Blog 6 - Auditory Technology

How can instructional technology and media help the teacher to meet varying learning styles and preferences in K-12 eLearning? Provide specific examples in your response. 
Instructional technology and media can help teachers meet the varying learning styles and preferences in the eLearning environment. Having an auditory element can expand and deepen the student’s learning experienced. Instead of reading Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, they can listen to it. The printed version is great for the student to follow along and interact with the text; however, having the auditory experience allows the student to listen for King’s nuances and tone. The speech is part of American history. To expand even further instead of having the students just read King’s speech, they can listen to it, but to add another learning style by adding video. A student can watch a video recording of King’s famous speech. Now the student can increase their learning by having a multi-sensory experience in the topic.

It is important that the educator know their students, including the student’s learning style. A student should have a good match to their learning environment. A linguistic learner will probably not do well in a course that is heavily kinesthetic (virtual kinesthetic does exist). Presenting the information all in one format, let’s say printed text, might not meet a student’s learning style. The student should be engaged with the material. That is the reason for having a variety of resources – text, podcast, video, virtual manipulatives, discussion groups and forums, and even conferencing such as Skpe.

Section 508 of the US Government Rehabilitation Act, passed in 1998, states that Federal agencies had to make their digital information accessible to people with disabilities. Educational institutions are also applied this concept to their courses. Section 508 suggests that along with auditory components, such as video and podcasts, that a written script be provided. This allowed users to read the auditory component, thus allowing disabled people, people with slow down technology speeds, or no speakers could still receive the same information. Closed caption television also allows individuals with disabilities to “listen to” television. On the positive side of closed caption, people can increase their reading by reading the closed caption at the same time they are listening to the television. So the idea of closed caption is not just for the hearing impaired.

There are a variety of resources available for the visually impaired as well. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (http://www.loc.gov/nls/) provides Braille and recorded books.

Listening Centers in a traditional physical classroom utilize cassette and CDs to help the students learn to read and help with their comprehension skills. An eLearning student can have the same experience with the use of podcasts and other auditory books and CDs. The student can listen to a book or text and at the same time follow the text.

Instead of the student having to read pages of text about a complex topic, they can instead listen to a podcast. Podcasts can help a learner revisit a topic, re-listen to an educator’s lecture, or help a learner stay up-to-date due to an extended absence.

As mentioned in the Building a Better Podcast article (Villano, 2008) (http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/01/01/building-a-better-podcast.aspx) the use of podcasting in education begins with a standard lesson. Students need to research the subject and work collaboratively to finish the podcast. The research process is important component in using podcasts in education. Podcasting, like speechwriting, it is important to know the audience, select a theme, conduct proper research, and practice. The focus is not on the technology but rather on learning. The students are actively engaged in their learning.

Auditory media is very versatile, especially in today’s MP3 environment. An educator’s lecture, for example, can be downloaded, and the student can listen to the lecture while they are at the gym or doing laundry! The student can listen to the proper pronunciation of a foreign language using auditory technology. Even better would be the ability to “converse” electronically and have the ability to make sure that the student is saying the word correctly. Auditory media allows learning to occur at any time!

Educators need to keep in mind the Digital Divide. Audio and video files are often be very large and may not be able to be transferred electronically without much buffering. If someone has a slow Internet connection, it might be frustrating enough for the learner to “tune out.” The educator needs to make sure that the learner has the correct technology – can the student listen to a MP3 file?

Just having a student watch or listen to audio media doesn’t mean the student is learning. Using a variety of media can help increase student learning. An educator must monitor student’s progress through auditory media as the student’s attention may wander. Engaged students experience increased learning. I’ve mentioned it in earlier blogs, having different types of media such as podcasts, videos, animations, and simulations, can help with student learning as it can address all the different learning styles. Studies by Levie and Lentz have shown that test scores increased by 36 percent when visuals are utilized; Richard Mayer’s study has shown that test scores increased by 42 percent (Supporting Research). When sights, sounds, and text are combined the learner’s retention level can be up 80 percent (Supporting Research).

Works Cited

Supporting Research from Integrating Media into the Classroom: Theory and Research [Video File].
     Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/play/6ER6PE)

Villano, M. (2008, January 1). Building a Better Podcast. The Journal.

