Module 4 Post: Engaging Learners in a Digital World

Since the Internet became popular in the 90's we have seen a influx of online learning environments from as early as first grade to post graduate work.  Throughout this time there has been several methods of delivering content to students and teachers measuring the amount of learning that has been accomplished by the learner.  There are those who will provide you with evidence that describes how effective learning is online compared to the traditonal learning environment. On the same note, there are equally the same amount of people who will tell you that online learning is not as effective.  Could both be right?  Being in education for 15 years I have to say that yes both parties are right.  What is it then that makes the difference, or better yet what makes online learning effective?

In order to make online learning effective it first starts out with a caring instructor who reaches out and cares about the student's success. Just as an Face to Face (F2F) learning an instructor carefully monitors and provides timely feed back to the students.  If a student is not performing a specific task the instructors should immediately contact the students and find out what is wrong and develop ways to remedy the problem before it becomes impossible to fix.

In an online learning enviornment, it is important to develop an effective learning management system that clearly describes what is to be expected.  If the students are to create online content then there should be a universal or standard site in which a student should perform the tasks at hand.  An instructor should be able to have the ability to change and modify the content of the course to fit the needs of his/her students. 

To effectively communicate with students in the classroom there should be open ended questions that we could place a question about a problem that we are having within our school, job or course work that students can provide needed insight.  It would also be nice to provide a location in which we can also communicate with each other using tools such as skype or other video conferencing tools on the internet.

References:
Anderson, T. (2008). The theory and practice of online learning (2nd ed.). Edmonton, Canada: AU Press.
Siemens, G. (2008, January). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITForum.

Blogs:

http://virtualschooling.wordpress.com/
http://gettingsmart.com/blog/

Module 3 Post

Module 3 post

Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Palloff (2007) describes learning as an active process in which both learners and teachers are involved in the learning process.  In my classrooms I have provided several opportunities for my students to work collaboratively in the classroom realizing that when they finally graduate from high school and enter the real world they are not going to be an island unto themselves but will be forced to work with other individuals.  As I place the students into teams I try to monitor the efforts of each teammate to determine if there are any problems.  Usually there will be one student who will become the leader of the group and yet another student who will try to coast through the assignment without doing anything. 

The question becomes how to you properly assess their work both as a group and as an individual, when do you as an instructor step in to correct any administrative problems.

Dr. Siemen (2008) suggest that the grading policies reflect the following three elements ; students should be assessed by their peers in the learning group, receive feeback for their learning communities and grades should be based upon their contributions.   There will be however, students who will not want to contribute to their team and be expected to reap the grade of the group.  If this happens it is up to the instructor to step in and visit with the students and inform them that if they are not actively involved then they will fail the project.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Assessment of collaborative learning. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

 

Video Storyboard

Below is the storyboard for the video project. The pictures did not show up./  You should see the images by clicking on this link: Storyboard

Video Storyboard

 

TITLE of Project:  _Effective Integration of Digital Technology in the Classroom____________________________

 

SUBJECT:  ___Walden Univeristy______________________________   PAGE:  2  of  13

 

 

VIDEO	AUDIO
Rough sketch of the shot. Stick figures acceptable.	Narration, voiceover script, dialogue, sound effects, music, etc.
Sample     Title Screen:  Effective Use of Educational Technology	Uplifting music to build excitement and enthusiasm
	Developing Effective Technology Plans ·        Plan for short term not long term ·        Focus on applications ·        Go beyond enhancing the curriculum. ·

 

	Effective technology is defined a more than computers
	Effective Technology plan stresses integration of technology into the curriculum

 

	Effective technology plans include staff development
	Interview with teacher describing how they use computer technology in their classroom.
	Interview with students on what they are feel about interviewing technology

 

	Equalizing underserved students providing Broadband service and
	Using Skype in the classroom
	Designing classrooms for the future
References and Credits