07 Modern Forms of Educational Technology

Introduction

In the world today, we are faced with a vast number of educational technologies such as the internet, computers, mobile devices, just to name a few. After reading this research paper, you will obtain information about three (3) modern forms of educational technologies which include Online Learning, Communication Tools and Collaborative Tools. I trust that the information will be clear and informative and will make an impact on your knowledge towards the education field for teaching. 

Online Learning

Online learning, sometimes referred to as e-learning, is a form of distance education. Online courses are delivered over the Internet and can be accessed from a computer with a Web browser (ex. Internet Explorer).

Online courses can be

·         Asynchronous - delivered at your convenience any time or place

·         Synchronous - students are online at a specified time

Examples of Online Learning include:

·         Simulation Games like Addition, Rhyming, Numbers e.t.c

·         Online Lectures through skype and other sources

·         Interactive videos and games

Properties of Online Learning Environment

An online learning environment can be described as a virtual classroom which offers students and teachers opportunities to interact with instructional materials, interactions and events normally encountered in a real classroom setting. The properties of a typical online learning environment may include:

1)    Resources

2)    Activities (Discussion forum, Chat, Quiz, Assignment, Journal)

3)    Email

Characteristics of Online Learning

·         Computer tutorials and online learning activities- According to Salimpoor et al. (2010), he stated that computer tutorials and online learning activities have the capacity to make students learn at their own convenience in terms of pace and level and have a positive impact on the retention of old knowledge and acquisition of new knowledge.

·         Use of multimedia elements, simulations and manipulatives- McKethan et al., (2003) stated that a number of studies discovered that incorporating media components may contribute to knowledge retention but how these media components are integrated does play a key role in students' learning, e.g. when they are interactive.

·         Online quizzes- Grant and Courtoreille, (2007) mentioned that an ideal online learning education provides online quizzes at the end of each unit and gives feedback on the results

·         Medium of delivery–According to Shih (2007 and Kerfoot (2008), Online learning can be delivered through a mobile environment, the World Wide Web or via email; research has shown no considerable differences in learning resulting from the medium of delivery. An ideal online learning education is accessible anywhere, 24/7, as long as mobile and/or internet technologies are available.

·         Distance learning - Bernard et al., (2004) stated thatDistance-learning situations enhance the learning experience significantly when digital resources such as computer-mediated interactions are available. An ideal online learning education enables distance learning through learning activities that are interactive.

·         Cooperative learning - Integration of cooperative learning permits people to enjoy the group's collective knowledge and gain knowledge from others in order to enhance the overall learning experience. An ideal online learning education enables and supports cooperative learning.(Bernero, 2000)

Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning

There are many reasons why online programs have become a popular form of distance learning in higher education today.

Strengths -

The online environment offers unprecedented opportunities for people who would otherwise have limited access to education, as well as a new paradigm for educators in which dynamic courses of the highest quality can be developed. Some strengths include:

•  Accessible anyplace
• Anytime or pace
•  Student Centered
• Creative Teaching
• Access to Resources

 Weaknesses -

While online programs have significant strengths and offer unprecedented accessibility to quality education, there are weaknesses inherent in the use of this medium that can pose potential threats to the success of any online program. Some weaknesses include:

• The Technology
•  The Online Environment
•  The Facilitator
• The Students
• The Curriculum

Online Learning, in today’s setting, can be seen as a possibility of putting into great use in our local schools. In fact, personally, I have been engaged in an online learning experience for this present course. Some of the strengths and features mentioned above are actually what I noticed and I will recommend such to anyone. Online learning is a still a relatively young industry, promising a rich future of breakthroughs. New models of teaching are already emerging that have the potential to take online learning to even greater accomplishments.

Communication Tools

The evolution of communication technology provides online educators and learners the opportunity to participate in exciting curricula that are meaningful and purposeful for today’s online learners (Chen, 2011).

To ensure that active communication and collaboration takes place in a virtual learning environment, it is important for educators to consider and determine which communication technologies best suit their needs and the needs of their students.

Communication technologies have the potential to engage learners while also providing motivation and support for both online teaching and learning. But it is crucial for students to become engaged in the learning process. Connecting and communicating with their peers and teachers via communication technologies is vital to support the learning process, the mastery of knowledge, and the skills taught online. Students use technology to communicate, thus they are more likely and comfortable to participate in a technology-driven environment (Smyth, 2011).

Examples of Communication Tools include:

Google Hangout – 

Connect and collaborate with others on a Google Hangout. This tool is a great way to promote peer-to-peer and peer-to-teacher communication.

Skype –

Skype is a great way for teachers to connect with students, parents, and fellow educators. This free communication technology allows participation in voice calls, video-calls, and messaging, and it can be used to connect with classrooms from all parts of the world.

