Get Your Students Hired
When using technology tools in a virtual learning environment, what do you believe are the three most important things to consider?
1. The level of technological skills the students posses
2. Is the tool easy to navigate? Is it rather intuitive?
3. Is there tech support available?
Jason,
Those are great questions to raise when deciding on tools. You want the learning curve to be low.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Are you using the tool for your convenience or the students? If both proceed.
Does it require more training that can take away from the real content?
Does it require the student to have something abnormal to run?
Greg,
True, and many times students blame the instructor for the problem(s). You don't want the technology to be the barrier to the learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The 3 most important things to consider when using technology in a classroom is ensuring students can see, hear and use it as well. There is nothing more frustrating for a student when they can't get the technology to work. This just negatively impacts their ability to learn and if we can minimize this as instructors, it will better serve our students.
Cathy,
Yes, it is also the depth of the technology knowledge and/or skill. We assume that nontraditional students don't have the skills and the traditional students have strong technology skills. I don't find this to be true most of the time.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cathy,
Great post. You do want to make sure the technology is platform agnostic (like the word?) so you don't have to worry that students have a specific platform. We have some technology at our institution that requires a specific version of Java and another technology requires another; that is so frustrating. You also make a great point that the technology should fit the purpose.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Elin,
You are right. You don't want the technology to be a barrier.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I'm with you in terms of access to the Internet. Unfortunately, the Digital Divide is alive and well.
I believe the three most important things to consider when using technology tools in a virtual learning environment are the following:
1. System requirements for the technology tools. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to use a tool because your computer does not have the required program/application. If your computer doesn't have the requirements the tool is useless.
2. Ease of use of the tool. Some students are highly skilled technology users but others are not. In any one course you have a whole range of levels of technology expertise. If we want all students to be successful in our courses, the tool must be able to be used by the least skilled student.
3. The fit of the tool with the learning objectives and consideration of whether the objective involves declarative knowledge (in which case a podcast or voice-over PowerPoint would be appropriate), procedural knowledge (in which case a tutorial with screen capture that demonstrates a skill or procedure would be appropriate), or conditional knowledge (in which case a blog would be a great place for students to reflect on and discuss when and how what they are learning can be applied).
1. video or audio collaboration with the teaching content
2. simplicity to navigate around the course structure without confusion.
3. easy to access anytime anywhere.
Mark,
What a great post! I think we have to remember not everyone is enamored with technology as many of us are. It is a tool and we need to consider it as one tool in our educational tool box.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When using technology tools in a virtual learning environment, I believe the three most important things to consider are 1) how the tool will contribute to the learning outcomes, 2) how easily the students (and me) can use the tool, and 3) my understanding of how the tool is designed to work and how that is compatible with my goals. Contribution to the learning outcomes is, I feel, always paramount, followed immediately by "usability." Also, a tool should never be used just because it is seen as "cool" or forward-thinking. If the tool is used purposefully and the students show benefit, then it is fulfilling its function.
- Mark W.
Audrey,
You make an important point. The content using the technology needs to be organized so it is coherent for the student. When this is not considered students have to click everywhere to study a module and it is hard to make connections when you are always looking to the next place to "click".
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When using technology tools in a virtual learning environment the three most important things to consider are:
1. lectures and content to students are organized and user-friendly;
2. incorporate other technologies like voice-over PowerPoint, recorded lectures or tutorials, and a learning management system;
3. multiple functionality
Dr. Christopher,
I agree with you. The technology should benefit all. We need to think about any learning as student centered. Decisions should be made with that in mind.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Christopher,
You are right. I find some of the mobile tools are still quite limited in their function. You don't want to force a usage just because it it technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Christopher,
You make a great point. The technology should NOT drive the tool decision/ the student, the material, and the instructor should. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I really like the wording of your post, "Being user friendly for students" as I think we seem to forget about that at times. To many times we use technology to make life easier for the instructors or less expensive for the school. The students are really what matters.
I think one of the points we need to remember is that there are some functions that technology is not always better for. An example of this may be drawing ladder schematics. Can it be done on the iPad and submitted? Sure. But is some quality and learning lost? Yes. So, do it on paper. Don't use technology just to say that technology is used.