Selecting Distant Learning Technologies

The possibilities that exist today because of technology were only a dream in the past for various reasons. It would be very difficult for a teacher on the west coast to have her students visit museums in other parts of the country nearly impossible with the many budget crunches that face nearly all of the schools in the country. New generation web technologies, or as (O’Reilly, 2005) calls them, “Web 2.0.” These sites allow for digital interaction between many groups eliminating distance and in many ways budget from a learning experience.
The challenge to enrich learning experiences outside of the classroom is a challenge for many reasons, but with Web 2.0 technologies it is much easier for teachers to provide special enrichments to their students. There are many different types of technologies that a teacher could use to take their students on a virtual field trip where they visit a place, such as an art museum, virtually so that they can see the exhibits that are in other parts of the world while not leaving their classroom. The teacher wants her students to take a tour of the museum and to interact with the curators and then have the students critique some of the works found at the museum.
There are many forms of content creation that exist but as Simonson, Smaldino, Albright and Zvacek (2011) say, “one of the defining characteristics of Web 2.0 is that literally anyone can generate content.” For this challenge since travel to New York to visit a museum is not possible then the teacher could create a VoiceThread. A VoiceThread is, “collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in five ways- using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file or video (via webcam) (VoiceThread 2012).” Using this Web 2.0 technology the teacher can have the museum curators upload images of the different pieces of artwork while talking about each piece and present it to the students as if they were actually there on a tour in the museum. The students can then talk back to the curators on the VoiceThread and that gives them an opportunity to respond to the students. The teacher would also like the students to critique different pieces of work from each exhibit which the students can do in the VoiceThread on the slide for whichever piece of work they choose. The students are able to click on the slide of the work they are critiquing and can add text, voice message or a video critique of that work.
Although the teacher is a novice when it comes to distant learning, the great thing about Web 2.0 technology is that “anyone can place content on the Web without knowledge of web page design tools and methods” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright and Zvacek, 130, 2011). The teacher can use VoiceThread to have the students take a tour and learn about a museum that is across the country and interact with curators and with each other at the same time. This gives them an authentic learning experience that has some meaningful outcomes in the class.
Recourses:
O’Reilly, T (2005). What is Web 2.0” Design patterns and business models for the next
generation of software. Available online at:
www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2011). Teaching and learning at
a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
VoiceThread LLC. (2012) North Carolina Available online at:
www.voicethread.com

Distance Learning
Accredited institution	No diploma mills	Valid Certificates
Distance and Sometimes time seperations	Teachers and students not in the same state	Teachers and Students sometimes not in same country
Real Time Interatctions	Wikipages, Blogs	Social Networking, Skype
Working Collaboratively	Different Parts coming together

Distance Learning

Accredited Institution

No diploma mills

Valid certificates

Distance and sometimes Time separations

Teachers and students not in same state

Real time interations

Wiki pages

Blogs

Social Networking

Skype

Working collaboratively

Different Parts coming together

Distance learning

Looking back at my own experiences with distance learning, or at least what I believed it to be and with the things that I have learned this week I realize that there is a lot that I have to learn but I know more than what I first realized.  Thinking of distance learning I had some experiences with it while I worked at a charter school here in Cincinnati, at this school they decided to have some supplemental classes with Virtual High School (VHS) which did not work as well as I believe it could have.  The students had a lot of difficulty completing quality work with this program because of the limited amount of time they had available to work and the lack of clear leadership at the school. 

What I thought of as distance learning at that time was simply completing some work online that would satisfy the requirements of a course to earn credit to graduate.  I always thought it was for social recluses that could not handle a traditional classroom or school environments and for some of the children at the school I was working at this was true, but what I found was disturbing.  What I found was that the kids there were not learning anything but it was not just a problem with VHS but with all of the classrooms (mine included).  There was a system of dysfunction at this school that was run more as a business and the more students that were enrolled there the more money the administration earned.  I found that I was the only person there who had a teaching certification and any experience working in a real school and I could see many things that needed to be changed but it was in my best interest to move away from that business with the façade of a school.

