Angela,
Yes, mobile accessibility and functionality MUST be the next wave of CMS development.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
My students are contributing resources to lecture via use of their tablets and cell phones which I feel enhances the learning environment.
Suzie ,
This is a great example of maximizing the production and publication capabilities of the technology which in turn elevates student confidence and customization of learning.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Depending on the student and his/her knowledge and interest in technology, content input can change as often as the wind can shift! New technologies arrive every day allowing for new opportunities to disseminate information and consume information. Many students today will opt to get their information as fast as they can, wherever they can and whenever they can. I suspect many students can’t wait for the day when they can put on a pair of glasses think a command and see what they want to see, kind of like Iron Man. As educators it is our responsibility to stay in tune with the current technological trends so we can be as up-to-date with content output as our institutions allow. ~Melissa
I agree Hank, the experience of learning has drastically change in order to keep up with the technological advancements in our society as a whole.
Zakevia
I feel that students have so much more information available to them they can be overwhelmed by the amount of information from different sources. Because I see it this way, I try very hard to narrow choices as to what is acceptable research and how best to look at the information.
Alice,
Yes, providing guidance is helpful as long as it doesn't become prescriptive in curtailing options for students. There is a role for instructors in helping students make sense of information they find for sure.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
While I believe that the use of new technology does change the way content is presented to students, I do not believe that the technology itself changed the actual content we are delivering.
Content is content and only changes with the change in standards in the field or in a particular industry. I believe that information may be received differently to the student with the use of technologies such as the internet, videos, interactive applications, but the basis of the actual content should not change.
That is an interesting observation and adjustment you have made. I have always used a strict no cell phone in class policy and have also found myself relaxing that policy during this term when I taught a class in a classroom not only without computers for the students, but with the instructor computer not working. I was not even able to pull up information on my computer and overhead projector to share with them. I gave an activity in class and found that they were searching information on their phones also, but the interesting thing was that they were locating information and making progress on the assignment. So I am in the same boat as you - thanks for sharing!
Ever since I started teaching online, I've found that my chats(synchronous sessions) were the main source of interaction between the students and myself. I also found that those that attended (even though it was not mandatory) often performed considerably higher on graded assignments than those that didn't. So, I also started recorded them and making them available after the fact so they could still have access to the information. Thanks for sharing!
New technology changes content input for students in that it provides new and exciting ways for the information to be presented. Students are offered a more flexible manner in which they can receive and give information.
Paula Bordenkecher
Yvette,
So, while the content may not change (although technology has changed the actual content of many related fields) technology can change the presentation and delivery of content and as such, changes how students process the content.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
There is a massive amount of information available to students now as opposed to lectures, textbooks, and handouts that are used in the traditional classroom. Students can get information from a variety of reading materials, videos, audios, interactives, and more on the Internet. eBooks provide new interactions with the textbook material, and the instructor can create multimedia and live lectures, use whiteboards, and provide a significant amount of varied input.
Kurt,
The research and writing on new literacies explores the kinds of skills that students require now in order to manage, organize, and use information effectively. Interesting developments...
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The concepts for teaching using new technology is actually a twofold process because it is not primarily the students who now use technology as a social and educational too but the instructors or teachers too need to ensure they understand the technology and how to adequately use the different types media outlets to educate and reach the students. For example I am an auditory type of learner so it is easy for me to create a lesson geared for those who learn as I do, however, I must learn to adapt the different styles of learning and incorporate this in my lesson plans to reach all students through technology. We must also present methods of strong communication to assist with the alleviation of any type of confusion in the event there is any.
Michael,
Good points and with new technology various preferred learning and instructional types can be accommodated simultaneously .
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Today's technology is available to students, this allows for them to obtain a fast response to their questions during their research, giving them the sense of progress in their learning.
Gerardo,
Yes, immediacy is a wonderful benefit of using new technology - this means, however, that the instructor and the instructional design should provide time and space for the tools to be used. The results of using the tools should also be valued as part of the overall grade.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
New technology allows more students to become successful at learning. Our traditional teaching model only allows for specific students to be successful (as you mentioned in the module). New technology allows us as educators to allow differently-minded students the chance to "plug in" in to what we're teaching.
For instance, a visual-spacial student learning about vectors might have a very difficult time trying to figure out what exactly a vector does. Sure, we can go out on a limb to come up with an odd, impractical activity, or simply allow for some time to play around with a game like this: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_178_g_4_t_3.html?open=activities&from=category_g_4_t_3.html
Erik,
Great examples! Yes, the technology now can support much more flexibility in design and engagement - instructors must, however, use the technology (that might sound obvious) and maximize its capabilities in their instructional designs.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
