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2 Trends in
Educational
Technology
(Post-Internet)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Describe the impact of the Internet on education in general;
2. Explain some of the uses of Internet resources in schools;
3. Suggest some of the uses of Internet resources in higher education;
4. Define E-Learning;
5. Explain what a Learning Management System (LMS) is for;
6. Describe the stages of E-Learning;
7. Discuss the benefits of online discussions and collaborative learning;
and
8. Describe some E-Learning myths.
Many of our schools are good schools if only this were 1965.
(Louise Stoll and Dean Fink)
INTRODUCTION
Since the widespread use of the Internet, educational technology has gone
beyond anyones expectations. After the invention of microcomputers, the
Internet became the most exciting breakthrough in technology. It has changed
lives all over the world. The Internet is spectacular. It has and will continue to
make a huge impact on the way students learn today. I cannot imagine what life
would be like without the Internet.
In 1993, I started learning how to use the Internet; e-mailing and getting into FTP
servers, Gophers, Archies and Veronicas. These were a groups of applications
that have since been replaced by the World Wide Web. It opened up a completely
new world to me. I was eager to learn more and to discover how this exciting tool
could help make learning more fun. Initially, to learn more about the Internet or
computer-mediated communication, I joined newsgroups and listservers.
I also downloaded Internet guides that were made available free. Everyone was
so helpful on the Internet, no matter who they were. We learnt a lot from each
other. The more experienced surfers were very helpful to the newbies. However,
netiquette had to be observed or you would get a friendly warning (at first) from
another user. There were only about 10 million Internet users then, not quite the
more than two billions we have today.
It offers so many benefits that to remain unconnected would be a loss. So, the
Internet has, in fact, made more people computer literate. Young or old, male or
female, able-bodied or physically challenged, the Internet has changed how
people communicate, make friends and get information.
Access to the internet has become fast, easy and more affordable.. When I first
started using the Internet, I used a dial-up connection to connect to the Internet,
using a normal telephone line. It was slow and interrupted by dropped lines.
Today, I have a wireless high-speed Internet set up at home and having three
computers connected to the Internet at the same time is not unusual. All these
cost me only RM88 per month. I am on the Internet more often than I watch
television. I am sure it is the same with some of you. Today, I carry wireless
devices; a notebook computer and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). I can work
in many places, connecting to the Internet as long as there is WiFi. I can
imagine going one or two days without connecting to the Internet but not longer
than that. I get restless.
The Internet has made such a huge impact on the way we do things, the way we
live, our lifestyle and the way we learn. Internet users are constantly exchanging
information and ideas, communicating with family and friends from around the
world, as well as sharing photographs and documents.
Also, experts were not easily accessible then. The student would have to write a
letter to them and wait for their replies. Today, a quick e-mail will typically bring
a response within minutes or at most, a day or two. Similarly, before the Internet,
one had to borrow books from the library before being able to benefit from the
contents. Today, it is a matter of downloading the pages from a digital book that
is accessible with just a few mouse clicks. How exciting! In this topic, let us
discover how the Internet has changed the way we learn and educate students. I
believe the Internet has made learning more fun and interesting. Dont you?
In some ways, the Internet has benefited learners even though they are at a risk
of information overload. The Internet also offers more people, irrespective of
who they are, the opportunity to learn. Knowledge used to be for the privileged
few who could afford it whether in the form of books or access to the library. Not
anymore. Imagine the housewife. She can pursue an interest by finding the
information she needs online. She can learn how to manage money better,
become a better parent or a try out new recipes. The list is endless.
is accessible with a few mouse clicks. Even without knowing the exact location of
the information needed, students can quickly search for information that would
not have been easily accessible before the Internet age. Imagine finding
information on diseases, personalities, issues, etc. that would normally take a
week or two of library search. All this can be done within a few minutes or a few
hours on the Internet. Web-based learning is sheer delight!
If you were to surf the Internet, you would discover that the Internet is a treasure
trove of educational resources (see Table 2.1 and Figures 2.1 through 2.3). There
are online activities for pre-schoolers and older school children. Imagine finding
colouring pages, games, poems, e-books, puzzles and so on. You can download
them, print and keep the young ones busy. Many of them are available free of
charge.
Figure 2.1: Crossword puzzles can be easily created using the Puzzlemaker tool at
http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/
Figure 2.2: Biology4Kids provides information on a variety of topics for secondary school
children
Source: http://www.biology4kids.com/
Educators have also encouraged the use of the Internet not only as a resource but
also as a collaborative tool to work on school-based projects or to collaborate
with other schools within or outside the country on common projects. It is
amazing how the Internet enables and encourages such collaborations. Visit Judi
Harris website at http://virtual-architecture.wm.edu/ to view the possibilities
of how the Internet can be integrated into learning in schools.
Students today are communicating with course mates using e-mail or have quick
online chats to discuss group assignments, tests and projects. There is no need to
physically meet and waste an hour or two just getting to and from a place.
Today, the Internet is an information, communication and instructional tool used
in distance learning.