The one thing that I did come from working there was that technology and the idea of distance learning could be extremely effective but if it were implemented properly.  I decided to look into some type of distance learning and stumbled upon Walden University and enrolled.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the effectiveness of the different courses that I had enrolled in.  I earned my MS. Ed. with an emphasis in Integrating Technology in the Classroom.  The learning that took place over the eighteen months that I was enrolled was phenomenal, I was able to collaborate with people from all over the United States and complete many things that would not have been possible in a traditional school.  The hours available to work online and at my own pace were key to being successful in my experience with distance learning.  The courses were laid out with detailed instructions that allowed me to plan out the time I needed to complete my course work and still have time for my job and family. 

So looking into what I believed distance learning to be was something that the teacher and students were separated by distance but still able to work together to complete work.  This is still in ways how I view distance learning but there are also some other factors that play into it that I have learned this past week, most notably what Dr. Simonson (2011) says is that a learning group is separated by distance and sometimes time.  This falls in line with what I have thought about distance learning, but looking into more resources, there is more to distance learning. According to Schlosser and Simonson (2009) distance learning is, “institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors.” 

This “formal definition” adds more to what I thought distance learning to be, which is that yes the professor and students are separated by distance and time but there is a lot more than that.  They have to have proficient means of communication to share ideas and evaluate products.  Also the place that the learning is being held is an institution instead which is important because of the many different diploma mills that take money and give meaningless certificates.  

Distance Learning
Accredited institution	No diploma mills	Valid Certificates
Distance and Sometimes time seperations	Teachers and students not in the same state	Teachers and Students sometimes not in same country
Real Time Interatctions	Wikipages, Blogs	Social Networking, Skype
Working Collaboratively	Different Parts coming together

Spotlight on Emerging Technology

Screen cast of Moodle

Using something like Moodle in our school would be a great benefit to not only us but to our students as well.  It will allow us to supplement our classes in a variety of ways, from building up classroom discussions to taking different assessments.  The reality is that our students are from a new digital age and they are more comfortable with technology then most of us ever will be.  There are so many different resources available to us through technology that it is up to us to stay ahead of the curve and do what is best for our learners.  One of the best things about Moodle is that it is free to use for us and our students and it accommodates any subject.  There are a lot of resources available for us to use and modify to our particular class.  We can have students use this site to work collaboratively on projects or homework that sometimes would be difficult for them to do so.  We can have old lessons posted on here so that students or parents or even administrators can go look up on. This is good for students who may have been sick and do not want to be behind, or for parents and administrators to see what is being taught in class.  Older lessons would also be there for review purposes later, like when we give our mandated semester exams students can easily go back to a certain lesson to refresh their memories.  This is what learning is coming to and this site makes it easy for us to be ready for how things are going to be.  When we look at how much technology has changed it is up to us to be prepared for using it to help us and our students and not be afraid to have classes online or at least supplemental learning available to us.  

Reaching and Engaging all Learners Through Technology 6714

When this course began I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with the idea of Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learners.  The idea of DI and UDL isn’t anything new for me but its something that I just tried to avoid and concentrating only on my plans to try to get the most out of my learners without really taking steps that really aren’t that difficult to do to ensure that all learners are going to do well in my classes. 

            The biggest misconception that I had about DI and UDL is that I assumed that I was to make an individual lesson plan for each student.  This course opened my eyes to the fact that DI and UDL are methods or steps that I can take to ensure that almost all students are comfortable with the material that is being taught.  The belief that I have always had was and still is that everyone has the ability to learn but just not in the same way.  In my classroom I have a poster hanging that reads: “Everyone learns, but not everyone learns in the same way.”  DI and UDL make it easier for all of my students to learn and understand the material that I am teaching them. 