Today’s Meet –

Educators can create a chat room for discussions, facilitate question and answer sessions, post comments, etc., which can take place both asynchronously and synchronously.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Communication Tools

Communicating:

these tools allow students to communicate with each other through email, chat rooms, discussion boards, etc., to share information efficiently. This allows for an extensive community of learners all working towards a specific goal.

Collaborative Tools

Collaborative learning is essentially people working together to solve a problem, create a product, or derive meaning from a body of material. A central question or problem serves to organize and drive activities, and encourage application, analysis, and synthesis of course material. While the landscape of technology that can be used to support central activities of collaborative learning is vast and varied, it is often lumped together under a single label: "collaboration tools."

Younger learners have grown up in more collaborative learning environments and the transition may be easier for them. The nice effect of collaboration is the disbursement of control from the teacher to the learners. Benefit: effective, models real life. Drawback: hard to manage.

Examples of Collaborative Tools include:

Google Docs –

This tool allow you to upload your files, edit anytime from anywhere, choose who can access your documents share and collaborate online.

Wikispaces-

used to make this space create simple web pages that groups, friends, and families can edit together.

Wordpress–

allows an individual to express themselves by starting a blog.

Thinkature –

Place instant messaging inside a visual workspace. Use it as a collaboration environment, a meeting room, a personal web-based whiteboard, or something entirely new.

Properties of Collaborative Tools

According to Lomas, Burke, and Page (2008) they mentioned that while communication is often an integral feature of collaboration tools, it is not the only feature. Any tool that allows interaction on a shared resource has the potential to be a collaboration tool. Determining the factors that increase the likelihood that a tool can attract a critical mass of users may shed light on what facilitates effective collaboration. A natural interface with interactions based on existing communication norms is particularly valuable. Such properties include:

Strong Communication Capability:

Perhaps through video, audio, or simple text, the most important feature of a collaboration tool is its ability to facilitate communication and interaction between participants.

Easy-to-Understand Interface:

The interface of the tool should be easy and intuitive to navigate, perhaps emulating an existing tool or an aspect of the physical world. A user’s ability to simply pick up, adapt to, and use a tool considerably diminishes extensive training and supervision needs. For example, each successive generation of an IM tool builds on the previous one, making it easy for users to figure out how to use it. Incremental changes and version features allow for an evolution of the tools.

Capability and Expectation of Collaboration:

To encourage input from participants, a collaboration tool should make it clear that input is expected and will elicit a response. For example, it should be clear whether and when it is acceptable to collaborate in this space. Is collaboration expected? Does the tool support taking turns or sharing of “airtime” in this space? An online presentation can be an ideal tool for collaboration, for example, but only if it is clear to the audience that they should be responding to the presentation and interacting with participants instead of passively watching a webcast.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Collaborative Tools

Strengths:

·         Knowledge building

·         Communities

·         Student to student

·         Time on task

·         Ideal for online environment

·         Supplements other media

Weaknesses:

·         Takes time – not ideal for short lessons

·         Difficult to do

·         Change required of student and instructor

In today’s society, students use technology in natural ways that allow them to do what they want: communicate with anyone they want, in the time and space that suits them best. Easily accessible and user friendly, collaboration tools allow students to explore, share, engage, and connect with people and content in meaningful ways that help them learn. I hereby agree on this fact because I was able to achieve and experience such collaborative tool in a programme called Schoology.

Conclusion

Interaction through the use of communication technologies is vital to a quality education because it allows teachers to promote active online learners, and that engagement translates to better learning outcomes and greater satisfaction with online learning, both for student and educator.

 Resources 

Bernard, R. M., P. C. Abrami, Y. Lou, E. Borokhovski, A. Wade, L. Wozney, P. A. Wallet, M.Fiset, and B. Huang. (2004). How does distance education compare with classroom instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature.Review of             Educational Research 74 (3): 379–439.

Bernero, J. (2000). Motivating students in math using cooperative learning. (ERIC  Document Reproduction Service No.ED446 999).

Chen, L. (2011). Improving teachers’ teaching with communication technology. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 40(1), 35-43

Cyprien Lomas, Michael Burke, and Carie L. Page (2008).Education Learning Initiative:Collaborative Tools. Retrieved on April 28^th 2015 from: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli3020.pdf

Grant, L. K., and M. Courtoreille. (2007). Comparison of fixed-item and response-sensitive versions of an online tutorial.PsychologicalRecord 57 (2): 265–72.

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Kerfoot, B. P. (2008). Interactive spaced education versus Web-based modules for teaching urology to medical students: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of          Urology 179 (6): 2351–57.

Keystone College (2015) Online Learning Defined. Retrieved on April 27^th 2015 from: http://www.keystone.edu/academics/onlinelearning/onlinelearningdefined.dot

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Salimpoor, V. N., Chang, C., &Vinod, M. (2010).Neural basis of repetition priming during mathematical cognition: Repetition suppression or repetition enhancement?Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(4), 790–805.

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Tangient LLC (2015) Collaborative Tools. Retrieved on April 27^th 2015 from: http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Collaborative+Tools