Get Your Students Hired
William,
You are right. You don't want the technology be the barrier and cause the anxiety in learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When it comes to technology more is NOT necessarily the better approach, as it can create a compatibility nightmare.
We need to be aware of the different learning styles of students, and adapt accordingly.
We need to ask all involved if the new technology tool allows faculty to effectively teach or facilitate the topic in that course, if not, a different decision needs to be made.
Have a good day!
Dawn
Hello
Students need to feel comfortable with the software being used. If the s/w has issues or fails during the time the student is online it will cause a great deal of confusion and angst. The student is there to learn not deal with poor planning on the part of the technology people who implemented it.
Online is great for both visual and oral learners. Having voice over power points is a great way to reach them. I agree with the lecture that although worthwhile, they should be broken up by the instructor and not used as a baby sitter for students while the instructor goes off and does other things.
Finally, the instructor must take into consideration the fact that the learning styles and learning levels of your students will vary widely. What works well with one student may not be so successful with another. Therefore the instructor should use multiple technology techniques so the vast majority of students are reached.
Bill Becker
May-Lin,
What a great post. You make a great point about competency that applies to your other comments. So many times you are the only contact the student has to the university. Also, you don't want the technology to be the barrier to learning you want it to be the gateway.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
There are many things to consider when using technology tools. I believe the three most important things are as follows:
1 Competency: Are you competent in the tool that you are using so that you can troubleshoot problems if they come up and are the students able to use the tool as well. Do they have the necessary hardware requirements on their computer. I say this as I've had students who don't have newer computers and can't get certain program to load on their computer.
2. Course Requirements: I think that you have to be careful to not bombard the students with a lot of technology tools so much that you lose focus on the course content itself. I would say that you could do one or two synchronous events but don't make it a hindrance where students who have varying work schedules can't attend.
3. Availability: My answer for this one relates to the first two in that you as an instructor who decides to use some newer technology tools should be there to walk students through the requirements of the course and requirements for the tool. The online environment is almost 24-7 when you look at when students are online and this could end up bombarding an instructors time with phone calls and emails.
Nitin,
I agree with you. It has to do what the objectives want the student to learn and it should do it easily. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Nitin,
Great post. You are right. I have had to change technology and find that the tools I used to use were fixed to the point they didn't exist. Oh the frustration. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Nitin,
Great post. You are right. I have had to change technology and find that the tools I used to use were fixed to the point they didn't exist. Oh the frustration. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Nitin,
Great post. You are right. I have had to change technology and find that the tools I used to use were fixed to the point they didn't exist. Oh the frustration. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Kimberly,
I agree with you - it is important to ensure the tool allows the instructor to accomplish the task of ensuring the students learn the topic on hand.
From my experience, I would have to say the 3 in order are:
1 - How easy is it to navigate in this new tool, ie ease of use, and acceptance?
2 - Do all the students have access to this (will they need to upgrade to the latest Browser? latest plug-ins? new computer?
3 - Does the new tool allow me to effectively teach or facilitate the topic in that course?
This is a good question and I see new tools being offered, but sometimes it takes a while to get used to the new features and lack of the older ones...
Lois,
Great post. We have to make efforts to learn technology that can really enhance the student learning experience. That is so important for us to continually to look.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Laurie,
You make a great point. You don't want the technology to be a barrier for the student or for you. It can't be so difficult that the student loses sight of the assignment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would say the 3 most appropriate questions to ask my self would be:
1. What I as an instructor am competent in using.
2. What my students are capable of using.
3. Appropriateness of the tool to the content.
David,
You are right. You want to make sure that students can navigate through the technology and use it as it should. It also must meet your needs also.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dale,
You want it also effective. You want to make sure it can do what you want it to do for everyone.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dale,
Great point. It is so important that students not perceive the technology as a barrier to learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I agree with many of the posts to date. Learning to use resources in a way that is meaningful is key. Using technology for the sake of doing so is something important to avoid. The use of technology that is appropriate for the learning activity is therefore an important thing to consider. On the same note, using technology tools that enhance a given assignment is important--learning to use the proper tool for the proper assignment is key--it needs to make sense to student. Finally, using technology that does not make an assignment more difficult is important. Helping students to learn new tools is important but not at the expense of the process of learning about a given topic. It is important not to discourage students by using tools or technology that makes a given assignment more difficult to complete and run the risk of a student getting discouraged in the course as a result of such challenges.
Dr. Wilkinson,
I would have to say that I would consider who my audience is first. To ensure that they have the ability to manipulate the technology that I choose to execute. I would also evaluate the content that I was trying to disseminate...to ensure that I was using the proper medium. Finally, I would consider how I was going to evaluate the students...to ensure that the method I chose would affect how they retain the knowledge.
David Pittman
Robert,
I really like your first point. Keep it simple! Speaking from experience, when I do anything online, I want it to be easy.