            The first adjustment that I am going to make I am going to make in my instructional practices is to use the different resources that I have found and my classmates found to help in my planning.  There are a plethora of resources available with regards to technology, but using these resources properly is the most important thing.  I have heard that the most dangerous weapon in the world is a United States Marine and his/her rifle.  That is to say anyone can have a rifle, but only the person who has proper training and thoroughly understands what they have and don’t have is more dangerous than someone who uses something without really understanding it.  The technological resources that I have available to use may be difficult to use at first, but with practice and proper implementation these resources can be used effectively in the classroom. 

            I am looking forward to trying to use the interactive concept map that www.glogster.com allows me to create.  I am excited to create different Voicethreads that will allow me to narrate and illustrate different assignments for all of my students.  I am anxious to try to implement WebQuests that give students different tasks in their groups so that they can do their part in a manner that they are most comfortable with.  The ability to allow students to chose the path that suits their needs the best is a great thing because it allows students to learn in an environment and in a method that they are the most comfortable with.  When the students chose the method that they are the most comfortable with they are more likely to learn and express themselves more confidently.  

Over the past several weeks I have been working on the GAME plan that I developed for this course. I do believe that it has helped me a great deal to make a plan and follow through especially when it comes to incorporating technology into my general lessons. I have found that the biggest problem I have is actually sitting down and putting together a plan and then following it through, I have a general idea of what I want to do and then go and do it. Having a plan that has me think out what I need to do before I go and do it works much better than having a general idea and working from there. Lesson plans are one thing for me to follow; they are intentionally left with a lot of wiggle room so that I can adapt the plan based on the atmosphere of my students on any given day. Trying to have technology into certain lessons does not work if I do not have a solid plan because it allows my students too much wiggle room in the computer lab and if they do not have a plan to follow then they will stray away from their task very quickly.




The best thing that I learned from my GAME plan is the website, www.questgarden.com, which allows me to create WebQuest’s for my students in a much more efficient manner than before. There are a lot of different WebQuest sites out there that have ready to use activities on any given subject, but when you create your own WebQuest for you students to complete you know what works best for them. Creating the WebQuest allows you to add in things and take out things that can be customized for the class. Making the plan following through and letting my students express themselves in a manner that they are more comfortable in is something that I can implement right away. I have made a WebQuest for them to complete in the next couple of weeks that will take place of their traditional final exam. I know that they are relieved to be able to complete a digital project instead of the traditional pencil to paper exam.



The abundance of technology that is available for me to use is amazing, but when it isn’t executed properly then it can be counter productive. The GAME plan allows me to focus on how to properly implement this technology with my students so that they can use it in my Spanish class. The first thing that I am going to have them do is to have a digital journal, where they have the option to blog, use a wiki or a voice thread to talk about their normal journal entry on Friday. I think that the switch from writing in a composition notebook to a digital format will excite the students about their journal entries again.

GAME Plan for Students

Thinking about ISTE NETS-T and NETS-S and how we have looked at the GAME plan over these past seven weeks there are a lot of things that I would like to use with my students.  I think that that biggest thing for me to make sure that my students understand is digital citizenship.  This simple phrase can mean so many things but I think that when it is broken down into a few simple meanings.  The first and foremost is giving credit to intellectual property with resources that they have found on the web.  A block or two in any direction from my school leads to a place that sells bootleg movies and music and the students are used to getting things that they want for much less than what the person who created them is entitled to.  The owner of the property does not benefit from the sales of pirated music or movies.  My students are also well versed in working around firewalls and streaming shows and movies that they should not be able to do. It is no different than stealing, but because they are used to it and its on the internet they do not see it as stealing.  I would like to implement a plan to show my students the importance of giving credit to the owners of intellectual property so that when they use images or quotes that they have found on the internet they give credit to the person who they are citing.  The other thing that I think is part of digital citizenship is cyber bullying.  I saw that there is a seminar being offered by Walden that centers around bullying and one of the topics is cyber bullying.  I think its funny how some people like the idea of having some sort of secretiveness of their posts and comments on the blogs or social networking sites but the fact is they still have consequences.  I think it is important for students to understand that even if they do not do things when face to to face with someone, the things that they say int he cyber world have real world consequences.