Distance Learning Technologies

Voki and Poll Everywhere

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012) in the course text Teaching and Learning at a Distance, suggested the importance of focusing on selecting instructional strategies that engage all the learners in active learning. To do this, they said: “the instructor may need to de-emphasize the “informative” part of the instruction for more “discovery” of information” (p. 159).

As an instructional designer, in order to ensure that the students are engaged in learning, the two possible learning technologies that will offer them the best means for learning in the scenario “Interactive Tours” are: creating a Voki, and using the survey tool Poll Everywhere. From experience with high school students and the use of technology, most of them are actively engaged when they have to use their skills to create different designs. Learning to create a Voki is designed to keep students engaged as well as to elicit some fun.

What is Voki?

Voki enables users to express themselves on the web in their own voice using a talking character. You can customize your Voki to look like you or take on the identity of lots of other types of characters… animals, monsters, anime etc. Your Voki can speak with your own voice which is added via microphone, upload, or phone. Voki lives on your blog, social network profile and will soon be integrated in various instant messaging platforms. You will also be able to download it to most video supported phones. (Retrieved from http://www.voki.com/

In this particular scenario, students can create a Storyboard of the tour of the museum by giving character and voice to the Voki.  Once the Voki is created, the students can copy and paste the link on their website for sharing with others.  

Here is an example of how a Voki is successfully used in distance learning.  I used the Voki to introduce my distance learners to the class I designed. The Voki can be accessed from https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/login/

The other technology I will use to involve students and create interaction on the selection of the two pieces of artwork will be a survey such as Poll Everywhere.

What is Poll Everywhere?

Poll Everywhere is a simple survey which is completed in three simple steps. First the teacher asks a question. Secondly, the students respond using twitter, their cell phones or a web browser. Thirdly, responses are displayed live. Each student is connected to the poll by a common number that they input into their phones. Responses are immediate. I selected Poll Everywhere because it is interactive. Also, it gives students the feel that they are making a contribution and that their opinion counts. Some teachers have obtained grants for clickers or student response systems, but without one of those devices students can use their cell phone or a web browser. There are several benefits to using Poll Everywhere. The following are some of the benefits to teachers.

Benefits

Poll Everywhere encourage honest answers through anonymous response; conduct real-time, in-the-moment formative assessment; Enable students to review responses online; use any cellphone (SMS), smartphone, laptop, desktop, or tablet; absolutely free (plus affordable premium plans); measurable increases in student achievement & engagement; save time with automatic grading & attendance tracking (Retrieved from: http://www.polleverywhere.com/k12-student-response-system).

Click on the link below to discover how Poll Everywhere has been used successfully in distance learning for all age groups.

http://alalearning.org/2010/02/11/engaging-learners-with-poll-everywhere/.

These two learning technologies as outlined above will provide a variety of learning experiences as they accommodate each student’s different learning styles. From my perspective these are the best choices given the scenario.

References

Chaney. A (2012). Voki Tip of the Week: Recognize Student Achievement with Voki. Retrieved from http://blog.voki.com/2012/03/13/voki-tip-of-the-week-recognize-student-achievement-with-voki/

Hamilton B. (2010). Engaging Learners with Poll Everywhere. Retrieved April 26, 2012, from http://alalearning.org/2010/02/11/engaging-learners-with-poll-everywhere/

Phillip L. (2012). Example of Voki used in Distance Learning. Retrieved April 26, 2012 from https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/login/

Poll Everywhere. Retrieved March 16, 2012 from http://www.polleverywhere.com/k12-student-response-system

What is Voki? Retrieved March 16, 2012 from http://www.voki.com/about_voki.php

From FtF to Blended Learning

A training manager is frustrated with communication among his trainees in a face-to-face environment and decides to convert his training to a blended learning format.  While this move is practical, it is not very easy, and would require hours, or even months of planning. The challenges of this transition are explained; plus ideas and tips for success are summarized in a format that is easy to understand. The areas of concern are addressed in a best practices guide. These are:

• Pre-planning strategies
• Communication tools
• Ideas for enhancing program
• From manager to facilitator

Reflection on Distance Learning

As I am writing this, I recall one of my tenth grade students telling me about his desire to complete an online learning degree. He loves gaming and animation, but would prefer to go to school from home. This was my opportunity to let him know about the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning. In 5-10 years my current students will be in the 23-28 age groups.  This is an immobile group of people who love to spend hours on the computer playing games or looking at videos. Unless the courses contain material that entices them distance learning would not appeal to this group. As a whole distance learning education will continue to focus on the more mature population, and those who need to juggle their family activities. Siemens in his video segment on the Future of Distance Education stated that “new communication technologies; contributions by experts around the world and increased use of multimedia, games and simulations will change the face of distance learning as people become more comfortable with the technologies” (Siemens, Laureate Education, Inc., 2012).  Based on this view, I feel distance learning will be fully embraced by the younger population because of their level of comfort in using the technology.

