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