First, technology must fit the classroom. The instructor must be sure that the technology is appropriate to his classroom needs. Second, the instructor must work with the students to bring them up to speed incase problems occur. Third, the instructor must develop a good relationship with tech support so that students issues cal be resolved within a 24 hour period.
Hi Everyone!
1. Good instructional design and the ability to revise content. It is important to be able to modify materials if students are having trouble engaging in the materials.
2. 24/7 tech support - should things go wrong, and there are always some bugs to be worked out, students and faculty need easy and prompt access to tech support
3. Training and Development Department : Instructors have the knowledge of knowing how to use the technology and can get help if they need to be more familiar with content or process areas.
I have roughly three years experience with communication tools in an online learning environment. As a general note - I find it fascinating that these are even considerations. When I was growing up, I would have loved the opportunity to academically engage online and work at my own pace across distance/time boundaries - it's VERY exciting terrain for the present and future of education.
The considerations I have when assessing technology communication tools in a virtual learning environment are the following:
1.) The quantity of time I have to work with and 2.) the number of individuals present for learning. If you have a short time-frame and high volume class load, it puts strain on the window of communication. I want to make sure my presentation is as efficient as possible, while leaving room for Q & A and meeting course requirements/outcomes.
3.) My final consideration is their engagement with my communicative efforts. It's not necessarily successful communication if it's not received and/or two-way! Using tools that resonate with a variety of learning styles: text, audio, video, visual, social media, interactivity, etc will hopefully get them learning and communicating with not just me, but each other as well!
I think the three following things are critical to success of technology in a course.
1. It needs to be reliable - how many times have you been in a meeting when the technology does not work and people online are frustrated because they are wasting time?
2. It also needs to be easy to understand and easy to use - especially for the students. If they don't understand how to navigate they will quickly disengage. Having available tech support helps.
3. It needs to be inexpensive - students often do not have reliable computers and internet so asking them to purchase additional equipment or software is not considering their needs.
After these items are addressed you can move to other attributes that are deemed important.
Christine,
Excellent. We have to provide a space/environment that's easy to utilize and easy to communication within. Technical support will help in all areas. Thanks for your input.
I believe the three most important things to consider when assessing the use of technology communication tools is:
1. Ease of access and usability - students need to be able to understand and feel comfortable navigating the virtual classroom. Using technology that is similar to what is currently being used will help students focus on learning and not working through the technology
2. Technical Support - students and faculty need easy and prompt access to tech support. If the student has to struggle to use the feature they will become disengaged.
3. Communication Process- A clear outline of when and how to use various communication tools is beneficial. Which communication tool is best for what area of the classroom.
Aldgenette,
You are right on target. Instructors must make sure students understand the expectations to help the move forward toward the learning objectives. The netiquette rules and student engagement can assist in reaching objectives as well. Thank you.,
While tech support and how and when to contact them is extremely important in the virtual learning environment, I think that the three most important things to consider are:
1.) Understanding the importance of engaging in the discussion forums, and how to respond in a way that would provide substance and add value to the topic being discussed, rather than responding with a simple yes, no, or I agree. The reason is because most, if not all online instructors will use rubrics to determine the points given based on the response. Participating in the group discussion forums is just as important as all of the other assignments/activities in an online class, and students should be aware of this prior to enrolling in any courses online.
2.) Students should know how and why to use Netiquette(Internet etiquette. They should be taught to be professional, and polite at all times; whether they are responding to their instructor, or their classmates. Students should be taught to use proper language; no profanity, etc. They should be taught to respond using complete sentences, and correct punctuation, being careful not to write in all caps. The guidelines for Netiquette should always be used whether taking an online class or simply using any social media tools for communicating. Many employers are searching social media to determine a person's character prior to hiring them. Some companies have also fired employees for the use of inappropriate language. Anything said over social media can be saved and retrieved, to be viewed by the public--nothing is private. Therefore, be very careful. Your words are the only thing that the person reading sees, prior to ever meeting you-- if at all.
3.) Instructors should be sure that the students understand the assignments. Instructors must also provide contact information to students in case the students need clarification of the assignment. Instructors should also provide students with a start and end/close date on all assignments; as well as the penalty/or impact on their grade if assignments are not completed in a timely manner--so that they will not be surprised by the grade earned.
Marjorie,
Right on! The instructor must be knowledgeable and utilize technology that all student can use. Without this framework, learning will not continue within the course. Thanks!
Kimberly,
Definitely. If the communication technology is not easy to use, who is using it? Not the students! :-) So, to help them be successful in their communication, we have to make sure it's accessible and easy. Thanks!
I believe that the three most important things to consider and why are:
1) Accessibility of technology tool for the students. If the tool is not readily available, or very expensive, it will not be an option for most students.
2) Ease of learning how to use the technology tool. If a student does not know how to use the particular technology tool, it is important for there to be a direct and relatively easy way to learn how to use the technology tool.
3) And also, extremely important, is that the instructor have access and knowledge of how to use the specific technology tool.
What do you think ?
Sincerely,
Marjorie Thrall Moller
I think that ease of use is important. Students must be able to use them effectively without having to spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. Another item to consider is how efficient the technology is. We don't want to have students spending time using technology that isn't working. Any sort of apps that run sometimes and sometimes have errors could be frustrating to students. Thirdly, I think we have to pay attention to the dynamics of the classroom - and the classroom assignments. We want to monitor the level of the students and what we are trying to achieve. There are many tools available, but we need to introduce and use them appropriately to lead students to success.
Thanks,
Kim
Lyn ,
The communication tools and all technology should be user friendly so that students will effectively utilize the technology. Without effective use, the students won't use the technology or it won't help them move forward toward learning the content. Thanks!
Dawn,
Excellent! If a communication tool is not easy to use, it won't get used. That is for sure.
Thanks.
Hi all, here are three that come to mind:
1) Students may be using different browsers and internet connections. Make sure that the technology fits commonly used technology, and post technology requirements in FAQs so that students can update as needed. (Cost of software is important too. Free is good. )
2) Consistency across the school. Most colleges will do this assessment instead of individual instructors. If instructors want to use something in addition to what is recommended or provided, it is good to check with IT/ Academics to make sure privacy / legal issues are not a concern.
3) What do the communication tools add to the learning process? Do they help students with access to instructors or each other? Will they be used througout the course to help deliver important concepts? Feedback throughout and during the course will help with this assessment. Lyn Hoffmann
Hello, everyone. I believe the following characteristics are most important regarding communication tools in a virtual learning environment.
1. Ease of Use.
2. Ease of Navigation.
3. Useful resources for responding to questions.
Thank you,
Dawn
Amy,
Yes indeed. Understanding where the students are coming from in reference to their use of technology is a great first step in reducing the frustration. Thanks for your input.
There seem to be many great suggestions in relation to using technology in the learning environment. I believe that the students level of tech knowledge is the most important. Since we have students of all ages, I have found that many have difficulty with navigating the online classroom. Adding new technology may be more confusing for some and may be a deterrent. Ease of use would also be very important, as well as support. I have also found that if students become frustrated with the technology that is presented to them, they begin emailing at a frantic pace :)
Cynthia,
Excellent. It's so true that even though the technology is easy to use, we still need that technology support. Thanks for bringing that up.
Take care.
1.Ensure the technology is user-friendly and easy to navigate. 2. Ensure there is 24-7 technical support for students and instructors to handle access and technical issues with a strong focus on help desk support for user-based errors 3. Ensuring instructors are well verses in the course technology to be able to intervene with students early so technical issues do not become a barrier to student success in the course room.
