ITGS Chapter 10 EducationAllyson Slater

IT in Teaching and Learning

E-Learning: general phrase given to any teaching method that makes use of information technology.

Telelearning (distance learning): takes place when the teacher and student are in geographically separate locations

Blended Learning: involves a mixture of approaches such as a combination of traditional and electronic learning methods in a classroom, or use of classroom and telelearning at different times.

Telelearning

Commonly used when students cannot physically attend classes for reasons including Ill health Moving home Need to look after children or relative People with full time jobs People who cannot attend class during the day People who cannot find courses required at a local educational institution Prison inmates- offered telelearning to improve chances of getting jobs upon

their release

Virtual Learning Environments

Schools and universities use VLEs to offer telelearning courses. Allow content to be uploaded and organized by topic, week, or date and

accessed at the students’ own pace Teachers upload documents and files, links to internet resources, and in

some cases upload videos od classes to enable students to view them at their leisure

Popular VLEs Moodle Blackboard

These allow essays and other assignments to be assigned, complete with deadlines for online submission.

Virtual Learning Environments (cont.)

Advantages Course material can be deployed to a larger number of students compared to

a traditional classroom environment. Should reduce cost and create savings which can then be passed on to students

Do not require web development experience, so professional looking results can be achieved by even novice users. This frees up time to work on course material

Students who cannot otherwise access course4s have the opportunity to do so, increasing equality of access

Travel costs for students and teachers can be reduced Students can learn at their own pace and at any time they wish

Virtual Learning Environments (cont.)

Disadvantages The face-to-face interaction of a traditional classroom is lost. This can make it

harder for students to ask questions, and harder for teachers to notice misunderstanding and assess progress.

Some facilities (such as virtual meeting) still require coordination if students are in separate time zones

Certain hardware such as a web cam and a high band width internet connection may be required for some VLE features.

Discussion Forums

Included in VLEs to allow students to interact with each other and the instructor.

Asynchronous Learning

With the student learning when they want, at they speed they want, without the need to be online at a predetermined time

Synchronous Learning

When the teacher and the students need to be online at the same time. Chat or video conferencing sessions require participants to meet at a

predetermined time to discuss issues that have arisen during the course.

Useful to regain some of the interaction that is lost with asynchronous learning but can be inconvenient for people in different time zones.

Video conferencing also has specific hardware, software, and network requirements which may exclude some students from these sessions.

Mobile learning

M-learning is a form of telelearning where mobile technology are used to access educational content.

Useful for quick reference tasks in situations such as language learning, where quick access to very specific information (such as a dictionary) is often needed.

For example: U.S. military uses translation software in Iraq and Afghanistan when there are

no translators available.

Mobile learning

Online resources

Before the internet in classrooms computer reference software on CDs or DVDs provided encyclopedic content enhanced by multimedia.

With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies such as Java, Flash, and higher speed internet connections, internet active online resources have become much more common.

Multimedia can enhance the teaching of many subjects Virtual field trips take multimedia a step further by creating digital

versions of actual locations, along with educational notes and resources. Provided in multiple languages to improve equality of access. Famous sites include Sistine Chapel British museum

Web 2.0 in the classroom

Blogs and wikis have been adopted by many teachers to help their students learn.

At their most basic, these technologies provide cheap or free way to store electronic copies of lesson notes and assignments.

Technologies like these and social networks can be used to create flat classrooms where learning is not restricted to the classroom environment and where classes from schools across the world can work on collaborative global projects.

Podcasting

Audio files distributed over the internet using RSS feeds Cheap and easy to record and distribute requiring the minimum of

hardware and software Give students opportunity to practice their verbal skills in a variety 0of

subjects, perhaps uploading and sharing their final productions using a class VLE or even distributing them on internet

Open Courseware

Educational content which is free to distribute, use, and change. Usually distributed under a creative commons or similar license. Materials range from videos and lecture notes to full graduate courses

and text books. Electronic books are produced by some textbook companies to replace

or support existing paper books. Can be distributed by CD-ROM or downloaded from stores or read on an e-book reader or computer.

Open textbooks aim to create electronic, freely distributable books to replace commercial textbooks.

Game Based Learning

Edutainment software- has been popular since the availability of early home computers.

Serious games are designed specifically to educate players on a particular issue which is the heart of the game

Dance mats or motion controllers encourage exercise shy students to take part in physical activity.

High tech cheating

Plagiarism has become a concern for many educational establishments as increased use of internet resources tempts some students to copy and paste work without attribution.

Most educational organizations have IT acceptable use policies (AUPs) and academic honesty policies which cover plagiarism with consequences.

There is anti plagiarism software which checks the originality of phrases from student work.

Filtering and monitoring

Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires measures in government funded schools and there may also be pressure from parents and teachers to use them.

The desire to reduce cyber bullying during school time is a common motivation for blocking social networks and similar sites.

Filtering systems sometimes produce a false positive which is when educationally useful material is accidentally blocked and sometimes they produce a false negative where harmful material is not blocked.

Hardware technologies

Interactive whiteboards- consist of a touch sensitive board which allows inputs to be made with a specific pen or a finger and a projector which outputs a computer display on the board.

Laptops in the classroom

Schools implemented these programs to provide students access to online resources, use electronic versions of books, and to facilitate collaborative learning.

Benefits Often student engagement is improved Online resources saves spending on paper and textbooks Technology skills are essential in many careers Instant access to a wealth of online material Portable devices provide convenient access to information Typed assignments reduce problems with illegible writing Provides global collaborative projects

Laptops in classroom (cont.)

Considerations Setup, operating, and maintenance costs can be high Quality online resources can still be expensive Teachers need training to use technology effectively Citation and source evaluation skills must be taught Adequate security measures must be taken Measures must be taken to ensure quality of access Student (and teacher) distraction can be a problem

School administration Often use School Information System (SIS) (sometimes called student information

system) Generally include features for

Storing students’ personal data, including photographs and home contact details Storing students’ medical data for emergency use Storing academic data including grades, grade averages, and past results Storing attendance data on lesson by lesson or daily basis Storing discipline records Arranging and recording meetings with parents Allowing parents to pay some costs online Creating and managing student and teacher timetables and room allocation Producing reports about progress Recording of books and other equipment borrowed from school Sharing of relevant data with parents

School administration (cont.)

Electronic data interchange is a common feature many schools use to pass students’ information to new schools.