eLearn611

American Red Cross Disaster Services Orientation - Personalization Principle

2006-03-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

For this assignment, I chose the American Red Cross' Disaster Services Online Orientation. The course can be found at: http://www.redcross.org/flash/course01_v01.

This is one of the first of the Red Cross' online learning ventures and the only course to be made available on the public website. This learning experience uses a dramatic, first-person accounting of individuals involved in a multi-family apartment fire to convey the basic concepts about how the Red Cross provides Disaster Services within communities across the country. Despite the course's obvious design flaws caused by the violation of other important principles, the course provides several examples of how the Personalization Principle can be used effectively in online learning.

The course effectively applies Mayer's Personalization Principle in three ways: (1)Early on, Erika, your on-screen host will introduce herself and provide an overview of the course and provide an opportunity to explore the navigation tools provided by the screen interface. Periodically, she will help with transitions between topics and present certain key points.(2) By way of a dramatic apartment fire, you are introduced to both Red Cross clients and disaster services workers and public safety workers who convey their personal, first-person account of their experience. (3) On occasion, a pop-up screen presents a still photo of a Red Cross Celebrity Cabinet member along with a first person quote to explain an important concept. In combination, these three methods contribute to an effective and compelling learning experience.

ESL for adults

2006-03-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

elearn611

I find the concept of personalization intriguing - especially with adult ESL. By the powers-that-be teachers are encouraged to teach formal English, to enunciate carefully, break out contractions, so e-learning opportunities have a double line to play with. With open-source English, (http://opensource-english.org/moodle/) teachers can develop their own programs for students, and they are shown in the "how to use the lesson module" how to do it. Even within the module, how to lessons are indeed how-to lessons - you must read the directions and complete the quizzes as you learn how to set these lessons up yourself. The language is formal - no contractions, slang, or pronouns - yet care was clearly taken to have the language simple and clear, with higher level vocabulary. It is definitely a work-in-progress, with few bells and whistles such as flash or movies, yet by it's nature of being open-source, it draws in higher level learners...

HOW TO USE MAPQUEST

2006-03-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Mapquest offers a short tutorial on how to use its site. It uses the Redundancy Principle in that it makes excellent use of audio, text, and graphics to assist the user in using Mapquest. How many time have we been on a trip or we were in the process of planning a trip and we wanted to find a hotel or entertainment near the area we are traveling to.
The tutorial makes excellent use of the redundancy Principle because it allows information to flow in through the ears and allows the user to view what and where they are to click to retrieve information. The site also makes good use of graphics/text also.

http://www.autodemo.com/samples/group/001/demos/552/552_mapquest_findit.htm

Dissecting Frogs and Signaling principle

2006-03-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/frog/Frog2/home.html

This website which demonstrates frog dissection is a good example of the Signaling principle, but not the Redundancy principle. In each step of the dissection you can choose audio to explain the procedure. In each step signal words are used such as a list of needed supplies, bulleted steps, and words such as “first, initial, bisected” etc. The pictures are accompanied by text boxes that show which steps are to be performed where. This is a good example of the Spatial Contiguity principle. The steps are right next to the pictures, and essential steps are on text boxes on the picture. While the site does not have a completely animated dissection, in each step the user can choose to watch a video of the step. This section is accompanied by audio. There is also a section that allows the user to try it, and in each section there is text and steps accompanying the pictures very closely. This is not a good example of redundancy, but in this type of procedural situation, it is good to have the text on the site for review. The user can go back and forth from one step to the next easily.

Review of howstuffworks.com

2006-03-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

I decided to review the popular site, How Stuff Works (http://www.howstuffworks.com/).

Check out the boomerang article (http://science.howstuffworks.com/boomerang.htm). Good use is made of personalization. It talks about "we" and "us" and "you" throughout. It makes the complex physics of how a boomerang actually comes back to you more clear and accessible. Most of the explanations I have looked at on this web site are very clear and easy to follow, in part because they use the personalization principle. It is not like being lectured to by a professor, it is much more like a friend taking the time to explain how it works.

