Indeed, William. The flexibility increases both with timing for class meetings and self-directed opportunities for students. That is, both the entire group, as well as the individual student, can benefit from this kind of learning environment - it is a good mix of the two.
I would love to see internet open in my school. We are an automitive group and we do not have open internet. We are limited on on line treaing or review for our students. I could see a great window open for this type of interaction on the internet.
We have looked ahead and have a vision to go this route by 2012. I am looking forward to this!
Great, James. It will be interesting to learn from you the differences made in the teaching and learning process by providing access to the Internet.
I always Provide basic resources & then encourage them to dig in & see how much deeper they can dig. We have new curriculum coming in 2012 that includes web based training, I am excited for the new opportunities in the future.
Andy, what will the training include? Is it a teacher training or student training initiative?
I too like the idea of using the Internet to facilitate learning. I have used web quests in the past to help with learning and retention of various science/health/medical related concepts. I have used YouTube video clips as well as part of my PowerPoint presentations. I have used poll questions within my online classes but never thought of using technology (i.e text messages and Twitter) for face to face class polling. That's a great idea. Thanks for the link.
Angel, what aspects of the learning process do you see as benefitting most from the Internet? Can students actually be stimulated to new knowledge and new thinking as a result of its use? How have you found it most helpful?
One of the main changes associated with the Internet and computer mediated instruction is the use of the Internet (i.e. technology) to help manage interpersonal interactions, form impressions and form and maintain relationships. The Internet can help to provide both a social presence while also creating and building a community of shared interests and learning within computer mediated instruction. Another aspect of the Internet's change to computer mediated instruction can be seen in students' level of achievement and satisfaction. The use of computer mediated instruction and the Internet has changed the level of interaction seen in the academic environment. The Internet has helped students interact with the content being provided as well as provide a level of social interaction - a student interacting with others about the content.
Yes, Angel, so there are various points of connection and interaction that maximize and heighten the dynamic nature of effective learning. Do you have examples of how this has directly impacred your students?
I think the specific change that has advanced progress is the acceptance of students to the incorporation of technology to the learning process.
This IS my comment. To elaborate I've noticed that older students have a tendency to rebel at the technological aspects.
The internet has allowed students to communicate with teachers, peers, groups and to become individuals who can learn by themselves.
The internet has allowed students to communicate with teachers, peers, groups, and to become individual learners.
Students communicate more effectively with teachers, peers, groups and become more individual leaners with the internet.
Computers have of course made the world smaller. They have also given us more information than we know what to do with. The software Blackboard has changed our approach to teaching. It has given us a platform to work from that has brought education out of the dark ages. It has also created a divide between student and teacher. It is more difficult to speak with students when you cannot look them in the face.
The Internet has brought a number of specific changes to computer mediation of the instructional process. For one, the Internet allows for hypertext links that allow for source material to be embedded in presentations, both asynchronous and synchronous learning opportunities, web blogs, Wiki tools, as well as others. The Internet, thus, allows for students to have unique and tailored learning experiences.
Good points, Jeff. What is it about the technology, do you think, that really changes both the design and the delivery of education? Why has the Internet affected such changes in teaching and learning?
It allows instructors to add an additional layer of discussion and experiential learning to the student's learning experience. I use discussion boards to give students the opportunity to further discuss concepts from class. It provides them with a deeper understanding of how others see issues/information.
Yes, Christina, discussion boards can expand the interactive opportunities and discussion exchanges for students. The Internet also provides a wealth of information and networking opportunities beyond the classroom and gives the students an opportunity to participate in those networks. This enlarges the scope of any course. If instructors maximize these opportunities, the learning experience can totally change for the student.
We now live in the "dot com" era and with all the program features and software, computer training is the wave of the future, We are in progress with online training and have rolled it out in some campuses,the biggest change i think WE will see is they will have instant access to information for the subject matter and will take away the "bore & snore" lectures