Blog 5 - Electronic Instructional Materials

What are the benefits and challenges of using electronic instructional materials and media in K-12 eLearning instruction? Consider infrastructure and instruction in your response.
Instructional materials include anything that is used within a lesson to influences student learning. That is a very broad category as it can include manipulatives, computer software, printed material, displays, and exhibits. Each of these categories can be broken down even further; displays, for example, can include chalkboards, whiteboards, electronic whiteboards, bulletin boards, cloth boards, magnetic boards, and flip charts. A benefit of instructional media is that there are many choices. Having a variety of options makes the lessons more realistic and engaging. However, at the same time the variety can present a challenge. The educator must be careful to select the appropriate material to help influence student learning. Not all material is created equal. The educator must also consider the environment. In an electronic environment, one cannot use a chalkboard. However, they can use an electronic version of a chalkboard – an electronic whiteboard.

The “digital divide” must be considered when using electronic instructional materials. If the student has a slow Internet connection, a dial-up modem for example, they may not be able to use an interactive simulation program or a streaming video. Older computers might not be able to run the appropriate version of software, such as QuickTime or a Java plug-in to access an online manipulative.

An educator needs to make sure they know their learners and the learning environment. If the students are going to be in one central location, are there sufficient computers for everyone? Are all the computers operational? From an administrative point of view, there should be a computer replacement plan in order. This is often a large budgetary consideration for school districts. For an educator of distance learners, is the computer the distance learner accessing operational? Does it have the minimal requirements for accessing the eLearning material?

Manipulatives are great for the kinesthetic learners; they also can hold a learner’s attention and interests. Physical manipulatives can become expensive in terms of purchasing and storage. Electronic manipulatives one might not have the storage expense, unless the electronic file must be saved on a computer or server with limited space. There are many electronic manipulatives that are free of charge such as the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html), while other manipulatives must be purchased from vendors. There might be licensing, copyright, and technology issues involved when distributing the manipulative within an eLearning environment.

An ILS (integrated learning system) can be very beneficial in an eLearning environment as it allows the learner to move through the material at their own pace. Assessments are incorporated periodically throughout the system thus allowing the learner to check for understanding but at the same time providing the educator the necessary checkpoints and assessment results. The nice thing about an ILS is that it is an integrated instructional package, including all the necessary learning objects to meet the stated standards. The drawback, however, is that it might include standards that are not applicable for that learner or not cover the material in deep enough depth. Having an ILS can save an educator hours since the curricula is already created. The educator must use caution since there might be technological problems connecting, it might be too challenging for the learner, or even worse, not challenging enough. Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/DOK_Chart.pdf) stresses that an educator needs to delve deeper into the materials and not just do everything at level 1 (recall) and level 2 (skill/concept); we need to get to level 3 (strategic thinking) and level 4 (extended thinking).

Having electronic instructional materials is great for the learner as they can experience current material – have real time learning opportunities. The learner can access events that are happening in the news today! The challenge however to keep the links current; it seems that links to web pages and Internet resources have to be constantly monitored and updated. Another challenge for the educator and learner is just because the information is on the Internet doesn’t mean it is true. One needs to make sure that there are credible and reliable sources. Some web sites might not be appropriate for students, educational institution firewalls might block sites, and advertisement might interfere with the opportunities for learning. Some people don’t like to do much reading on the computer and prefer instead to read a print out. Is there a printer-friendly site? The eLearning materials must keep the student motivated in their learning, but at the same time the student should be learning. A web page might be very flashy and interactive, but is there an opportunity for learning to take place?

Printed material can still be used in an eLearning environment. Printed material is economical, easy to access, and self-paced learning can occur as students read and interact with the text at their own pace. In an eLearning environment printed material may not be as portable as one hoped. A challenge with printed material is that the vocabulary and reading level might not be appropriate for the student. There may be interactivity with the material unless there are embedded hyperlinks in the electronic media. Copyright issues might also present a problem.

A virtual field trip is an excellent way for the eLearning learners to experience firsthand the sights and sounds of a distant location, such as the National Zoo. There is no expense to visit the virtual zoo; in the traditional classroom there would be an expense of transporting the students and all the paperwork involved. eLearning students can have a similar experience, and even sometimes better. eLearning students can visit the zoo at different times of the day thus allowing them to experience the animals at different times of the day. It is important to have follow-up to a virtual trip to assess the success of the trip.