Also, the site demonstrates the coherence principle, because extraneous information is excluded from the site. As you go through the content on boomerangs, there's not distracting information about aborigines in the bush or comic and trick uses of boomerangs, just the facts about how the boomerangs work (until they talk about the history of boomerangs, where it is appropriate). There are hyperlinked references to other relevant details, like the principle of lift from how airplanes work or a reference to how gyroscopes work to explain how the force on the top of the boomerang doesn't knock it out of the sky.

I would definitely recommend howstuffworks.com to anyone interested in a broad variety of topics. It is very informative and very accessible, even to the scientifically inept.

On-line Training for Lifeguards and the Redundancy Principle

2006-03-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

The site I chose is from an aquatic managment group—Ellis & Associates. This group has been experimenting with on-line training for lifeguards for the past 5 years or so. In this course content information is presented on-line and the learner would then make arragements to attend a class in the area to practice and be tested on his or her skill performance. It contains alot of still photographs with both text and narration.

Check out the section labled "The Professional Lifeguard". This screen is a good example of how the use of text and narration can be very distracting to the learner. Perhaps a reason for this design would be that it accomodates both hearing and hearing impaired learners.

However, it is interesting to note that you can turn off the narration but the closing out the text is not optional. I would think that as a designer you would want to make the text optional since most people would prefer the narration.

Finally I discovered that the demo is not consistent in the use of narration. Check out the section title "Surface Rescues". You will notice that the designer uses narration to introduce the three types of rescues but then uses text to describe the specific steps.

http://www.ecsinstitute.org/courses/emergency_care.cfm

Coherence Principle

2006-03-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

I used lynda.com's video tutorial for this exercise. http://movielibrary.lynda.com/html/modPage.asp?ID=206 (New panel management and user interface color). I feel this is a good example of coherence, since the narrator used the screen shot of the software interface to teach the lesson. The tutorial shows the user exactly what steps to perform with no extra distractions.

Richard Mayer's Redundancy Principle

2006-03-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

In Richard Mayer's study, one of the principles examined was Redundancy. I chose to focus on this principle for my assignment. I looked at the website Auto Demo. On the website, there is a learning module for travel arrangements through Expedia. The learning module can be found at http://www.autodemo.com/samples/group/001/demos/642/642_expedia_itinerary.htm. This learning module follows Mayer’s Redundancy principle because it is a fast-paced multimedia message, it doesn’t have learner control, and the instructions are presented with narration. At the beginning of the lesson, the user is prompted to click a button to display the text instruction. This is a good feature for the hearing impaired. However, the default programming is to present the lesson with narration, not text. With this type of lesson presented with full-screen screenshots, it’s best not to include text instruction because the learner will have too many elements onscreen to comprehend. As Mayer presented in his findings, people learn better when on-screen text is not added to narrated animation.

Redundancy/Coherence/Personalization Principles

2006-03-06T15:40:00.000-08:00

This site is designed for students in the elementary grades. It covers all subject and most topics. It encompasses redundancy, coherence, and personalization principles. It’s a fun and interactive site to be used by students. Please visit the site www.brainpop.com When you enter the site click on Social Studies, Bill of Rights, and Full Screen Movie. You should be able to play the movie one time without entering a username or password. If it won’t let you view the movie, then enter tcameron13 and horizon for your username and password. Anyone is able to join for a free 14 day trial.

Personalization – The video clips of the lessons are spoken in 3rd person by cartoon characters. They add in funny little jokes that students will find interesting.

Coherence – The video clips discuss the lesson being learned and do not stray from topic. There are no added pictures or materials.

Redundancy – The video clips are all narrated by the cartoon characters. There is no writing on the screen to distract the learner.

Guitar Red./Coh./Per.

2006-03-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.freeguitarvideos.com/

The site gives free video lessons for anyone learning to play guitar. I think it does well in all three of the categories, redundancy, personalization, and coherence. Please visit the site and click on one of the “Watch the Video” Quicktime links.

Personalization – You are instructed by a human being. He speaks in a friendly conversational manner. This kind of instruction mimics what it would be like if your guitar playing friend sat down and teaught you.

Redundancy – The instructional videos generally have no writing on the screen. Just a man playing a guitar. This keeps the instructional area uncluttered. The site itself is actually rather barebones.

Coherence – There is no useless material on the site or in the videos. The lessons are very straightforward and discuss nothing but learning guitar and are generally focused on the specific lesson at hand.

