It is undeniable that online learning holds vast potential to improve learning and student engagement for some, and isolate and disillusion others. As such, it carries the potential to earn or lose profit for companies who make the associated hardware and software. Finally, it also encourages entrepreneurs with altruistic intent to develop open-source solutions distributed under free usage licenses.
In his recent post about collaboration, Tony Karrer shared a phenomenal collaborative mind-map of some of these available tools. This map, while impressive in its breadth, is still not a conclusive examination of all the technologies available to students, teachers, and instructional designers.
On the downside, the resulting cacophony of technology solutions is nothing short of overwhelming. Without a clear understanding of students' levels of information literacy and technology awareness, an instructional designer or school administrator may spend countless hours building courses that employ technologies their students will never use. The resulting student participation will be intermittent and unsatisfactory for both the facilitator and the student.
On the upside, the plethora of technology solutions means an instructional designer or school administrator who has an understanding of what their students and instructors use regularly, will most likely find an appropriate solution – one that requires an extension of their existing communication habits, instead of significant revision.
Articles and essays in scholarly journals, blogs, and traditional news media, as well as presentations in conferences around the world, support the use of technologies to enhance the online learning experience. Of particular importance is:
- George Siemens' (2008) work with Connectivism, learning networks, and curatorial teaching,
- Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's work on the "community of inquiry" model of learning, as cited in Anderson (2008),
- and Durrington, Berryhill, and Swafford's (2006) examination of student interaction in an online environment.
It is in the spirit of a curatorial teacher – one who is "an expert learner. … [and] creates spaces in which knowledge can be created, explored, and connected" (Siemens, 2008, p. 17) – that the following list of tools is presented. These tools, presented in both a textual and graphical format, will fill the intersection between student technology usage, the community of inquiry model (teaching presence, social presence, cognitive presence(Anderson, 2008, p. 344)), and Durrington et. al.'s suggestions for enhanced student interactivity.
Social Presence
Skype – Synchronous communication
FirstClass – Asynchronous Class Café inside of First Class LMS
Cognitive Presence
FirstClass – Asynchronous, Instructor-Mediated, Content Delivery and construction, Learning Environment Class Learning Conferences
FirstClass – Asynchronous, Student-Moderated, Learning Environment, Problem-Based Learning, content construction (groups of 3-4 students)
Wikispaces - Asynchronous, Student Moderated, Instructor Mediated, Learning Environment, Problem Based Learning, content construction (groups of 3-4 students)
Internet – Instructor Mediated, Content Delivery, Problem Based Learning
Adobe Connect – Synchronous, instructor mediated, presentation and learning environment with shared whiteboard, chat, notes, multimedia support, screen sharing, polling, audio and video.
Teaching Presence
FirstClass – Instructor Mediated, Asynchronous Learning Conferences
WikiSpaces – instructor Mediated, Asynchronous Individualized and group feedback on assignments
Adobe Connect - Instructor Mediated, Synchronous individualized and group feedback
Skype – Synchronous individualized mentorship and guidance
References
Anderson, T. (Ed.) (2008). The Theory And Practice Of Online Learning (2nd ed.). Edmonton, AB: Athabasca University Press.
Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies For Enhancing Student Interactivity In An Online Environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190−193.
Karrer, T. (2008, December 2). Collaboration Tools: eLearning Technology. Message December 23, 2008, posted to eLearning Technology: http://elearningtech.blogspot.com/2008/12/collaboration-tools.html
Hi Brad,
ReplyDeleteYou have designed a very clever graphical organizer that is interestingly enough self-defining in a sense given your use of icons or graphics. I better see how this type of tool should be devised. Your diagram reminds me of a neural network in that a set of variables, or communication tools, is fed into a black-box if you will, and are output into a meaningful dataset, or set of datasets that equate to the different presences and what tools can be used to maintain each presence. Your rendition of the graphical organizer is succinct and easy to follow. I almost have it memorized after a few glances!
Shane.
Shane,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. My original design was much more complicated and involved. When I got frustrated trying to render what was in my head, I set it aside for something simpler. I think the one I posted was more effective because it was simpler. I was definitely over thinking it the first time. This is a lesson I am running into repeatedly lately. Keep it simple and effective, and just do it!
Your model effectively communicates the need for engaged learning tools in any form of instruction. Presence in the classroom can be represented as having an effect on a class through new definitions of what it means to be an educator. On either end of your chart we could include various learning methodologies and pedagogies because researchers have clearly articulated how technology can be used as a tool for augmented learning.
ReplyDeleteThanks you for sharing two new tools I was not familiar with. Have you used the full features of First Class? How would you say it compares to other LMS applications and free Web 2.0 collaboration tools? Does Adobe Connect have features that set it apart from other virtual classroom applications? Thanks for a rich post.
Rose,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions. Those would be helpful additions to the chart.
I have not used the full features of FirstClass; I am still exploring it. It has some advantages to typical LMS systems. Primarily its security and stability due to it being a client based (installed program) instead of a web-based interface. This is simultaneously one of its biggest detractors. It is a foreign experience to anyone who has taken online courses before and may take some transition time - even though it contains equivalents of all of the normal Web 2.0 tools.
Adobe Connect is a nice application that has all of the standard virtual classroom tools. In my circumstance, it has the unique honor of being included with the licensing fees for FirstClass! So, we are using it instead of other options.