There should be a variety of instructional materials. The learner might need to have some drill activities and games for review, or a tutorial for re-teaching, or learn new information. Having different types of media such as podcasts, videos, animations, and simulations, can help with student learning. Studies by Levie and Lentz have shown that test scores increased by 36 percent when visuals are utilized; Richard Mayer’s study has shown that test scores increased by 42 percent (Supporting Research). When sights, sounds, and text are combined the learner’s retention level can be up 80 percent (Supporting Research).

Any educator must always ask “does this learning object really work as I predicted it would?” If it doesn’t then don’t use it or make adjustments. If it does, do adjustments need to be made to make it even more effective? The learning experience does boils down to good teaching practices. Just because there is technology it doesn’t mean that good learning is happening.

Works Cited

Supporting Research from Integrating Media into the Classroom: Theory and Research [Video File].

                Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/play/6ER6PE)

Blog 4 - Visual Literacy

What is visual literacy? Why is it important for K-12 eLearning?

Visual literacy is the “learned ability to interpret visual messages accurately and to create such message” (Smaldino, Russell, & Lowther, 2008, p. 136). Like literacy learning (reading and writing of the verbal message), visual literacy is the seeing of the image to aid in learning. There are seven learning styles (http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/). A person may be more of an auditory learner, yet even they benefit from visuals to help them understand certain concepts.

There are two approaches in visual literacy – input and output strategies. Helping learners decode, read the visual, is the input strategy. Helping learners write or deliver the visual is the output strategy.

An educator should not assume just because there is a visual component, that the learner will be able to successfully understand the visual. The learner must be guided through the correct decoding of the visual. They must be taught the skill of interpreting visuals. An educator should realize that younger children often interpret the images more literally than older children; these children do not interpret visuals as a whole, but rather section by section. Older students can summarize the whole image and draw a conclusion about the visual’s meaning. Younger children need more realistic visuals compared to older children who can handle more abstract visuals.

An educator should also consider the learner’s cultural background when teaching. A Native American student can interpret scenes of the Old West differently than a Mexican American, African American, or Caucasian.

A colorful photograph might look beautiful and realistic; however, it may not be the best visual for learning. Learners do prefer photos over drawings. If the lesson is about to show the parts of a flower, a photograph, even though it might be close-up of the flower and very beautiful, might not be the best option. It would be better to have a detailed drawing of a flower. By using the visual students develop their visual ability.

Visuals can help students in the learning process; sequencing is an important skill to acquire. Using visuals can help the students put events/objects in a logical order. When learning story structure (beginning, middle, and end), a student can use visual images of the story or phrases of the story events that were placed on file cards and manipulate the cards to place the cards in the correct sequence order.

Visuals are important in the K-12 eLearning as it provides concrete reference for ideas, makes abstract ideas concrete, draws the learner’s attention and thinking to the important parts of the visual (done may color, word, arrows, icons, shading, and animation), reiterates important information that may have been presented verbally or written, allows for recall of prior learning, and can simply the learning of complex topic (e.g., a diagram of the water cycle can help a student understand this complex cycle).

The type of visuals has an impact as well. A visual can be realistic, analogical, organizational, relational, transformational, and interpretive. A photograph, such of a photo of a covered wagon, is more realist than a verbal explanation of a covered wagon. How the visual is designed and laid out play an important role in interpretation of the visual. Referencing the Periodic Table of Visualization (http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html) can be very beneficial. This table provides ideas for visuals broken down into data, information, concept, strategy, metaphor, and compound visuals. The visuals can then delivered using as complex delivery as necessary – paper, electronic flat image, 3D object, to an interactive image.

Visuals are very important in the K-12 eLearning environment since visuals can enhance the learning. With today’s emphasizes on assessments, especially state standardized testing, the use of multimedia can impact test scores. Studies by Levie and Lentz have shown that test scores increased by 36 percent; Richard Mayer’s study has shown that test scores increased by 42 percent (Supporting Research). When sights, sounds, and text are combined the learner’s retention level can be up 80 percent (Supporting Research).

With today’s technology visuals are part of our everyday. Students are exposed to television, smart phones, tablets, games, and World Wide Web – all chalk full of visuals. One should remember, however, that a visual does not have to be complex and expensive. A simple stick figure drawing may be able to convey the same message as a photograph. Drawings on paper, poster boards, or chalk boards are relatively inexpensive compared to drawing the image using a computer program or an interactive whiteboard.