Redundancy/ Coherence/ Personalization Principle

2006-03-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

Visit http://www.rioneasygreenhouse.com/ and click on high bandwidth. When the avatar appears click on the green arrow beneath her.

Redundancy Principle:
Graphics are explained by audio alone rather than by audio and text. To see the example click on “Frequently Asked Questions”. The avatar explains and gives answer to each question using relevant graphic and audio narration. There is no use of text.

Coherence Principle:
There is no background sound or other distractive music added to hinder learning about the website. The avatar only presents the main points and highlights of the website without providing any irrelevant material that can hinder learning.

Personalization Principle:
The avatar looks visually realistic. The avatar acts as a coach to explain the contents of the website. The style of the audio narration is very natural & conversational that involves words like Hi, I, we, my, you, your.

Fairfax Co. schools online learning and supporting principles

2006-03-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

The site you can visit:

http://www.fcps.edu/DIS/onlinecampus/welcome.htm

View Video about FCPS online Campus and Choose high resolution

Personalization - The students speak in their own voices, from their own experiences. There is ethnic and gender diversity of speakers. This also markets to the high school student, who is the target audience of the site.

Coherence - When the user plays the video, there is just audio narration, no text. This makes a very simple, yet effective and persuasive presentation. The user can concentrate on the video to discern its main points.

Redundancy - Most of the selling of the online campus is through the video, not the text on the web, even though there is some text to aid potential students. By using the video as its primary media, visitors will not be confused and will gain a better understanding of what the online campus is about.

Design Principles of Redundancy, Coherence and Personalization

2006-02-28T11:21:00.000-08:00

You have already searched for and presented to the class your examples of both good and bad e-Learning design demonstrating the Clark and Mayer Design Principles of Multimedia, Contiguity and Modality. Now I want you to concentrate on their final three Design Principles of Redundancy, Coherence and Personalization.

Go to the Advanced Distributed Learning Web Site http://www.adlnet.org/downloads/124.cfm where you will see the research behind the definitive article, What Works in Distance Learning. This document provides up-to-date guidance for researchers, instructors, program managers and instructional or assessment designers of DL programs, and can serve as a best practices guide for the design and development of future DL programs. You are to concentrate on:

Chapter 1 Background and Purpose
Chapter 3: What Works in Distance Learning: Multimedia
Richard Mayer, University of California, Santa Barbara ..................................................... 32

and particularly on the concepts of Redundancy, Coherence and Personalization.

Based on Mayer's research, find an e-Learning Web site that demonstrates well at least 1 of these 3 principles and describe in detail your reasons for choosing this site. Each of you is to (1) post a blog with a link to the Web site and your discussion and (2) respond (comment on) at least one other student blog. You will have until class next week to complete this asynchronous assignment.

Challenges Inherent in Collaborative Online Learning

2006-02-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

With the exception of the obvious barriers a technology interface poses, the challenges inherent in collaborative online learning are not unlike those experienced in f2f learning environments.

The most obvious technological barriers seem to be that of the computer interface and the challenges distance presents to the development of "social presence"(Tu and Cory -2002. As dial-up connections fall by the wayside, the challenges pop-up blockers and virus protection software pose to java script seem to be the bigger challenge. The establishment of a learning community can offset the sense of isolation students may feel.

Where technolgy "fluency and rhetoric" will always be problematic for the student and instructor alike, it will increasingly become less so as technology and telecommunications merge and continue to evolve. If the past 3-5 years are any indication, the interfaces are becoming more intuitive and the technology more transparent as a result. The strategy of providing labs to help the student's overcome issues with proficiency in their use of technology seems to be effective. I think technology presents a bigger issue for the instructor who must be a smart "consumer" when selecting the technologies students will use during the course. Not only must they be uniformly available,the instructor must be proficient in how to use them effectively to present a variety of content using various media. They must also be sufficiently proficient to assist students with troubleshooting, as experienced in some of our recent meetings.

