Di’s E-learning Experience

Only a week and a half until we complete the work for this semester. As I was making some notes for my reflection on my short online course experience, I started to reflect on the benefits I had gained from blogging over the past 12-13 weeks.
Initially, I struggled with the concept of putting my thoughts online. The main reason (I think) being that I wanted to post a complete and researched thought. However I have now come to terms with the idea to just write my thoughts as they come and let my blogs be a way of organising my thoughts. The interactive aspect of blogs also has allowed me to get feed back and new ideas from others on the way. I still remember the first contact I received from an outside blogger, what a buzz!! Someone actually took the time to read what I had written.

In the short time I have been blogging I have found that I am now looking at issues in a more critical and analytical way. I plan to keep up my blogging habit, even thoughI have almost finished this course. I really like the way you can collect your thoughts under a tag and just go back to them later for further development.

Recently when I have been looking at articles on distance learning and the virtual classroom I have come across regular references to the Web page Second Life.  What is this I thought?  After some surfing the net I have discovered it is an Internet based virtual world .  There are many articles promoting the innovation of this program for the future of e-learning.  However, I have also come across some articles that present arguments against Second Life.  Some of these arguments are that it is anti-social, people come addicted to the game and their real world existence suffers etc. 

Decision made!! If I am going to understand and learn about Second Life and its uses in respect to e-learning and the virtual classroom, I will have to join and experience it for myself. 

Well, I have now joined, downloaded the software I need to run the program and logged on.  This may seem a naive comment to the many who are experienced in  Second Life or playing 3D games, but Wow!!!! this site is amazing.  And I have no idea what I am doing? I am determined to keep going. 

Firstly, I have to create my avatar, or my virtual world persona.  I can be who ever I like???  With the flick of a switch (or should I say mouse) I can loose 20kgs, grow my hair and get a sun tan!!

My avatar completed, I decide to venture into the 3D world, experimenting with running and flying (crashing as well).  I have to admit I am very much a novice however I managed to fill a couple of hours exploring this new 3D world.  And I am fascinated!!!  This virtual learning experience will certainly be continued.  Further reports on Second Life to follow.

It is Saturday already!!!  This week has flown by.  I have almost completed my Spanish Steps Online Course and I have to admit I have enjoyed the experience.    As I have been working my way through the lessons and reflecting on the experience I have become more aware of my learning style.  A couple of weeks ago, when I completed the VARK questionnaire in class it concluded that I had a multi-modal learning style. 

Apparently this learning style accounts for about 60% of the population, so it certainly is not to be ignored when looking at program design.  People who fit into this learning style generally use a combination of learning styles, switching their learning styles to suit the learning project.

During my experience with the online Spanish course I have noticed that I have enjoyed the variety of ways the information has been presented.  When learning the oral Spanish I have found the interactive video and conversations very rewarding.  However, when it comes to learning vocab and rules of grammar I prefer to write down the words and rules. This process seems the reinforce my learning and I can recall the vocab and grammar more clearly. Another good resource on multi-modal learning style is an article written by Neil Fleming in September 2007 Multimodality

In our lesson last Wednesday there was some interesting debate on the virtues of the virtual classroom and if it could successfully replace the traditional face-to-face learning environment.  Generally I think it was felt that e-learning was a new and innovative form of education, however for best results a learning program should include a combination of e-learning (in the virtual classroom) and face-to-face learning. 

I was interested to see the that the example of School of the Air was brought up as an example of a successful virtual class room, especially since I had recently posted a blog on School of the Air. I think we must agree that School of the Air presents a very successful example of a virtual classroom.  However, the administrators and teachers of School of the Air recognise that the virtual class room experience does not provide a fully balanced learning experience for its pupils.