Works Cited

Smaldino, S., Russell, J. D., & Lowther, D. L. (2008). Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Custom Publishing.

Supporting Research from Integrating Media into the Classroom: Theory and Research [Video File].

                Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/play/6ER6PE)

Blog 3 - eLearning vs Traditional Teaching Environment

What is the role of the teacher in eLearning environment? How does this compare to the role of a teacher in a traditional face-to-face environment?

A teacher in an eLearning environment, like that in a traditional brick-and-mortar class, must be able to juggle multiple roles. William Ayers wrote that “teaching is instructing, advising, counseling, organizing, assessing, guiding, goading, showing, managing, modeling, coaching, disciplining, prodding, preaching, persuading, proselytizing, listening, interacting, nursing, and inspiring” (Ayers, 2001, p. 4). The teacher, whether in an eLearning or a brick-and-mortar environment, must wear various hats.

The eLearning teacher must be a facilitator of the learning, not directly leading the class. They do not directly teach the material. They are a monitor – making sure that all students clearly understand their roles and responsibilities, students are conducting themselves in the class, and watch students’ progress to ensure that no student falls behind. The eLearning teacher helps the student access the information of the lesson using technology. The teacher must monitor the student’s progress through assignments, postings in discussion sites, blogs, podcasts, e-mails, or other communications. It is important that the eLearning session always keeps students informed; this constant contact is essential.

The eLearning teacher may rely on a facilitator in a distant site to help the origination classroom teacher’s needs. The facilitator needs to actively watch and participate with the students, encourage educator/learner interaction, address any issues (answer questions, instructional problems, or disciplinary problems) that arise at the distant site, provide assessments or papers to the students, and be the operator and troubleshooter of the equipment. Advanced planning and training for both the eLearning teacher and the facilitator is necessary.

In a traditional face-to-face environment, a teacher-centered instructional strategy, the teacher presents (lectures), demonstrates, review and practice the learned information in a drill-and-practice method, and identifies students that might be struggling and include them in intervention group for tutoring. In an eLearning environment, a student-centered instructional approach, the student is the center. There is discussion, cooperative learning groups, simulations, problem solving, and educational games. The teacher must select the best instructional strategy for the moment.

In both the face-to-face and eLearning environment the teacher must be able to adjust and modify the lesson to help student learning. The eLearning teacher requires more flexibility, technology knowledge, and an understanding of the digital environment. In an eLearning environment this can be a challenge as the teacher may not be able to pick up visual and physical clues from their students. This is especially true if there is no visual contact between the student and the teacher. The eLearning teacher must make sure that personal contact is maintained, such as using the student’s first name and addressing student interests. These are communication elements that people use in face-to-face environments. Assessments are done in both environments; an assessment is to provide the teacher information on the student’s learning and make adjustments to the lesson. In an eLearning environment this adjustment might be able to occur quicker with electronic scoring; the scoring in for a traditional teacher might be delayed as the teacher must review each assessment and this review could be several hours, days, or even weeks.

It all boils down to teaching methodology. No matter how the learning is delivered, good teaching is still good teaching. 

Works Cited

Ayers, W. (2001). To Teach the journey of a teacher. New York: Teachers College Press.

Blog 2 - Teacher- vs. Student-Centered Instructional Strategy

What is the difference between teacher-centered and student-centered instructional strategies? What is the appropriate role of each strategy in K-12 eLearning environments? 

Teacher-centered instructional strategies are presentation, demonstration, drill-and-practice, and tutorials. This means that the teacher makes more decisions about how and what the students learn from the content. The teacher is active; the student is passive. Student-centered instructional strategies are discussion, cooperative learning, games, simulations, and problem solving. The student makes the majority of the decisions on how and what they learn from the content. The student is actively involved and takes responsibility for their learning; the teacher facilitates student learning rather than driving it. The teacher plans, prepares, and assists the student; the teacher is not “lecturing” to the students. Both teacher-centered and student-centered instructional strategies have an educator and a learner. The teacher’s role is to plan and prepare (design) the instruction. 