There are a sufficient number of studies cited in our texts and other reading assignments that support the benefits of collaborative learning. The more challenging issue seems to be that of establishing a community for learning--a critical interdependency for collaboration. Not unlike the traditional f2f classroom, the instructor's role in shaping a cooperative and collaborative learning experience is key. The structure of the course design, the effective blending of media and student assignments to appeal to the spectrum of student learning preferences and the instructor's continued involvement as an active member of the community are all critical success factors. Ensuring an ample mix of synchronous and asynchronous collaborative activities blended with opportunities for individual contributions is important as is ensuring that the evaluation of the various assignments are weighted proportionally to be "fair" to all students.

The active involvement of the students in the development of shared learning goals is central to developing an effective learning community. Students are more motivated when they feel as though they are a partner in the process. Offering students options in the selection of assignments enhances their ability to choose one that is more in sync with their learning preferences. Also giving students an opportunity to establish the ground rules for their interactions is a plus, in that it helps to pace the discussions such that everyone who is interested in participating can.

Rubrics that clearly specify the weekly assignments and topics to be addressed help to manage student's expectations and help them manage their time.

I prefer to focus on the advantages a collaboratve online learning environment affords to the motivated student as opposed to focus on the problems that are not unique to online learning (with the exception of perhaps distance) and certainly not new to learning. I think it interesting that we often hold the traditional f2f classroom as the "gold standard" against which we compare everything else. Most of the "problems" discussed in Chris Dede's paper are not insurmountable, with the exception of unmotivated students. I believe that the real issues transcend technology and distance. I say "Build it and they will come!"

From the Middle

2006-02-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

I found the article by Chris Dede informative, and also interesting in the explanation of the “constructivist” approach to learning that the course used. This term is one that has been bandied about quite a bit lately. Perhaps it is because of the ever-growing access that we have to technology in education, or because more educators are coming into the schools with a comfort level with technology that was not there even ten years ago. We of course have been using these things without online learning since before it was called “constructivism.” Good teachers have been using the “constructivist” method forever, so the more distributed learning can help teachers to continue to do so the better.
I appreciate this type of learning environment as well. With our class online, I only have to worry about my kids home alone one evening a week instead of two, and like the students in the paper, I need to use the technologies we are learning about in order to understand them. Last week’s experience with TappedIn, for example left me feeling a little overwhelmed as I tried to follow the conversations going on in the text, and some people type faster than others, and sometimes when you respond the teacher or others have already moved on to another topic. Part of that for me as well is my need to make sure everything I type is spelled and punctuated correctly! In the paper it states that only 18% of students who participated in a study of online learning courses responded that they had a positive experience. My experiences have be mostly asynchronous, and probably barely that. I wonder if the students who responded had similar experiences like I did; Read this, take a online test, do this project, e-mail it. There was never any feedback from anyone other than the teacher. As instructors become more familiar with technology the courses are changing, and I hope that online courses can become more interactive like the one in this paper and the one we are taking now. One of the reasons I was reluctant to take an online program (U of Phoenix for example) was the boredom factor, and the feeling that I didn’t learn anything. These problems could have been overcome however, with the teacher having a better understanding of the technology available, and a thought to reaching students using a variety of learning styles.
Of course as a middle school teacher my thoughts turn to how I could apply distributed learning to my classroom. The key is to make the learning something that makes the middle schooler’s life more manageable, not more complicated. Being able to use a blog or a sychronous media like Tapped In would be helpful to a middle school teacher for many reasons:
The anytime anywhere access to the media. Middle schoolers are forgetful, and being able to log in to a blog on today’s literature lesson or a discussion board on a current curriculum topic would be helpful.
They have busy lives that are not under their control. A middle schooler can’t go to the library or bookstore by his/herself, they need a ride, and often extra curricular activities that seem to be becoming more and more important for success in high school and later, college, make it difficult to stay after school for help or to work on projects.
Methods that educators use to enhance instruction that are highlighted in this paper (collaborative, cooperative learning, reflective learning etc) can be used with technology through e-mail, listservs, discussion boards etc. Middle schoolers are often shy in class and students who would not normally respond in class may due so more often when given the time to think through and respond without pressure of face-to-face embarrassment.
A teacher could assign “code” names that only she and the student knows, further allowing students that anonymity.
One important developmental skill that middle schoolers begin to perfect is working with others. Oftentimes it is difficult for middle schoolers to work on group projects because of time and distance constraints. A teacher using computer mediated communication can allow her students to meet and work on projects without having to leave their homes or school.
These are things I see as ways to overcome some of the problems with CMC. Mostly I believe that it is up to the teacher to use the technology effectively when teaching.
The most valuable thing I get from this article are the findings that suggest that online learning, like any teaching done without adequate preparation is ineffective. The perfect class seems to be one that combines distributed learning with face-to-face learning in order to appeal to all learning styles. While some students reported enjoying enhanced access to materials, others felt overwhelmed. The instructor, especially if a teacher were to use distributed learning in a K-12 classroom would have to throughly prepare the class and be constantly monitoring the progress of her students. Making sure that the teacher and the students are well versed in the technology and the use of it are crucial to having success at this.
So far I feel like this class is well run in that way. (I am not sucking up either!) In the past I have had classes where the instructor was not prepared each class, and was not open to explaining things and assumed that we knew things and we were left to figure out much of what we were learning on our own. For some this may be a benefit, but for me, it was very frustrating. As a teacher it was good for me to feel the frustration of a class taught without a lesson plan and clear objectives. Hopefully that will make me a better teacher. I like that you have given us clear instructions, and the sychronous nature of the class are helpful. You respond in a timely manner. This class seems to be following the model of the course at Harvard.

