Blog Assignment: Impact of Technology on Adult Learning

What impact can technology have on adult learning?

Let's face it; online learning is today's learning, no matter if you are a dinosaur or reluctant for change. Online learning goes hand in hand with technology, and this mainly shapes the way we learn. With this learning, we have more opportunities for unleashing our creativity. Technology is simply an extension of us. Thoughtfully designed learning environments can help students unleash creativity as they work with laptops, mobile, and tablets to express their ideas. The technology is here, and as a result of its availability, we can freely speak and have the courage and bravery to be expressive and creative with our words. It also helps that there is a bevy of web 2.0 tools that can aid in expressing our voices. Think about the possibilities Wikis, video, audio, programming, and any other aids we have to help us communicate. I guess what I am trying to say is technology affords us the opportunity to “paint” our expression in the world around us.

Technology enables learning anywhere; teachers now have the ability to design lessons to take full advantage of engaging students individually, in groups or as a whole class. Learning was at a time only a place where you needed to go to and take advantages of the resources at a campus. Technology is simply at the touch of you phone or tablet. It has changed the idea of traditional school and enables students to maintain their lives with the ability to complete courses at their leisure.

What should online instructors consider before incorporating technology into the online learning environment?

Student proficiency and knowledge

Instructors should learn about their students, in any way they can to understand how well versed they are with technology and the practices of online learning. Sometimes this is taken as a step in the enrollment process, other times the student will be an empty vessel, ready for their steps into online learning. Instructors have a responsibility to ascertain what knowledge they are going to be presenting and how the syllabus and rubrics play a part in this learning process.

Vision and Plans.

Online instructors need to have a vision and plan for their curriculum. It is a crucial part of the online learning environment. Technology certainly has made it easier for us to find an easier way, but that is the trap we need to be highly cognizant of. A vision and plan will give the learners a concrete reason to be in your class. Often the online system is already in place with the syllabus and lesson pre-built for the instructor, and many times they feel that the work has already been done for them in working. This is not the case if the instructor is not fully engaged in the assignments, discussion and importantly with the students.

Curriculum

Sometimes the curriculum is supported by the school, and many time created after years of assessment from former students. There might not be much for the instructor to do. However, the curriculum is imperative, and the instructor should heed the path set forth and follow closely to the syllabus and assignments put out by it. If there isn’t a curriculum in place for the course, there will be that much more work to do to create one.

Staff Training and Support

When instructors decide to incorporate technology into the curriculum, ensure that there is a level of staff training and support for the students as well as anyone involved in using that technology. Support is often helpful when students get lost in the technology or are needed some service. We do not all have the same device and not all of us are working on tablets or traditional PCs. For this reason, there can arise many difficulties with the technology whether it is a video presentation or some software. There will always be bugs for every little thing.

Student Training and Support

Some universities or courses offer students a chance to “pretend” to take an online course. You might have seen this as a prerequisite when you enrolled in an online class for the first time. The idea was to get the students fully engaged and trained on how to use the tools, resources, and items related to the online learning environment. Online instructors need to have an idea that this aid in support was available to the students.

What implications do usability and accessibility of technologies have on adult learning?

Usability and accessibility do somewhat overlap, but have very different impacts on the learner. For those of us without a disability, not being able to get to course content easily or finding the course not useable may generally create a nuisance, a frustration or an inconvenience – this is a usability issue. For individuals with disabilities, such issues are not just frustrating, they may create barriers to learning – an accessibility issue.

Yates (2005) emphasizes that usability and accessibility not be one and the same; a website might be useable, but not accessible (p.182), or vice versa. Combining usability, or the ease of use for a website (p. 183), and accessibility, the extent a website removes barriers to individuals with disabilities (p. 184), equals an enhanced user experience for all. Examples of similar or like aspects of accessibility and usability include consistent navigation, the ability to change screen font size and links that are labeled to indicate where they lead. Attention to the nuances between accessibility and usability have a positive impact on the design of a good online learning experience, allowing ease of use for everyone, and access for individuals with disabilities.

What technologies are most appealing to you for teaching online? Explain.

I like the discussion board because it is too easy. Sometimes it is so easy that you do not need to do the assignments, and practically it would be possible to pass the class. Besides that, some of the unique technologies I like are sharing projects with the aid of sharing technologies. Anything that allows collaborative work be ok in my book. Google is famous for this and often is the best solution for group working together because they can share the same documents, or workspace.

Reference

Yates, R. (2005). Web site accessibility and usability: Towards more functional sites for all. Campus –Wide Information Systems, 22(4), 180-188. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global.

Blog Assignment: Internet-Based Multimedia Resources for Online Learning

Link

https://opentokrtc.com/

Description

OpenTok is the leading WebRTC (Real Time Communication) platform for embedding live video, voice, and messaging into your websites and mobile apps. For video use, opentokrtc Video API makes it easy to embed high quality and scalable video communications within the context of your web and mobile applications. The great part about opentokrtc is that is dynamically adaptable; that means if you are looking for live streaming video, you can be on your laptop or your handheld device taking in the video. Whether participating from a mobile device on a 3G network, or a laptop with spotty Wi-Fi, the technology optimizes bitrate, frame rate and other parameters dynamically for users. This dynamic adaptation, combined with audio fallback options, means that calls are not disrupted. 