When I think about 10-20 years in the future, this same group will be 33-48 years old, perhaps the children of those mentioned earlier. Technology would be even more advanced and being designed by this age group. With the instant availability of technology, I foresee distance learning to be more affordable as well as accessible to a larger segment of our population. The birth of Coursera has changed the perception of distance learning. Had I not been in this course, I would not have known such an opportunity exists. ”Coursera is on a mission to change the world by educating millions of people by offering classes from top universities and professors online for free. In the future, they hope to give everyone access to the world-class education that is now available to a select few” (Marketwire, April 18, 2012). Based on their vision, I can see them partnering with Title I schools and offering computers to those who need them.  If they offer these programs to this segment of the population, they would fulfill the dream of empowering people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities in which they live.

As an instructional designer I can be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning by promoting the program myself because of the experiences and knowledge I have gained in this course. As a matter of fact, I am trying to sway some of the teens to consider taking online classes after they graduate high school. One young man said to me “I can’t do that, I will be distracted.” The younger generation is not being exposed to distance education as much as they should. The only simulation of online learning that takes place in schools is the recovery classes that students take to satisfy the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Because of the perceptions of society about distance learning, I perceive it is not an easy task to sway the minds of those from the traditional school of thought. Also, I would have to convince an employer that I can change the face of distance learning if given the opportunity. As I near the end of this module and continue to browse the Internet for jobs online, it is clearly not an easy market to get into. It seems a bit difficult to find a voice in the field of instructional design. Perhaps I can write a proposal to Coursera to convince them to partner with and share their wealth with some of the Title I schools or even the Community Colleges to give those students a chance of a free education while at the same time they will be promoting distance learning. If Coursera gets involved in changing the lives of the underprivileged, it will be a great advertisement for distance learning.

In order to be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education I would have to keep up-to-date with the emerging technologies and continue to promote the work. Also, I would have to find a platform from which to work. It will be difficult to seek for continuous improvement if I am not a part of it. Unfortunately, my agenda is not for promoting continuous improvement in the field of distance education as much as I am seeking a solution to change the face of education so that students would stay in school. I enrolled in this class not from the perspective of being an advocate of distance learning, but because it was a convenient way of pursuing a higher education. The skills I have learned in this distance learning course are superb and given the appropriate technology, I can create meaningful activities for my students. If given the opportunity to become an instructional designer, I would have a platform from which to promote distance learning.

As I read the excerpt “Critical Minds for Change” I reflected on the sentence “Like the children and adults I knew in Africa, the boy was denied the benefits of education because of his poverty, the need to work and the dreadfully inefficient distribution of education resources” (Burge p. 122). I am thinking about writing a grant that would provide technology to the less fortunate to increase their participation in distance education.

References

Burge, E. (Ed.). (2007). Critical minds for a change. In crafting the future: Flexible higher education. Open University Press/McGraw Hill Education.

Coursera by Marketwire. Retrieved April 19, 2012 from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/princeton-stanford-umichigan-penn-offer-090000887.html

Siemens, G. (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education [Video Program]. Laureate Education, Inc., 2012.

The Impact of Open Source

After reviewing the open course programs, I surmise that if I had done my homework well enough I would have chosen an open source course rather than pursue a degree program. The open course I selected was Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The particular class I selected to review was “Technologies for Creative Learning.” It was carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment. The course description included activities which focused on new educational technologies, and created opportunities for students’ reflections on learning experiences. The instruction was centered on students learning Web 2.0 technologies.

The course utilized a course management system (CMS). The CMS included a syllabus, course calendar, assignment instructions, as well as learning objectives. There were specific readings that were required in order to complete class assignments. Students were able to download videos of previous class sessions as well as communicate in groups. Instructors provided examples of past projects to give students an idea of what their counterparts did and for them to see what was expected of them. There were assessments for which the instructors provided the solutions. Students received immediate feedback. The open course met the seven lessons for online instruction as cited by Graham, Cagiltay, Lim, Craner, and Duffy (2001). Instructors provided clear guidelines for interaction with students; the assignments were designed well enough to facilitate meaningful cooperation among students; students presented course projects; instructors provided feedback; there were deadlines for course projects, the tasks were challenging; students’ work was displayed and students were allowed to choose project topics. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek, 2012, p. 179)

I particularly liked the fact that students role-played and became facilitators. It was a creative way of get students involved and also an opportunity for them to learn some leadership skills. The differences I noticed with the open course were that classes met once or twice a week, thereby reducing the amount of stress. The classes were free, and students had access to any archived class 24/7. The course activities were interactive which involved all students.

In the course text “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors stated “many administrators have expressed concern that courses taught at a distance do not have the same standard of quality associated with the on-campus courses” (Simonson et al, p. 209). After examining the open course, this is far from the truth. This open course had lots of rigor and interactivity. I learned a new game called “Scratch.” It is not necessary to learn programming to use Scratch. It is a logical game. One of the assignments was for students to teach someone else how to use Scratch. I accepted the challenge and learned Scratch. It was very engaging.

References

Resnick, Mitchel, and Karen Brennan. MAS.714J Technologies for Creative Learning, Fall 2009. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 01 Apr, 2012). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.