MY TWO CENTS

2006-02-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

I found the draft paper on "Designing and Studying Learning Experiences That Use Multiple Interactive Media To Bridge Distance and Time" to be a really insightful look at what students that are currently enrolled in classes that seek to link distance and time go through. I must say from a personal aspect, that my preference would be f2f, but I have found that posting in a threaded discussion environment allows me to gather my thoughts and to develop meaningful input.
What I found through the reading of this article is that my "procrastination" is both good and bad. The good is that it allows me time to read what other students have written, as many students in study did, and it aids in focusing my reading of the article to be able to pull out the things that are significant to our class. The down side of that is that I may express a thought that has already been written and it is more or less repeating what someone else is already wrote.
In an attempt to try and keep my comments brief, as from my own experience and in reading the article, many students will simply by pass the comments if they are too long, I have to admit, this is often the case for me. I would agree with the overall conclusion of the article that f2f does leave students feeling deprived, while multimedia is not the sole answer either. With the varied learners and learning styles that are just as diverse as the world we live in, a combination of all those things that are good, sort of an eclectic design of delivery, is certainly the way the good. I am of the thought that this is the best way to go about teaching and it is the way that students/learners/teachers alike will all benefit from what is to be learned/taught.

Harvard study

2006-02-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

Coming from an international education background, particularly that of developing nations, the potential with using new technology to meet the growing and unmet demand for students of all ages is tremendous. The focus on using low cost technology offers even more opportunities to explore and expand educational access and quality. Yet as the article (Designing and Studying Learning Experiences) enumerates, the challenges can be quite strong.

An instructor even in a face-to-face classroom must be able to balance a wide variety of learning styles. With CMC this balance becomes more pronounced as the direct personal interactions are reduced and in many cases, eliminated. In this hybrid class offered at Harvard, the optional lab sessions as well as the classroom settings filled the void left by the impersonal nature of CMC by allowing shared experiences and reflections on all the mediums.

Time management is always an issue, one that can be exacerbated by the flowing nature of this type of class. The goal to “support each student in developing an effective balance of external guidance and internal responsibility” seems admirable. Yet, part of time management is the difficulty of reading long and repetitive posts, of scrolling and scrolling down causes many students to tune out.

Among the challenges are overcoming sense of disconnect, technological discomfort and skills and posting on discussion boards ‘early’; trying to get your comments on before others so as to be seen as proactive, not just reacting to others’ thoughts and ideas.

The main challenge is the need for people to connect with each other on a direct face-to-face level, to see reactions, hear nuances, to explore ideas using all the senses. Using a variety of CMC methods counters that, but never negates the need for socialization.