Recognising this, they have introduced several initiatives to complement the virtual classroom.  These include:

• at least one face-to-face visit by teachers to all students per year
• each student spends one week a year at the School of the Air headquarters in a classroom with other students.
• Camps – where groups of students,parents and teachers meet for a weekend camp (at woolshed or shed on one of the properties). These camps include sports, games, music and other interactivity as well as feedback and information sessions for parents.
• group excursions are organised for students to places such as Canberra and the Snowy Mountains
• annual sports day where students all meet at a central place to compete in athletics and games
• at the end of the year there is  presentation day and christmas function

All these functions and activities are designed to complement the virtual class room and give the students a better balanced learning experience.

Some Interesting Resouces on School of the Air:

Canarvon School of the Air

http://www.carnarvonsota.wa.edu.au/Information/Information%20Booklet%202006.pdf

Evantheia Schibsted, “Bringing the outback in: Distance Learning Down Under”

http://www.edutopia.org/bring-outback

 Russell, G. “Virtual Schools, A critical view”.

http://www.idea-group-ref.com/downloads/excerpts/1591401542E.pdf

Crump, S. and Goodyear, P.”Interactive distance Learning in Australia: Replacing Radio with Satellite Technology for “School of the Air”.

http://www.newcastle.edu.au/campus/ourimbah/professorcrump/InteractiveDistanceeLearninginAustralia.pdf

This afternoon while flicking from one site to another I came across an article on Jane Hart’s blog, Jane’s e-learning pick of the day that really interested me.

The article talks about a different approach to learning. A collaborative approach in which you share your learning goals on an on-line site and use this site to develop a resource network with others who share your interests and goals.  The site uses a combination of social bookmarking and shared learning goals in a collaborative elearning environment.

The site is called Two Brains, click on this link and you can register. 

I find the concept of this site very logical and straightforward and I think this is an obvious step for future collaborative learning.  I have signed up and am looking foward to sharing and discussing my learning goals with others.  I look forward to reflecting on this site in a few weeks time.

I can’t believe how quickly this semester is passing by us!!!

This week we looked at Ryan Watkins article on e-learner readiness”Preparing E-learners for Online Success”. This article promoted an interesting class debate on the essential skills for e-learning and the level of preparedness than young (and older learners) have.  Some class members felt that younger learners would find covering the basic technicals involved with e-learning very boring.  However other members of the class advised that it was their experience, that some of the younger learners in their class had low technical skills.  It was agreed that it was important when starting an elearning class to use some form of Assessment Tool to give you an idea of the levels of technical skills and computing knowledge amongst the learners.

Watkins also also pointed out that successful elearning was a combination of traditional learning skills and the development of new and adapted elearing skills.  It was the general concensus in the class that a successful learning program did not consist of only an elearning program.  A program which combined both elearning and face to face learning was more appealing to both learners and teachers. 

A final reflection for this week:  It is interesting to observe how all the class members now seem to have worked their way through the initial hurdle of elearning.  We all seem to be more responsive, motivated and accepting of the new technologies and ideas.

It sounds like a quote or saying that could be included on my thought(s) for the day page on e-learning, but no it is the school motto for the Broken Hill School of the Air.  My first five years of primary education was with Broken Hill School of the Air and Blackfriars Correspondence School, and I guess I was participating in a virtual classroom in one of its earliest forms.  Recently my mother visited Broken Hill and bought me back a DVD on the present day School of the Air. I found it very interesting to see the evolution of the School of the air program, though somewhat surprised that it was only in 2003 that the VHS radio system was replaced by a satellite system of delivery.

The students no longer rely on  a couple of radio broadcasts a day to supplement their weekly mail out of lessons.  This new technology open a whole new dimension to education for those students living in the remote areas of Australia.  All students have access to their own PC and are linked to the School’s intranet site.  Students are now able to see their teachers, share message site, work samples and photos.  Teachers are able to give students lessons, and they can in-turn watch and respond in real time.  It also gives the students access to experiencing the cultural aspects of a classroom environment.

This virtual classroom in the remote areas of Australia opens up a vast array of advantages  for school and vocational students that include:

• breaking down the communication barriers
• faster feedback for both students and teachers
• Teachers are able to observe student body language
• teachers/students can observe demonstrations
• gives students a sense of belonging, or being a member of a class
• students/teachers able to participate in group discussions and enable interactivity between class members and their teacher.
• makes lessons more interesting and highly motivating

After two weeks we were back in class today and moving onto our third and final module of the course which involves doing a short online course and reflecting on the experience. 

