Wednesday, 12 September 2007
RSS
Discovered the joys of using an RSS reader.... Google does it again! A great way to list sites that you need to keep up to date with. One of the worst things about this paper is the sheer volume of information we have to keep up with. A reader makes it all a bit easier to handle.
Suitable tools.. or not... hmmm
I've been spending a great deal of time over the last month listening to guest speakers, reading bloggs, emails, discussions and have come to an inescapable conclusion that on line teaching will not work with the level of students I currently teach (L2 - L4) by itself, because of the learning limitations people at that level have.
I know it can and does with 'experienced' learners, but the inexperienced rely a great deal on f2f and the interaction/socialisation in a class environment for learning, which is not possible to replicate on line to the extent required. From my analysis I can see no way to make it work either, as the level of user skills can only be increased with learning. An egg and chicken scenario really, you have to have one in order that you can gain/use the other. Is there a solution? None that I can see.
The class environment where we can indulge in 'over the shoulder' instruction can not be replicated to the required level on line, nor can the instant passing on of knowledge or correction that you get in a 'normal' class situation. I've spoken to people who have done distance learning and one of the main criticisms is the lack of instant replies with questions. They find the have to go over the topic again once a query has been answered, a big waster of time for them. The other biggie for them is missing out on the usual interaction with other people.
I think that it definitely does have a place as a supplement to class learning though, kind of like a resource site or file store where students can go for information or the likes of tasks to complete or assignments/information prior to taking part in a normal class.
The development of relationships pays an enormous part in learning in a class. On line relationships tend to be rather shallow and a little false. Many people create a persona of what they'd like to be perceived as, rather than display their 'true' self and it is very difficult to 'know' someone on line - you tend to get a false view until you actually meet the person f2f.
So, to summarize, on line learning is a great method for 'experienced' learners, a very poor one for the inexperienced who will (and do) get easily discouraged and wander off to something else. The challenge is to make it work for this level of student. I know that some Learning Centres currently run on line courses for students studying at these levels so I shall make enquiries about drop off rates. My guess is that they'll be much higher than those in a normal class environment.
I know it can and does with 'experienced' learners, but the inexperienced rely a great deal on f2f and the interaction/socialisation in a class environment for learning, which is not possible to replicate on line to the extent required. From my analysis I can see no way to make it work either, as the level of user skills can only be increased with learning. An egg and chicken scenario really, you have to have one in order that you can gain/use the other. Is there a solution? None that I can see.
The class environment where we can indulge in 'over the shoulder' instruction can not be replicated to the required level on line, nor can the instant passing on of knowledge or correction that you get in a 'normal' class situation. I've spoken to people who have done distance learning and one of the main criticisms is the lack of instant replies with questions. They find the have to go over the topic again once a query has been answered, a big waster of time for them. The other biggie for them is missing out on the usual interaction with other people.
I think that it definitely does have a place as a supplement to class learning though, kind of like a resource site or file store where students can go for information or the likes of tasks to complete or assignments/information prior to taking part in a normal class.
The development of relationships pays an enormous part in learning in a class. On line relationships tend to be rather shallow and a little false. Many people create a persona of what they'd like to be perceived as, rather than display their 'true' self and it is very difficult to 'know' someone on line - you tend to get a false view until you actually meet the person f2f.
So, to summarize, on line learning is a great method for 'experienced' learners, a very poor one for the inexperienced who will (and do) get easily discouraged and wander off to something else. The challenge is to make it work for this level of student. I know that some Learning Centres currently run on line courses for students studying at these levels so I shall make enquiries about drop off rates. My guess is that they'll be much higher than those in a normal class environment.
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