David,
You are right. There is not just one consideration, but many. When you find what works for you and your students, it enhances the learning process. Nice job.
Tawanda,
We very much need to decipher what technology is the best to use and how the students can access that technology. When the technology works to help students better understand what we need them to understand - it's the best method. Thanks!
I think that there are many considerations that have been mentioned but I would want to know:
1) ease of use, and functionality of the technology and the importance of this functionality in learning,
2)bandwidth requirements for the technology, and most importantly,
3) what are the needs of the students for us as teachers to really simulate an in-class environment and convey knowledge that is not intimidating from a technical point of view.
I believe that three most important things to consider when assessing the use of technology communication tools in the virtual learning environment include the following:
1. The appropriateness of the technology = the type of technology used must be appropriate and useful to the course. It needs to make “sense†when used along with the course. For example using a virtual lab with an Anatomy or Biology course makes sense but not with a Law and Ethics course.
2. Student accessibility of the technology = the students must have the appropriate software and applications. If something is supposed to be posted in PDF format or MS Word and the student does not have it then how will they participate.
3. Student comprehension of the technology = the student must have at least a basic understanding of the technology and its use. If they do not know how to use or why they are using it, then the whole thing is pointless!
EDNA,
Yes, there are several options for technology and communication. Make sure you evaluate them and they meet your and your students' needs.
Gauri ,
Yes, we ned to make sure the technology meets the needs of our students and our own teaching needs. Thanks for your int.
Email is the most common technology communication tool. You can use social messaging tools and telephone also as a mean to communicate.
I would think about the following three before adopting a particular technology tool:
(1) Is it effective in teaching the particular course, i.e., does it have the tools that I may require to teach effectively? For example, I may need to display powerpoint slides or access the web directly to point out to some news piece / chart etc.
(2) Can my students easily access, understand and adopt the tool?
(3) In case of technical difficulty, can the students access the information I provide at a later time as well?
Michael,
Thanks for your three important things to consider. You are right on with your comments. Thanks again.
I think the three most important things to consider are as follows:
1) Ease of use. This goes for both the instructor and the student -- if a program is cumbersome and/or has a high learning curve, there likely won't be much incentive to use it.
2)Application. Is the program being used in an efficient manner? Is it delivering information to a group, or a single student?
3) Intent. Is the information being delivered as intended? If not, might the alternate use be more useful in another situation?
Carol,
Yes - what works for us and what works for the students to help them learn the content better, achieve course outcomes and communicate better. Keep up the good work.
Thomas,
Making sure the technology tools first your needs and the students needs is important. Technology tools should help students learn the content and communicate more effectively.
Hi, Dr. Crews,
It is interesting to note that we are lucky to be intertwined with the tools of technology as online instructors We have an opportunity to really make it work for us. The problem is that sometimes even we don't know or understand everything that is available! Some work ahead of us for sure.
Thanks for your replies :-)
Carol Hannon
I would ask myself if the tools fit the needs or advantages of the class I am teaching. For example, in my philosophy class I may have an excellent lecture or presentation that is most powerful as a video. If my students are only able to see the transcript, I believe they are missing much.
The second question would be my students comfort level and capability range with technology. One is more of a psychological consideration and the other is a skills question but both can cause problems. For instance I am aware of some friends who just "do not compute" when it comes to computers! If they were in my class... what infra structure could I provide for them?
Finally I would ask about how to make it simple. Everything is so complicated these days with new passwords and usernames and software updates ... that I would want to spell things out in simple steps to be able to clear the hurdle for them.
Thanks,
Tom
Donna,
It is still amazing many times to get a student with this situation. I have made exceptions for some students that have had this situation. But it is difficult.
As recently as last Fall I had a student in rural Kentucky who had dial up service, and, lived an hour away from faster service in a library.
Donna,
Right. Bandwidth can be an issued. I have used technology that would not work unless students has high bandwidth. This can cause an issue with some students.
Carol,
You make a very good point. Using technology for instructional gain is excellent. Sometimes people just use technology becaust it's there, but it really needs to be tied to the instruction. Thanks!
I believe that the first assessment of a tool has to do with the bandwidth, and other elements that the student has available. Second, does the technology enhance or detract from the course content. Not all courses need the tools. Third, is the instructor savvy enough to utilize the tools?
Technology definitely has a reciprocal relationship with teaching and it’s up to the teacher to instructor to determine how to use the power of technology for instructional gain. First and foremost, you must determine how you plan on using the technology. Consider whether the communication will be student to instructor, instructor to student, and/or student to student. That would impact choices made for the type of technology utilized. Also critical is an understanding of the various learning styles that make students successful. You have to consider whether audio or visual use is more appropriate or a combination. And finally, you need to determine how much creativity you want to give to the students. Knowing whether you want them to create websites or blogs requires students to engage in more advanced cognitive activities. Technology definitely increases the way instructors can teach allowing more creative and dynamic options.
Carol Hannon
