Get Your Students Hired
Melissa,
Great post. You are right, we as educators have to be familiar with the technology. We don't have to be experts but we can't seem incompetent.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Assessment is key to developing a LMS. Does the LMS allow you to access the outcome of the course objective? That is a critical question that must be answered.
The three most important things to consider in utilizing technology tools in a virtual environment should be: exploring and familiarizing yourself with all of the features, evaluate how to effectively utilize them in the online classroom, and provide support to students in applying the tools into the course curriculum. This will provide effective usage of technology tools in a virtual learning environment for both student and facilitator.
Chrissy,
You make such an important point about more is not always better. You make another good point regarding adopting tools for a system. It must be viewed through the eyes of the student as well as the instructor. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Anthony,
True! It is so important that the technology match the content and delivery. Good post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First and foremost, it is crucial to not adopt the more is better approach. Many LMS systems offer so many options to interact with students and provide tools for learning. However, as with anything that is new, a student can be overwhelmed with having to use too many tools, especially if the choice in using that tool is not purposeful and is not needed for a specific learning outcome.
Once the needed tools have been identified, I believe that providing training on how to use these tools (customer support) and testing the functionality of the tools is critical, as sometimes technology does not always function the way we intended it to when we adopted a particular tool/system.
The three most important things to consider when using technology in a virtual learning environment includes:
1) What you are teaching and the students learning styles.
2) What technology is the most effective for delivering the information (i.e., blogs, wiki, teaching platforms, etc.)
3) The best programs available in terms of effectiveness and ease of use to administer the tools in No. 2 above.
Dwayne,
I do think we have to be careful in thinking about students as customers. They are also our product! I like to think of students as clients and educators as consultants. This relationship works when both entities are working to improve the student.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dwayne,
You are correct, you have to make sure the tool is match with the task. You don't want the tool to become a barrier for learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Raouf ,
You make such great points in your post. You make a great connection to the technology and they syllabus. I think this cannot be overstated.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Darakshan,
Great post! You are right on all points. You don't want technology to be a barrier.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sarah,
You are right! You don't want the technology to be the focus and/or a barrier to learning. Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Louise,
I liked your post because it really took into account how the tools impact the student experience. We have to remember that students are ultimately our customers and we have to find ways to provide a more effective and valuable experience. These tools can enhance that experience and make the customer happy.
Thank you,
Dwayne Roark
I believe you have to match the appropriate tools with the function and you have to use the technology to facilitate the teaching and to make the learning experience more effective.
Thank you,
Dwayne Roark
When using technology tools in a virtual learning environment, I believe that the three important factors to be considered are:
1. The methods used by the instructor in providing information to students.
2. The communications tools embedded with the online course
3.course syllabus
I believe that the methods used by the instructor in providing information to students are very important for me as an instructor to develop a pattern over time and to include several components to satisfy the working of a well - developed online course.
The communications tools embedded with the online course are also very important and are essential part for me to guide students throughout the duration of the course.
Other factor is a well - developed course syllabus should clearly describe the role the online environment will play through the course.
The three most important things to consider are:
1. Easy to learn for both students and instructor.
2. Reliable and fast.
3. Able to work with different operating systems/browsers.
-Darakshan
I think three of the most important things to consider would be:
1. That a technology tool is relatively easy for students that may be unfamiliar with it to learn to use. Of course this is going to depend on help from the instructor when needed and setting up a wiki or similar tool for students to share knowledge but when selecting tools I think some will be more intuitive than others so it is important to look for that quality.
2. I have found it helpful to make sure that a tool is engaging - it is relevant enough to the class and also reflects student interests enough that there is both a reason to want to use it and to need to use it.
3. It is also important to make sure that the tool supports outcomes in the class - for example in a beginning class helping to expose students to common technologies they may not have used or giving students that are studying instruction an opportunity to use tools they might use on the job.
-Sarah
John,
What you say is very true, but technology does help us do what we need to do at a distance. I find that avoidance becomes my biggest barrier; the idea that students just want to do what they have always done. This can be their biggest barrier.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Christine,
I agree with you on your points. You are right, you can show students how to communicate EFFECTIVELY in an online environment using tools efficiently. Good post!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe tools need to work the same for every participant. Each user has differing levels of expertise. Many of my students are later life learners who have not used many of the tools that younger learners seem to grasp quickly. This seems to cause great frustration. I believe a tool should be transparent (meaning that learning the tool should be simple and not take away from learning the topic). I also believe technology should be used only if it enhances the learning experience.