Peer Review Presentation on Instructional Design and Development

Moving Toward Dynamic Technologies

I believe that distance education has to find a way to bring class members together regardless of where they are located globally in order to nourish an environment of learning that is individual, group, and teacher facilitated. Hence, based on Moeller's (2008) concept of technology for designing a distant education class, I see myself as having moved past the static level to the middle of the continuum. Having been engaged in four online classes up to this point, I am becoming increasingly aware of the new technology available for enhancing learning in groups, self-discovery, and teacher presence. For instance, prior to these classes, I had not heard of wikis and discussion boards, and although I was aware of blogs, chat rooms, instant messaging and etc., I was not an active user of these tools. However, I have found that along with email, they are excellent as an added resource for consulting and engaging in discussion with members of my learning community and class.

Now that I have somewhat mastered the use of these tools, I would like to take my idea of distance education to the dynamic level with the integration of virtual world classes to improve project management and self-discovery in learning. I would like to incorporate software programming like "Second Life," et. al. for creating a more involved learning environment. I believe that virtual worlds would allow members to engage in deeper discussions, because members in the class will get immediate feedback resulting in on-going discussions and learning.


Reference

McGreal, R., & Elliott, M. (2004). Technologie of online learning (E-Learning). In T. Anderson (Eds.), The theory and practice of online learning (pp. 143-185). Edmonton: AU Press, Athabasca University.

Moeller, L. (2008). Static and dynamic technological tools. [Unpublished Paper].

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Durrington, Berryhill, & Swafford (2006) indicated that when designing an online learning course, one must insure that the environment for which it is designed for is supportive, open, and respectful. In other words, the tools which the learner will be asked to use should support the objectives of the course while allowing the learner to feel free to discuss openly their views without fear of embarrassment or failure. The educator is hence responsible for serving as the expert who will guide the progress of the learner while facilitating interaction between all members of the class. In thinking about how I would like for my class to look, I find that the discussion threads provide students an opportunity to reflect on reading materials while learning from the views of others. I would definitely implement this process as a tool in developing a class. In order to engage class members during assigned projects and possibly a group project, I would ask that the learning groups develop a wiki page and exchange email addresses in order to facilitate the completion of the project. Although I think that Skype and Twitter or additional tools which would facilitate active communication between the members, as adult learners, this may create a problem for those who may be in working or living outside of the U. S. due to the time zone.

In addition to a wiki page, I would establish chat rooms for group members to meet and discuss assignments and project ideas at least once a week or more. I like this better than the blog as I find that the blog is less interactive and requires additional time which may be inconvenient for adult learners. I think that it is important to allow the learners to become experts through discovery and interaction with their peers, hence, I would use tools which would facilitate this effort and as the instructor become a monitor on the side. I think that even in a discovery mode, all learners require the expert knowledge of the instructor to insure that what is being learned is correct.

Reference

Anderson, T. (2008). Teaching in an online learning context. The theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton: AU Press.

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190-193.

Siemens, G. (2008). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. ITForum.

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools