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,
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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?
Michael,
Thanks for your three important things to consider. You are right on with your comments. Thanks again.
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?
Email is the most common technology communication tool. You can use social messaging tools and telephone also as a mean to communicate.
Gauri ,
Yes, we ned to make sure the technology meets the needs of our students and our own teaching needs. Thanks for your int.
EDNA,
Yes, there are several options for technology and communication. Make sure you evaluate them and they meet your and your students' needs.
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!
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.
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!
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.
I my opinion the three most important things to consider in accessing the use of technology communication tools in a virtual environment are:
1. To ensure the tool meets the needs of the course. Can the tool be tailored to a specific class?
2. Will students be able to use the tool? What are the minimum technology requirements? I still have students that use dial-up to login to the classroom.
3. Does the tool increase the efficiency of the class and does it meet the different learning styles of students.
robert,
It is good to make sure the tool is accessible by all students even with dial-up. Good point. Thanks for your input.
I have been an English professor for over thirteen years, but I've only been an online professor for two years. I have found that the three most important things to consider when evaluating the use of technology communication tools in an online class are as follows:
1. the familiarity that students have with technology (are they comfortable with technology? are they new to the online world and slightly scared of technology? are they somewhere in between?)
2. the material I am teaching (is this a beginning English class being taught to fitness students? is this an advanced grammar class being taught to court reporting students? is this a Business English class being taught to Health and Information Medical Coding students? what is their prior knowledge of the subject?)
3. the goals of my students (is this a general education class that does not build up to another class, or is this a prerequisite for a more difficult class? how can I link the subject to my students' goals in order to generate interest? what do my students truly need to get from my class?)
I find that these answers change from time to time, depending on the group of students I have at any given time. Sometimes, age and generational gaps become a more important thing to consider; older students may not be as involved with technology as younger students. Sometimes, socioeconomic background needs to be considered. Do my students have the financial security to balance school, work, and family? Can my students pay their internet bills and keep a good network system running? Every detail comes into play in the online education forum (just as it does in bricks and mortar education).
Dena,
You ask very good questions. Thanks! Your experience in the F2F classroom will help you tremendously in the online world. Keep working on the details and you will continue to be successful. Thanks!