Both teacher-centered and student-centered instructional strategies are important in the learning process. When designing an eLearning environment, the designer (it may be the educator delivering the session) should keep the student as the focal point. The educator can facilitate the learning and make sure that the student is on track and focused on the course. They also handle all the administrative tasks associated with learning (e.g., grading, attendance, monitor discussions and learning). An eLearning student must take responsibility for their learning. The shift from the teacher-center, the traditional method of teaching, to a student-centered instructional strategy may be a challenge for some educators today. Educators who have been teaching for many years may be accustomed to the teacher-centered approach; recent teacher programs may not be preparing today’s teachers for a student-centered approach.

B.F. Skinner’s behaviorist perspective states that teachers should provide positive reinforcement for learning by creating a positive classroom environment and that a student can learn the information in a student-centered way. Skinner developed self-instructional material that does not need a teacher’s direct instruction – a drill-and-practice approach. Students move through the materials at their own pace, thus allowing more advanced students to proceed without having to “wait” for the slower students to catch up. On the other side, the cognitivist perspective believed that the student forms their own knowledge and should play an active role in their learning. Teachers may a much larger role in the student’s learning through the creation of student questions and ensuring that the students are productive in group environments. Bandura and Vygotsky’s perspective, social-psychological, believed that the student does not learn in isolation. Students’ interactions with others and the environment influence the learning process. Imitation is a key component with this perspective; a teacher (or another student) models a step and the student is expected to replicate the step. This is a more teacher-centered approach.

So which instructional strategy is better? It depends on the instructional situation. The Teacher vs. Learner-Centered Instruction chart provides a snapshot of each strategy. If the situation is to have a discussion, simulation, and problem solving then a student-centered instructional strategy is best. Technology can aid in the media for the instructional situation. Complex information might be best delivered in a digital visual media, where a manipulative might be best for a different situation. Should the software or media tool be one for a teacher to use or for a student to interact with? Answering this question can help determine the best instructional strategy to use in that moment.

Blog 1 - Technology vs. Media

Explain the difference between technology and media. What is the role of each K-12 eLearning environments?

Technology is a word that broadly describes the use and knowledge of the tools (the hardware) and crafts (the systematic way of solving problems). Instructional technology is used specifically for educational purposes – the tools and crafts that are used in education. This is what the educator needs to be able to develop and deliver the education to the student using the appropriate media.

Media, on the other hand, are the objects that carry the information between the source and the receiver, often the educator and the learner. Media should facilitate the communication and the learning. There are six basic categories of media: (1) text, (2) audio, (3) visuals, (4) video, (5) manipulatives, and (6) people. Text is any alphanumeric character that is displayed in any format, such as in a book, computer screen, or poster. Audio is any medium you can hear, a person’s voice, music, sounds. The audio can be live or recorded. Visuals can include posters, images, drawings; anything used on a regular basis that helps promote the learning process. Video is any medium that shows motion, such as a DVD, movie, computer animation, and videotape. Manipulates are three-dimensional objects or models. Subject-matter experts, educators, and learners are examples of the last category – people. Learners learn not just from their teacher but from other students and other adults.

An educator should keep in mind all the media options when developing and delivering a learning object. This is because learners have different learning styles. A linguistic learner will be more apt to read the materials instead of a kinesthetic learner who might need to use physically touch a manipulative, such as a cube to understand the concept of a three-dimensional object.  The educator needs also to remember Dale’s Cone of Experience. Students are involved and active when they participate in the learning experience, such as in the use of simulations and role-plays. Students are less active, but still learning when they are observing the learning object such as when demonstrations, exhibits, videos, and visuals are utilized. The less abstract experience is audio and text as student hearing and reading; passive learning is occurring.

In the K-12 eLearning environment technology is the tool that delivers the message. If there were no technology, then eLearning environment would not occur. Without the use computers, Internet, and other technological hardware and software eLearning would be solely an asynchronous environment and return to the original distance learning model -- correspondence courses – or even the use of home DVD viewing. Technology gives the educator and the learner an option of asynchronous and synchronous learning. Learning can be very focused on a given topic or concept; students may not need to read an entire book to learn about a topic but can be focused on a particular area of study. Students of all learning styles can benefit from an eLearning environment, provided the educator utilizes the correct media for the learning object and keeps in mind Dale’s Cone of Experience.

The educator and learner are still key players in the K-12 eLearning environment; for eLearning the student must be central. When instruction is student-centered, the students are the users of technology and media. On the flipside, when instruction is teacher-centered, the use of technology and media is there to support the presentation of instruction.