction. I think that it is hard to develop critical thinking skills without a gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, push from an instructor.
What do you think?
Troy,
Good for you. I too use webcams for a variety of tasks. It can be a quick and effective way to work with students to provide individualized learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I've been using webcam with a live lecture series for our weekly office hours. This has been a very effective way to answer student questions and work out pharmacy math problems with which students might be having difficulty. Always keeping an eye out on technology and how it can be applied to the classroom will allow us to be more effective as educators.
Garry,
What a great attitude. We do have a responsibility to have a controlled diet of new technology. We don't want to use anything for the sake of new yet we need to be always scanning the horizon for technology that enriches the student experiences and eases the instructor workload. We also need to be willing to share the knowledge and the results of the usage of certain technology realistically.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Garry,
The google products are great and many workplaces use them. Google skills are not a bad skill set to have.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
You're right!
This also requires much of us as instructors though. There are a plethora of tools out there. Some are junk... some are passe... and some are foundational. WE have to be navigators and leaders in this though. WE have to find the good stuff and be a part of making it better. And we have to school ourselves enough that we don't lose sight of what our students need and hunger for.
This is DAUNTING. And yet... REALLY EXCITING at the same time. It's a huge playground for us to learn in!
Wordpress has many great resources. As does google+. Google+ "pages" is essentially a blog atmosphere. I would highly encourage you to go there first. it's a fantastic resource.
Stanley,
MY institution has workshops and I used the tutorials that are provided to work in our LMS. I have reached out through listservs and blogs and that helps also. Some of it is trial and error. That is not a great way to learn a technology from the instructor's side but it happens often.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Breezy,
That is true and we can embrace them. I started texting my students using Remind101.com. It has really made a difference.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Where does one go to acquire technical expertise for setting up blogs, etc.?
I think that having the use of different technology is great when it comes to an online enviroment. There are many students that use different technologies just to communicate with their instructors such as: ipod, ipad, computers, voice video, chats, and webcam
Lilia,
You are right. We as instructors must have a plan to help students "get on board" with technology. We also must be careful not to give students a pass just because they don't know it. Avoidance can be the barrier not the technology itself.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sometimes technology can be a hindrance for students that are not familiar with the online environment.
Nancy ,
I like your attitude! It is a great opportunity to explore the different ways to guide learning!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
