Distance Learning Technology

黑板和遠程學習技術
 

這些年來，機關工作者們用了許多的技巧、方法來努力減少他們的教學工作量。是不是所有的事情都能在不犧牲質量指導下都能完成從而減少教學工作量？是的，那就是網絡。

最終像WebCT系統和黑板系統這些應用系統極力創造理想的軟件來支持遠程教育的應用，這些產品為你提供一位教育者——擁有及傳統課堂展示與虛擬能力集一身同時還能拓展你的學校穿過街對面，甚至全世界。他們的創造和發展使得你工作起來更容易，是時候按照你自己的意愿來統治技術讓他為你服務了，而不是成為他的奴隸。

一個先決的學習環境將會提供給你一個框架和一套工具，然而，他們不會比放在文件柜里的演講稿更方便你的教學和學生們的學習。

你應該讓科技為你服務，而不是其他的方法。開始的地方很可能是你們全部通過在線應用學習的。廣告承諾了什么？其他的教育者或者用戶應該對它說什么？想象一下，如果你能夠讓你的學生一次性15-30分鐘不分散注意力，你想讓他們學習什么？學習技術你便將成為他的主宰。
 

Blackboard and Distance Learning Technology 

 

Over the years there have been numerous tips, tricks and gimmicks educators have used in an effort to reduce their teaching load. Is there anything that can be done to lessen the scholastic load without sacrificing quality instruction? Yes there is, it's the Internet. 

 

Finally applications such as WebCT ? and Blackboard? have merged to create the ideal software support application for distance education. These products provide you - the educator - with the ability to seamlessly integrate your traditional classroom presentation with the virtual capability and extend your scholastic "reach" across the street, or around the world! They were developed or created to make your job easier. It's time you took hold of the reigns and bend technology to your will, rather than be a slave to it! 

 

An e-Learning environment will provide a framework and a set of tools, however, by themselves they are not more likely to facilitate your teaching and the students' learning than the filing cabinet in which you keep your lecture notes. 

 

You can and should make technology work for you - not the other way around. A place to start might be by learning all you can about these online applications, what do the ads promise? What do other educators or like users have to say about it? Imagine, if you could get your students undivided attention for 15 - 30 minutes at a time, what would you want them to learn? Learn the technology and you will become its master. #p#分頁標題#e#

 

Overcoming Traditionalists 
 

One common concern I hear from fellow educators is "if I use this online stuff, students will stop showing up for class." At the college level, the struggle for consistent class attendance has always been a struggle. Online presentations can actually "pull" students back in the classroom if they're effective. 

 

Students need a good reason to use an e-Learning environment so if use is optional and there is not real added value then the most you will attract will be a few early-adopters and even they won't hang around too long 

 

Consider this technique; announce to your class that your lecture notes or presentation will be available on Blackboard? for the upcoming class. Let them know that the lecture notes will aid them in studying and preparing for quizzes, tests or examinations. Now look through your lecture notes and highlight key terms that you want your students to remember and key phrases or ideas that you want them to recognize and understand. Save this copy of your lecture notes in a document file. Now reopen the file and everywhere you previously identified key points or significant information, delete those terms, words and/or phrases. Now upload that to Blackboard? or whatever scholastic product you're using. 

 

Remember too that a professor whose dominant teaching style is teacher-centered may include assignments or course materials which are more student centered. Even a "purely didactic" approach can be more appealing with interactivity, feedback, and perhaps discussion added 

 

In order for your lecture notes to be complete and in some cases to make any sense to the students, they will need to attend the lecture and fill in the blanks with the missing information. 

Some would argue that such a tactic is too simplistic to work, and perhaps given the dynamics of your students, it may be. In that case, you may wish to support your lecture notes with essay questions focused at the material discussed during the lecture. This can also be accomplished online. 

 

Bending technology to your will also suggests you seize the assets made available by major textbook publishers and some textbook authors. Many have test generators that extract information from the text and create ready-made quizzes or examinations on selected chapters. Typically, these exams are exportable to Blackboard?, WebCT?, etc. Some authors and or publishers support Companion websites to the textbook which elaborate on chapters, host video or audio clips relevant to the material or support readymade chapter tests and quizzes online. One advantage is that online tests can be scored automatically and with initial results instantly posted for student review. Further, quizzes and exams are modifiable and can generate specific instructor authored responses for correct or incorrectly answered questions for the student upon selecting an answer. #p#分頁標題#e#

 

Rather than use valuable class time for routine activities such as writing short essay answers to questions or even conducting open book exams, all this can be done accurately, securely and with a high retention of quality online. Because you control the technology, you can have the test "timed" to limit the students' access to the test and simulate the same (or similar) time constraints they might face in a traditional setting as well as randomize the questions to reduce collaboration between students. This would tacitly force the student to engage with the course material and lessen the likelihood of compromise. Students who are inherently poor performers may show an improvement in their academic performance when given the tools, training and control to interact with the material at their own pace. 

 

Of course not every class or course is suitable for 100% migration to online, but most courses have aspects that could be adapted to the online delivery. 

 

Well - for those who have been able to follow my logic or rationale, I believe you'll agree that one way to lighten your academic load focuses on allowing technology and in this case, applications to work for you...instead of the other way around! 
 

Bibliography 
 

"Teacher-Centered Styles" Teach Online [cited February 24, 2007] http://teachvu.vu.msu.edu/public/designers/teaching_and_learning/index.php?page_num=5 
 

"Blackboard and WebCT, Better Together" Blackboard [cited February 24, 2007] http://www.webct.com/ 
 

"Pedagogy" Eleearning@Bath [cited February 24, 2007]