My thoughts on Online Collaboration

2006-02-07T15:48:00.000-08:00

After reading the Harvard study, I believe educators should select learning environments based on the content of the course material. Some courses are best suited for a combination of face-to-face interaction and online learning experiences, such as team-oriented courses like ours. Some courses do not necessitate a face-to-face meeting. For example, a software training course would not require students to meet face-to-face. I took Introduction to Macromedia Flash online last semester and completed the course feeling that I had not gained very much from the group experience. Although I learned how to use the software, I was left wondering how others were doing in the class during the semester. I wanted to see the other students’ Flash animations so I could gauge how I was progressing. I also wanted to have communication with the other students during the class. A discussion group would have assisted the learning experience with discussions on topics such as how the software is currently being used and features expected for the next version. I didn’t have this opportunity until the end of the class when we had class presentations online. Still, I was left dissatisfied. The projects were presented asynchronously. This would have been a perfect opportunity to use a MUVE to present the projects and get instant feedback from the instructor and our peers. Better yet, because it was a small class, would have been the opportunity to collaborate with the other students to complete a small assignment as a team. The students would have been able to have online interaction and build relationships. Doing so, would have set the stage for communicating online during the class presentations at the end of the class.

Team-oriented online courses that require students to work in teams would function better if face-to-face meeting time were incorporated because the students are able to build relationships. There is nothing like meeting someone in person. Forming bonds with your team can foster creativity and increase productivity.

I think taking a class structured like the one detailed in the Harvard study would be very beneficial for a student studying in the area of distance learning. I would appreciate being able to learn how to use so many different technologies in a team environment. To assist students who are lacking skills in the operation of certain equipment or software, a technical support group center could be set up similar to the one mentioned in the article. In addition, a technical support discussion group made up of the team members would be beneficial.

Challenges to Collaborating On-line

2006-02-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

One of the pitfalls of discussing the challenges of online learning is that we tend to focus on the challenges presented by the delivery method (online) and fail to examine the challenges of using a particular instructional method. In other words, not all challenges to online learning are technological. In the book Collaborating Online we see that creating a collaborative learning environment is full of challenges that go beyond mere use of computers and other technolgies. For example , a student's unwillingess to engage in group activities or the presence of dysfunctional group dynamics can also affect the development of a collaborative learning environment. Therefore , it is important for an online instructor to be able to manage both the technological and the human considerations that go into creating a collaborative environment.

The use of technolgy only adds to the challenge of creating a collaborative learning environment. As previously mentioned, human elements, such as group dynamics, are present in the collaborative learning environment despite the use of technology. However, because we are online we need to develop a new set of communitication skills. For instance, the way a messages is percieved in an online environment may differ from a face-to-face encounter.

Another significant challenge is the disparity of technological acces or skills among learners. As several people pointed out that the Harvard study indicated that learners prefered an classes tha provided a more balanced approach between online and face-to-face experiences. This may be largely due to the fact that most adult learners are used to face-to-face learning methods. Like John F. I think that that this opinion will shift as an increasing number of learners become comfortable with the use and aquisition of new technology (How many of us prefer calculators over using an abbacus?)

Problems in Collaborative Online Learning

2006-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

Traditionally students have been attending class physically by going into a classroom and seeing their instructor and their classmates. More than likely after the first meeting (after the anxiety of the first day), the student may feel comfortable settling in each week sitting in at the same desk, communicating with classmates in close proximity and based on personality, interacting with the instructor and classmates during discussions. The advent of distributed learning, especially how it was set up in the Harvard study, the only opportunity the “new” learner has to create a level of comfort and readiness is during the first class session.

Listed below is an incomplete list of problems or possible disadvantages of collaborative online learning that came to mind while reading the study:

- the learner’s inexperience with computer technology
- the learner becoming their own project manager, being responsible and adhering to not only assignment deadlines, but personal deadline in order to be prepared for and complete online activities (learner procrastination)
- building peer to peer relationships with classmates
- creating strong team environments, dealing with teams in which one student may not be as prepared or able to pull his weight in the group
- collaborative learning is a challenge to a person who is shy and introverted and or intimidated by technology
- communicating online in a synchronous environment can be difficult if you are a person who only has access to dial-up or are a slow typist and/or a person who is slow to gather thoughts together
- in an asynchronous learning environment posting late to a threaded discussion can create several anxieties such as being overwhelmed by the discusses and getting flustered to make a point, noticing that the point was made that the learner thought of, “competing” with a peer trying to “out discuss” the discussion, and wondering if your thoughts offers some validity to the questions

