TECHNOLOGY TOOLS FOR DELIVERING INSTRUCTION

 

Example 2: Interactive Tours

A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?

 

In this particular scenario, an instructional designer could make a case for utilizing a variety of different technologies to deliver this type of learning experience for these high school students.  Using video-conferencing technology, like Skype or Gotomeeting, would allow students to interact with the curators in real time.  If the curators or museum uses a blog to post current information the learners could visit it to view and comment on art pieces or exhibits.  In his 2006 article, Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration, Beldarrain refers to Chickering and Ehrmann’s seven principles of integrating technology:

(1) Encourage contact between students and faculty.

(2) Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students.

(3) Use active learning techniques.

(4) Give prompt feedback.

(5) Emphasize time on task.

(6) Communicate high expectations.

(7) Respect diverse talents and ways of learning. (p. 144)

With these principals in mind the best tool to use would be a media sharing site such as Flickr or Slideshare.  The Technology of Distance Education media program clarifies that the content on these sites “can be viewed and commented on…Presentations created and shared on media sharing sites, such as slideshare, allow presenters to share the presentation with users across the globe.  Users can in turn comment on the presentations and share their own ideas thereby providing feedback.” (Laureate, 2011)  These qualities therefore make the technology provided by media sharing tools the best option for tackling the development of this type of learning experience.

The following link explains how NASA recently developed a program on Slideshare that allows them to post presentations and content for users to view and share:

http://hackmanj.amplify.com/2011/05/25/nasa-launches-as-first-federal-network-on-slideshare-tech-news/

 

References:

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

Laureate Education Inc. (2010). The Technology of Distance Education. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5693699&Survey=1&47=8013356&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Distance learning, in its various forms, has had an impact on me recently as a teacher and also as a “lifelong learner”.  My first exposure to genuine distance learning came through a web-enhanced graduate level course that utilized Blackboard and then shortly after that my school district started requiring teachers to make some class information available by integrating a Moodle site.  These experiences shaped my personal definition of distance learning before starting this course.  The focus of my own definition keyed mainly on the use of the internet to deliver learning experiences to students who had the flexibility to access the information wherever and whenever they wanted.

Teaching and Learning at a Distance introduces a definition of distance education “as institution-based education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors. (p. 32) This definition is widely accepted and utilizes a definition of distance learning that is broken down into four integral components: Institutionally based, separation of teacher and student, interactive telecommunications and sharing of data, voice and video. (Simonson et al., 2009)  This definition, along with the more formal one presented by Simonson, have helped me mold and refine my own personal definition.

Due to the nature of distance learning really still being in its infant stages along with the constantly changing technological landscape, it is difficult to define and the definition is always evolving.  One’s own definition is shaped by their personal experiences with distance education and therefore determined by their exposure to learning in a “virtual” environment.  With educational opportunities growing exponentially in this arena the definition of distance education is bound to change frequently.  Huett et al. write in third part of their three part series on distance education, The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web, “Distance education in the K-12 arena is often referred to as “virtual schooling” and learning through virtual schooling is one of the fastest growing areas for K-12 schools.” (p. 63) 

 

The future of distance education is both exciting and uncertain.  As a public school teacher, I see the potential educational opportunities through distance learning for students as a chance to improve as nation.  Students who represent various populations from low-income, underachieving, college bound, urban, rural and beyond could benefit from accessing learning experiences provided by distance education.  However, much research is yet to be done and is needed to discover the most effective way to utilize this style of learning, especially in the K-12 population.  Huett et al. write in first part of their series on distance education “In examining the potential of web-based learning, the focus must contain capabilities not possible or at least highly impractical in a traditional classroom.  Thus, technology fulfills its potential by enlarging from simply carrying information or instruction to being a communication platform expanding cognitive capabilities, and a context or laboratory for manipulating the learners’ internal and external environments, provided ID can develop learning models for distributed learning, thus evolving distance education from its current status as a delivery medium to a learning.” (p.74) 

 

References:

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

New Definition of Distance Learning

Distance Learning

As I begin a new journey and embark on a new course, I find myself excited by the potential of understanding the most effective ways of providing e-learning experiences as an instructional designer.

I'm currently employed as a middle school physical education teacher and feel the need to embrace the educational opportunities that are incorporated into distance learning.  And so the journey begins (or continues, I guess)....