Explanation of learning from this multimedia resources

From OpenTokrtc, I learned about the ability you can easily integrate a live streaming video into an online platform. Even thought the idea of online learning is more one-way asynchronous activity, with persons dispersed throughout different time zones, it can still be useful. I still think there can be room for online learning where people simultaneously report to a classroom at the same time. There are even particular subjects that can bode well for a webcam lecturing environment. This live streaming video is happening now can be used in so many different creative scenarios. One I might be interested in seeing is on a virtual field trip. Being able to bring along your classroom to a museum or exhibit can help learners think outside the box regarding learning.

Explanation of the concerns incorporating the resources into an online learning experience

With OpenTok and using real-time communications, it can help solve the nuances and particulars of online collaboration. My only concern would be how to connect each of the students if the true concept of the online environment is adaptable to students when they want to be there. Video has supported education for many years, and instructional videos are often a key component in online courses. Video has the ability to convey material through auditory and visual channels, creating a multisensory learning environment. Much remains unknown as to what makes a compelling instructional video, especially in the online environment (Hibbert, 2014). Live video can assist in various other functions, such as tutoring, or counseling, or one on one student interaction. I am still dubious and doubtful about how it can capture an entire classroom lesson

Link

http://www.superteachertools.us/jeopardyx/

Description

JeopardyLabs allows you to create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world. Building your own jeopardy template is a piece of cake. Just use the simple editor to get a game up and running. If you do not have the time to build your own jeopardy templates, then you can browse other jeopardy templates created by other people. It is quite simple to build and easy to pick up and customize to suit the needs of your classroom.

Explanation of learning from this multimedia resources

I learned that JeopardyLabs is fully customizable, and can be used in the classroom for a fun game time. It is the same concept and idea of the real Jeopardy game with Alex Trebek. That hopefully is enough that the students have the base knowledge of how to play the game. Jeopardy is simple and easy to grasp, and can include tasks that provide elements of engagement according to the checklist for an effective game simulation. Students are directly involved in making decisions and learning (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011) from the cubes of questions you make.

Explanation of the concerns incorporating the resources into an online learning experience

I would be more concerned about finding the time to manage my lessons and incorporating lessons into the Jeopardy platform. Call it lazy teaching, or whatever you want to call it, it would take some diligently dedicated work to integrate lessons into making a game.

Blog Assignment: Setting Up Effective Online Learning Experiences

Blog Assignment: Setting Up Effective Online Learning Experiences

What steps are most essential for setting up effective online learning experiences for adult learners? Explain why you believe this.

Our responsibility for setting up an effective learning experience is many. One of the best ways to start an online course on the right foot is to focus on social presence activities for both learners and faculty. Getting acquainted at the social level creates a trust and understanding for the environment it also helps with reaching out to the students so that they can freely express their ideas, beliefs and opinions. To follow with that we have to be careful when our new class begins, it is important to be clear succinct, and effective in your classroom. With that, instructors also have to consider presence, community, patience and clear expectations as an adjunct to their role in the classroom.

Why is it necessary to communicate clear expectations to online learners?

Each student comes to class with certain learning experiences, expectations, and needs that have to be addressed, and to which instructors need to be sensitive, to maximize the students’ learning experiences. However, because of the unknown make-up of online classes, the characteristics of online students may be unclear, making it difficult to develop effective online courses (Davidson, Nora, & Yaw). This notion is paramount in the online learning/instructional environment. How best can we reach out to the students so that they each know what is going on. One of the most effective ways I saw this done was via email. I had an instructor who seemingly went “overboard” with her expectations of the class. This was almost a portfolio of PDF files, MS Word docs, and images where she had typed up different topics and expectations from APA formatting, to plagiarism and copying, student rules, and even as far as dictating the font, size, and color and the use of underlining in our discussion post. She even had a rule to where we needed to title our fist post as “Name – Initial Post”. I had never experienced the level of fanatical expectations in this class before. It did take me a few weeks to adjust because I felt like I was making minuscule mistakes in my contributions as the rules, framework and expectations were almost akin to living under a dictatorship. It was relentless, but I also see the key advantages to letting your students understand your clear expectations of them in the online classroom.

What additional considerations should the instructor take into account when setting up an online learning experience, especially one that targets adult learning?

One important consideration that needs much focus is the participation of the students. With online learning, you can actually see who is participating, who is giving minimal effort, and who is doing more than what is required. Instructors are more able to use the LMS and the technology to make notes of each student. Especially when discussion boards contain time stamps, you will see who meets deadlines, and who ignores them. I think this is vital if you want to hold everyone to the same standard, and expectations of assignment work you already have a built-in system of checks and balances to assist your grading. Online teaching takes a lot of work; you just have to be ready for every situation with your students that appear. It can be even more difficult in the regard that you as an instructor need to juggle the technology, the students, the expectation, rubric, and syllabus to meet the demands of the course. Additionally, online classes are typically eight weeks; you will also need to manage your time well to fit all of these aspects of the course on your plate.

References

Davidson, M. M., Nora, R. T., & Yaw, D. C. (n.d.). The learning styles, expectations, and needs of online students. College Teaching - http://web.simmons.edu/~brady/CE/Reading%202.pdf, 185-189. Retrieved from The learning styles, expectations, and needs of online students: http://web.simmons.edu/~brady/CE/Reading%202.pdf