Dr. Ruth Reynard

Location: fayette, oh

About me

I founded a non-profit, Community Education for Development (CED) to focus on developing programs for communities in Fayette and Fulton Co OH that focus on education for development. The website is: https://www.comeddev.com/

I also work as a freelance education consultant and a second language evaluator. I enjoy publishing articles and editing publications. My website is: www.drruthreynard.com

Interests

instructional design and development and program development.

Skills

faculty training / writing / editing / teaching / curriculum development / instructional technology

Website

https://www.drruthreynard.com

Activity

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

Blended Learning Opportunities

Good points, Jolly. Yes, a variety of technology can be used to mediate the instruction but usually refers to instructional exchanges that are physically in one space and those that are not. I like your comments about asynchronous and synchronous and agree that the tools should be selected based on the outcomes. Good discussion...

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

The White Board

Great points, Jolly. The technology we're using today has emerged form ideas and concepts from the past and will change again in the future. It is about the design of instruction but it is also about the mindset of the instructor in using the interactive white board to build ideas, distribute those ideas and include new ideas from all learning participants.So while aspects of the technology have been around already, instructional approaches are still front and center of the dialogue.

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

The White Board

Yes, Jolly, they have come a long way yet, amazingly are sometimes set aside as "older technology" or under used as rather nifty projection screens :) In my experience, maximizing interactive white boards goes a long way in helping instructors who may struggle with the concepts of digital connection and distribution to gain some understanding and confidence in those areas.

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

Wikis and Blogs

Hi Jolly, As you mention there can be different uses for each of these tools. If a blog is used as a self reflection journal to provide students with a personal learning space, then it would need to be set up accordingly and not as much moderated as, however, supported through comments etc. If either tool is being used to support direct content of a course, then yes, the moderator should have content expertise. If either is being used as a project tool then it would again be set up differently with different expectations and with time lines. Everything, as… >>>

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

Internet Changes

Hi Jack, Yes the ubiquitous nature of new technology certainly brings an immediacy and inter-connectedness to learning environments and to what is possible in instruction. It also requires a change in mindset for teachers who may be more used to viewing things individually and in a linear flow. The challenge is to thinking and instructional design.

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

The White Board

That's very true, Jack. I see so many teachers underuse the potential of the interactive white board because they haven't really spent the time to learn its functions. Somehow we have to find the time to actually learn technology before we can truly see its benefits for instruction. Most teachers are too busy teaching :)

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

Internet Changes

Hi Glenda, I feel the same way about many subject areas that remain so passive for me as I did not have many opportunities to directly engage with them. I think your point about the Internet providing much more information than ever before possible in a course and also the immediacy of the technology itself is so important. The latter almost demands a much higher level of engagement from both teachers and students.

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

The Effect of New Technology

Yes, Jack, I think there are external constraints that we all work within and we do not really do our students any favors in not setting similar expectations of them - particularly if we are teaching in the career or vocational area of programs. The "trick" is to allow students to explore within those limits without losing something in our hurry to reach the goals.

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

Blended Learning Opportunities

Yes, Glenda, I agree that time is often what is cut short in more conventional course deliveries. In a hybrid delivery, time can be more flexible and, therefore, more helpful to the student. I think the intentionality of the instructional design can mean that each instructional exchange, whether online or in person, is also more meaningful for the student.

Dr. Ruth Reynard

Discussion Comment

New Skills and Learning Assessment

Hi Richard, Your observations on cultural differences are really interesting. I do think some cultures in the world have rote learning methods and believe those to be effective. My sense is, however, even in those parts of the world, as new technology is accessed, the same sort of flexibility in thinking will begin to emerge. The influence of new media and new technology is and will continue to change how things are done and how we think and process information. There may still be cultural differences, of course, but overall the possiblities are such that new boudnaries will be reached… >>>

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