As I mentioned this list just highlights some of what jumped out at me. Overcoming many of these problems may just happen with time. As we are moving into a technology focused environment, the use of computers in everyday life is becoming the norm. In professional environments, colleagues are communicating with the person sitting next to them via e-mail or instant messenger. Teenagers and young adult are sending text messages almost as fast as they would if it were a live conversation. Young children are being exposed to computers as young as preschool. So times are changing. I do believe that once someone is placed into an online environment today, they either sink or swim. More so than not I believe the shy introverted person will adapt to this learning environment. But the instructor should also be aware of the patterns created by such students like lack of involvement during discussions and coach that student offline. Hopefully this could be a way to build up the confidence of the learner.

Another issue was the use of videoconferencing technologies. In the study, that technology did not go over well. Before reading further, I reflected on personal knowledge of the role videoconferencing plays in learning. It is a tough medium to gain audience attention. The attention should be given to the lecturer, since he is the source of information to be gained by the learner. The lecturer has to understand his role and decide whether he only wants active listeners or generate feedback and dialogue. In my personal opinion dealing with this technology in my work environment, I believe that videoconferencing will slowly become extinct, mainly based on what I just mentioned but also because the technology is evolving and web conferencing is becoming a preferred medium for many reasons, cost being one of them. A web conferencing environment can be multi tiered and foster not only the dissemination of information that you can get from a videoconference, but web conferencing environments allow for synchronous video-based discussion (as in videoconferencing), synchronous online chats, use of presentation materials, live desktop sharing and more, plus the session can be archived for later use.

My thoughts after reading the Harvard study

2006-02-06T17:44:00.000-08:00

An unenviable task following those first two posters but here goes.

I think one of the important things that this Harvard study shows us is that the success or failure of courses that are taught partly or fully on-line will be difficult to accurately judge for a few more years. I say this because one of the major concerns subjects reported in this study and have in others is a difficulty to master the technologies available to them. Or, when knowing how to use the technology, having some degree of confusion as to how they are to be used to facilitate learning.

Quite a few responses in the Harvard research ranked face to face as the preferred method of learning. But, is that because it actually is, or could it be that it is just what they have grown most accustomed to?

The "Designing and Studying Learning Experiences That Use Multiple Interactive Media To Bridge Distance and Time" study was done in 2002. At that time and even now users of web based technologies at the high school and college level as a whole are fairly proficient in their technical skill. But, learning, or even communicating on-line, is not necessarily something we have grown up with.

On the other hand, when I look at my high school students I've had over the past five years I have seen remarkable growth in their ability to assimilate new technology into their learning activities.

Now, I’m not trying to say that people who can't fully figure out on-line technologies are dummies without a chance to "get it." I am also definitely not saying that the on-line learning tools currently available are perfect, I don't think so. I am a computer teacher, and I still put myself in that group of the population that may be unable to fully realize the potential of on-line learning tools, simply because we haven’t had those on-line experiences from a young age, from which our brains could fully realize how to connect the tools with true learning.

I think the current crop of college students may represent a certain level of computer IQ or EQ. They may be the last of the old guard. Those entering college in four or five years from now will posses a level of familiarity with technology that that we had to work so hard to gain. As children are exposed to this technology at younger and younger ages they will accept it more easily and go beyond the stage of technically mastering it, and be able to spend more time consciously, or maybe even subconsciously, learning from it.

I am probably not exactly right on where this "tech IQ/EQ" cutoff is, as I'm basing it largely on what I see only in my current teaching situation but I think my point remains valid. As individuals enter the world of on-line education in later high school years and in college, having had a background in e-mail, message boards, instant messaging, from a young age they will be better prepared to use on-learning tools for what they are supposed to be designed for, learning. With computers becoming more affordable and high-speed internet access expanding its reach and dropping in price, this technical IQ and/or EQ should continue to rise.

While I may sound pessimistic on the current state of on-line learning (or it’s current users), I’m really not. We’ve had to work hard to build our technology intelligence and we’ll get the most out of on-line education that we can. It’s just that I am extremely optimistic regarding the possibilities awaiting on-line learners heading into the future.

