Hello everyone!
I would like to welcome everyone to my blog. This blog allows me to reflect on what I am learning in my Technology in Distance Education course through UMUC. I look forward to sharing with everyone. Please feel free to respond and provide feedback to my posts.
Thank you,
CeCe Ogunshakin
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
February 9, 2010 MDE 601 #1
This course has been interesting thus far. Being a classroom teacher, I am finding it very beneficial to learn the differences between a classroom instructed environment with technology versus a synchronous and asynchronous environment. I believe that all of these learning environments require discipline from the students. I believe that the instructor must be prepared with all materials and be able to present, explain, and clarify information in different ways. I really like the idea of a blog as a reflective journal. This is similar to the learning logs that my students complete in class that allow them to reflect on the information they learn on a daily basis.
The literature for Module 1 and 2a was very informative. Education for a Digital World states "the design of a (web based) system determines the impact of learning". This statement is so true especially when determining what is needed to ensure that the teaching process is effective. Web based learning systems need to be simple yet contain everything needed for instructor and student success. Anything too complicated may be discouraging to both instructors and students.
The literature also discussed diversity. Although diversity plays a role in terms of developing a system, I believe the bulk of responsibility falls on the instructors to create a diverse environment. Instructors are responsible for getting the materials together and presenting the information. An instructor should be knowledgeable of the resources available that can help enhance or improve learning. For example, I am enjoying the Sentenceworks website (sentenceworks.com). I love the fact that a system can automatically correct my grammatical and spelling mistakes in minutes, and it is accurate (unlike Microsoft Word). This is an enhancement to my learning.
Something that was puzzling to me in the Education for a Digital World literature (pps. 45-46) was the statement that “the effectiveness or success indicator of any learning environment design is judged by student satisfaction and success rate". Is this really a true measurement of effectiveness? A student survey or grades should not determine the effectiveness of the learning. Wouldn't we want to know if the students are using the information they learned in their current profession and if the information they learned was actually helping them? It is like an alumni group who tracks a graduate student down after a student graduates. Not only do they ask for monetary support, but they also ask about their current profession and if they felt/were prepared for their current job based on the education they received. Those results, along with other factors, can truly help determine if the teaching and learning was effective or has served is purpose.
Notes and thoughts on web based learning - what is required/needed:
•student discipline
•teacher and student preparedness
•teacher ability to address diversity
•teacher ability to use different resources to address student learning (amnesia, fantasia, nostalgia, inertia)
•teacher ability to obtain data to determine the effectiveness of teaching and learning
•ability to create a collaborative environment regardless if asynchronous or synchronous
The literature for Module 1 and 2a was very informative. Education for a Digital World states "the design of a (web based) system determines the impact of learning". This statement is so true especially when determining what is needed to ensure that the teaching process is effective. Web based learning systems need to be simple yet contain everything needed for instructor and student success. Anything too complicated may be discouraging to both instructors and students.
The literature also discussed diversity. Although diversity plays a role in terms of developing a system, I believe the bulk of responsibility falls on the instructors to create a diverse environment. Instructors are responsible for getting the materials together and presenting the information. An instructor should be knowledgeable of the resources available that can help enhance or improve learning. For example, I am enjoying the Sentenceworks website (sentenceworks.com). I love the fact that a system can automatically correct my grammatical and spelling mistakes in minutes, and it is accurate (unlike Microsoft Word). This is an enhancement to my learning.
Something that was puzzling to me in the Education for a Digital World literature (pps. 45-46) was the statement that “the effectiveness or success indicator of any learning environment design is judged by student satisfaction and success rate". Is this really a true measurement of effectiveness? A student survey or grades should not determine the effectiveness of the learning. Wouldn't we want to know if the students are using the information they learned in their current profession and if the information they learned was actually helping them? It is like an alumni group who tracks a graduate student down after a student graduates. Not only do they ask for monetary support, but they also ask about their current profession and if they felt/were prepared for their current job based on the education they received. Those results, along with other factors, can truly help determine if the teaching and learning was effective or has served is purpose.
Notes and thoughts on web based learning - what is required/needed:
•student discipline
•teacher and student preparedness
•teacher ability to address diversity
•teacher ability to use different resources to address student learning (amnesia, fantasia, nostalgia, inertia)
•teacher ability to obtain data to determine the effectiveness of teaching and learning
•ability to create a collaborative environment regardless if asynchronous or synchronous
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