Our reading today was

Lessons from Cyberspace reading
Palloff, Rena & Pratt, Keith, 2001, Working with the Virtual Student in Lessons from Cyberspace, Jossey-Bass.

http://drr.lib.uts.edu.au/file/17282/013966_palloffworking.pdf

I must say I found this a very good article and very relevant to the issues we have been discussing in this course.  The article discusses the attributes of a successful learner in the e-learning environment and addresses the different styles of learners.

However the section I found most interesting was on ways to recognise signs when a student is struggling  and experiencing difficulties with the online course.

Some of these signs were: a change in their level of on-line participation, difficulty in actually getting started, gap in technical skills, outbursts of frustration or anger at the course.  In general,  it was agreed that the best the response to these signs was that the facilitator needed to address them quickly before the problems escalated and the online experience became a negative one.

We also discussed what were the appropriate actions for a instructor when they came across a student displays disruptive behaviour on-line.  Some members of the class had experienced this to a level when this behaviour had escalated in a very short time to a very serious issue. It was felt that it was much easier to deal with this behaviour in a face to face situation as you had the advantage of observing other signs of frustration such as body language etc. 

 Some suggestions to help avoid this situation were to make sure there was some face to face time with the students, set some ground rules at the commencement of the online course, to encourage a supportive class environment where students provide support and feedback and to make sure the instructor keep the lines of communication open.

In summary it was pointed out that online learning is just one form of education and should be used with other styles of learning to form a balanced program.
 

In my readings I have come across the two terms of Intranet and Extranet, not being too sure on the exact difference I decided to clarify this for myself. 

To explain the difference a simply as I can an intranet is a computer system within an organisation that uses Internet protocols  and the network to provide students, employees, teachers etc with information whether it be lessons, resources or information on the business. 

An Extranet  again uses Internet protocols and network connectivity to share and improve communication between organisations and external people, e.g.  customers, other companies, vendors etc.

Some Resources on Intranet and Extranet are:

Web Design Development and Strategy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intranet

Intranet Journal, http://www.intranetjournal.com/

Intranet Road Map, http://www.intranetroadmap.com/

Complete Intranet Resource, http://www.intrack.com/intranet/index.cfm

What is extranet?, http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci212089,00.html

In many of the articles that I have read on collaborative elearning the writers have identified many of the advantages.  Some of the advantages that have been discussed are:

• improves practical problem solving skills
• enhances the development of personal traits (such as self management and self directed learning) that of benefit for future learning
• allows sharing of knowledge and learning methods
• learners are able to engage with their peers
• some students are more willing to share their thoughts and ideas on-line than in the face-to-face environment of a classroom.
• learners are more likely to debate on-line than in the class room
• encourages learners to think for themselves
• provides an alternative model of learning for students
• fosters cognitive skills, critical thinking and problem solving and a commitment to continuous learning

 However, we have to remember to look at some of the issues related to collaborative elearning.  Without an understanding of these issues online collaborative learning programs are doomed.  These issues include:

For Students:

• resistance to online programs
• resistance or lack of familiarity to collaborative learning techniques
• gaps in technical skills
• unwillingness to work as part of at team
• lack of peer contact
• insufficient and/or inefficient resources.

For Teachers: 

• lack of teacher training in collaborative teaching methods
• loss of control in the classroom
• teacher’s egos
• lack of confidence in technical support
• how do they assess collaborative projects
• Difficulty in evaluating learners progress
• insufficient and/or inefficient resources
• may need to spend more time providing feedback and support for learners than they do in a classroom situation.

I am sure that these points are only some of the issues that need to be considered when introducing an online collaborative learning program and as more programs are initiated and developed other problems will arise.  I think for a program to reach its full potential, careful planning and consideration needs to take place in the early developmental stages.