Collaboration Issues Response

2006-02-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

The biggest problems students can face with online learning is procrastination. When students take a class where they are left to create their own timelines for projects and readings they will tend to wait until the last minute. This will lead to stress, rushed assignments, and possibly dropping the class. To fix this problem, the instructor needs to make sure the class assignments are spread out equally throughout the semester with exact deadline dates. The instructor can also break down the assignments into smaller sections, and have the students turn in these sections every week or two, to make sure that everyone is on the same page and no one is falling behind.

Online courses may also have the tendency not to integrate a wide variety of learning styles. This may frustrate some students. Instructors should try to vary their means of communication and class assignments to incorporate as many learning styles as possible to insure that everyone has the ability to succeed and enjoy the experience.

Students may also feel disconnected from their peers when taking an online course. It is much harder to get to know someone when you are not meeting face to face. This especially is the case when only asynchronous discussions take place. If the student feels alone in the class, he/she may have a greater tendency not to finish the course. They may not feel as if they have learned as much in the course, due to the fact of not having actually conversations with others. Conducting face to face meetings at least for the first week or two may help prevent this feeling, and allow the students to bond. The coffee shop that we are doing in this class is also a great way to get to know fellow students. It would be great to have a picture come up each time, along with the name to make it seem more real and to give the learner a sense of connection.

Joseph's comments on collaboration issues

2006-02-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Many items struck me as significant problems that are inherent to collaborative online learning. I will list these and possible solutions for them.

The article goes to great lengths to show that the participants in the study felt "something important to their learning is missing in virtual learning spaces." The most significant factor is the lack of actual personal contact, because you can learn much more in the actual presence of another person. Two instances would be "reading" tone of voice and body language, which can change the way that a verbal communication is received. This "reading" is not possible in a virtual learning space, so that establishing trust and a certain level of comraderie with the other students is more challenging if they only meet in an online environment. The recommended solution for this in the paper is to have face to face meetings at least for the first class in order to build these bonds and allow these communications to take place. If the class is entirely virtual, a solution would be to have an icebreaker chat sychronously, or an asynchronous solution would be to have each participant post info about themselves and allow threaded discussions of hobbies, interests, etc.

Another possible challenge in virtual learning is the self-paced aspect of it. Along with the freedom self-pacing gives, it also imposes a responsible to manage time and goals. A solution for this would be to emphasize through the syllabus and throughout the course what deadlines are coming and creating clear expectations about how the student can meet deadlines/goals. Having a rubric which clearly details expectations is a good method I have seen in other classes. For group projects, meeting face to face or over the telephone may be more effective for creating goals and dividing up work.

Also an issue arises when other class participants have a "faster" self-pace, if I can call it that. For asynchronous discussions, if others make contributions that that the "slower" self-paced person was going to give, there is a sense of frustration and a "what will I post that is original?" attitude for the "latecomer." Competition and anxiety can be the result. Again, this problem can be mitigated by creating an expectation that a comment may be made by several people, and that if a comment is in your own words, that is good enough. Another solution is to have separate threads for participants, so they don't see the other comments before making their own. I think this could be a very powerful solution, as it would give consensus about the discussion topic, and if people phrase things differently, diferent nuances will be brought to the attention of all.

One other problem with online collaborative learning is information overload. This can happen in at least two ways. First, having to do research on a topic online can be overwhelming if the topic is not narrow enough. How many thousands of web sites are there relating to e-learning in general? A way to solve this problem is to have specific topics in mind and possibly to have a "bibliography" of recommended web sites. Second, students may post long discussions or there may be many posts to a discussion board. This can be discouraging to a student who doesn't have enough time or is overwhelmed by sorting out what to look at and what not to look at. Again, managing expectations can solve the problem. Students may not need to look at every post in a discussion group, or an instructor may point to certain threads that are more substantive or useful for review.

The best way to "level the playing field" of collaborative learning is to utilize multiple methods of collaboration, including face to face, synchronous online discussions and asynchronous tools like threaded discussions, detailed assignment instructions, clear syllabi and focused references.

Collaboration Issues

2006-01-31T12:10:00.000-08:00

Based on your reading of the Designing and Studying Learning Experiences That Use Multiple Interactive Media to Bridge Distance and Time, what do you think are the most significant problems inherent in collaborative online learning and how do you think these problems can be overcome.