1. The general ability of the students to use the technology. They must have an understanding of its use in order to interact successfully.
2. Matching the content to the context. Some information is better suited to one particular type of technology over another.
3. Using technology that enhances the experience of learning. Technology should support the information and not take the focus away from it.
Rebecca Smith
get the message across effectively & efficiently
enhance communication for everyone
keep it simple & cheap
Mary,
It's all about getting to know your audience. We have to know who we are teaching to reach them most effectively. Thank you.
I believe having knowledge of a student's experience and confidence level with the chosen technology is imperative. If an instructor is using technology unfamiliar to students, the students may be hesitant to use it therefore, ineffective.
amanda,
Usability, cost and tracking -- all good points. Thanks for elaborating on each of them a bit.
1. Usability: will the students find it difficult to use?
2. Cost: are there any cost to use this program and who will pay for it.
3. Tracking: will it help you the instructor and students track their progress.
Donald,
Thank you for bringing up the accessibility issues. I also like the KISS principle and it can help all students. Thanks again for adding to this forum.
Others have covered the most common things.
In math and Algebra, the special characters and symbols need to be talked about. Especially for students who are handicapped. Blind students have trouble with mathematical symbols, especially inputting their work. I have never had a blind student yet in one of my classes, but I am just now trying to become involved with others in working on developing the software and technology to support this. The technology is well established to translate a lecture into a "talking book" for the blind, for the speaker output for the ears and braille output for the fingers of the blind, but what is not yet fully developed are the tools to allow the blind persons finger and voice inputs to generate equations and other more complex math symbols, into a form that can then be understood and recognized by the instructor for grading. This is the challenge.
As far as "normal" students, there are many tools to help, and some like to use them, but I tend to apply the KISS principle here, and "keep it simple, stupid". Instead of special characters, I tend to use just the characters normally located on a keyboard to represent an equation.
Shrese,
Yes, we can provide many of these in the syllabus or in a quick "Start Here" location on the LMS or course Website. Nice job.
I believe the three most important things to consider when assessing the use of technology communication tools in a online learning environment are: Making sure all participants understand system requirements before the class starts, ensuring participants are familiar with navigating the chosen system, and ensuring all timeframes are clear.
Kurt,
Concise and to the point. You are right that all three of these need to present to have effective communication. Thanks!
Christopher,
You bring up some good points. The students must be able to use the technology effectively to make it all work. Thanks for your input in this forum.
I think the most important considerations are:
1. Features
2. Accessiblity
3. Support
Kurt
The three most important things to consider when assessing the use of a technology communication tool in the learning environment is the following:
1. The tool should be easy to use and navigate i.e. it should be intuitive for the student to use and master.
2. It should be free i.e. readily available without cost to the student.
3. It should be appropriate based on the size of the intended audience.
Sam,
Putting yourself in the student's position is a great thing. Being able to archive the information is an excellent point I don't think others have brought up. That's great as we continue to learn from each other. Thanks!
This is a good one to start with it made me think and put myself in the students position.
1. Easy to use (look toward social networking techniques)
2. It should be archive able (if both audio and text are included offer option of text portion only)
3. Instructor needs to maintain currency by overseeing flow and relevance
Twyla ,
It is great to talk to students about how and when you will be communicating with them. I have a friend who always has the students vote on ONE way to communicate and the choices are email, Facebook or Announcements. Once they vote on the one way, that's is the way he uses. This does not include additional assignments on the discussion board, etc. Thanks for your input in this forum.
When reviewing the effectiveness of technology communication tools in a virtual learning environment, I believe it is important to consider:
1. The preferences of the students. There are some students who have been out of school for many years. They have challenges using new technology such as e-mail, teleconferencing, or the internet.
2. The tool should establish an easy method of communication among the instructor and students. There are some students that are savvy at using blogs and discussion boards, where some prefer synchronous interactions such as telephone conferencing or chats.
3. There should be a combination of tools available to the students.
The instructors should be willing to accommodate various methods of communication tools to reach the masses of students.
Twyla Arnold
Anthony,
Communication is essential no matter how you do it. Social media is not for everyone but it is always good to discuss with the students how they prefer to be communicated with and/or how you are going to communicate with them and how they should communicate with you and their peers. Students must also understand the course expectations and how to achieve them.
Thanks for your input.
In the online environment I think its important to utilize the resources available to you and what fits with your teaching style. I'm not a social media geek, bu I'm familiar and comfortable with social media. Considering it is a tool that students are already using it makes sense to use some type of social media. I also think its important to use effective, clear, and concise communication formats with students. I'm a firm believer of minimizing text shorthand when using emails, but if creating a social media outlet then it's fine. Finally, I believe clear communication on the part of the instructor is extremely important. Being able to effectively communicate such things as policies, expectations, etc. are critical for instructors. Because you're not in a F2F format, its even more significant that instructors are clear about the structure of the course.
Anthony