Examples of some very useful websites for educators and students at the higher
education level are in Table 2.2. Two of the websites are as shown in Figures 2.4
and 2.5. Perhaps you can find more to add to the list.
Table 2.2: Examples and Resources on the Internet for Higher Education
ACTIVITY 2.1
2.2 E-LEARNING
E-learning is the current trend, particularly in higher education. At the K-12 level
in the United States, the e-Learning market is valued at USD1.8 billion and at the
higher education level the e-learning market is expected to be valued at USD23
billion in 2006.
E-learning is, simply put, the use of the Web to support teaching and learning
as well as to manage courses whether for full-time on campus or part-time
off campus programmes. Many distance learning programmes are offered via
e-learning.
Also referred to as online learning, it is any learning that uses the Internet to
deliver some form of instruction to a learner or learners separated by time,
distance or both (Reiser & Dempsey, 2002). It includes web-based learning and
may incorporate online threaded discussions or forums as well as audio and
video streaming technologies. The strength of e-learning lies in the fact that it
enables collective, independent as well as collaborative learning.
Online learning may occur among people scattered across the globe or among
coworkers at a single facility via corporate intranets and local area networks
(LANs). What defines online learning is the use of network communication
systems as the delivery medium. This may take the form of a course, training
module or seminar, reference site, or even a listserv or performance support
system the learning may be asynchronous (meaning that the delivery of
instruction and the processing of that instruction by a learner or learners do
not take place in real time), synchronous (meaning that they do take place in
real time), or a mixture of the two. However, there are many forms of
synchronous or asynchronous learning that are not what we would call online
learning; correspondence courses and computer-based training using CD-Rom
without a web component are two such examples (p. 283).
SELF-CHECK 2.1
If you are an OUM student, you would have been using myVLE, the exact tool
that is being referred to here. myVLE has several features. These are listed in the
menu on the left-hand side of the screen (see Figure 2.6). Some of the features
in myVLE include: announcements, e-mail, assignment, digital drop box and
e-forums. If you have not thoroughly explored myVLE, perhaps it is time for you
to do so now.
SELF-CHECK 2.2
1. What is an LMS?
2. What are some of the features in an LMS?
ACTIVITY 2.1
It would be interesting for you to explore further and find out more
about Learning Management Systems and how they support teaching
and learning. Surf the Internet to find out the various systems available.
Discuss how they have been used in some institutions and compare
with how OUM has used it. What do you like about myVLE or what
would you like to see improved? Do you think a LMS will be useful in
your organisation? Why? How would you evaluate and select a suitable
LMS for your needs? Discuss your findings and thoughts in class.
It is interesting to note that if the institution is not ready to host such resources,
some of the faculty members will actually create such resources and upload them
to a website other than the institutions website. Most of the time, this action is
not only reflective of the changing times but because it is relatively easy to do so
and quite practical.
In addition, some lecturers are beginning to create online discussion groups for
their students to participate in. The lecturer is present in the discussion rooms
from time to time to help guide the students and to perhaps point to additional
resources on the Web. This describes the second stage of e-learning in an
educational institution where the e elements are integrated into the various
course components. Referred to as the integration stage, many educational
institutions are already at this stage.
The integration stage also includes the provision of online exercises or self-
assessment quizzes or online tutorials for difficult concepts. In addition, the
online discussions help complement the conventional face-to-face learning
activities.
The ultimate stage in e-learning is the innovation stage. At this stage, the
presence of an online learning community is very much felt. The use of the e
elements in innovative and collaborative ways such as virtual laboratories to
conduct science experiments and virtual reality to simulate situations are just
some examples. Prominent experts from other parts of the world, who interact
with students online, may also be part of this exciting stage of e-learning.
SELF-CHECK 2.3
What are the three stages of e-learning? Briefly describe how this may
or may not be similar in your own organisation. Discuss with your
course mates.
However, interestingly, more and more lecturers are trying out online forums as
a means of having serious academic discussions. This could be in the form of
discussion of cases, scenarios, assignments and other learning tasks where the
benefit of contributing and sharing ideas and resources are mutually beneficial.
Online forums are not new. They have been around for many years. Locally
however, it is relatively new. In 1999, online forums were made part of the
Online Learning Interactive System at the International Medical University. Even
after three years of implementation, only 20 per cent of the academics were
willing to be a part of it. The other 80 per cent were reluctant because they
believed/felt it would require too much of whatever little precious time they had
left. Unfortunately, this caused students who were initially active in posting to
the online forums to gradually disappear when they realised that few lecturers
were present online. Only about 20 per cent continued to actively post messages
or respond to their peers online.
I am sure you have, at one point or another, had a class where the teacher or
lecturer invited discussions on a certain issue or topic. Discussions of topics or
issues in physical classrooms are not new. Notice however that not everyone
enjoys discussions that take place in the classroom. Some students are afraid of
being called on to contribute an idea or express an opinion for fear that they may
be ridiculed. Nevertheless, there are some students who dislike discussions
in class but enjoy contributing to discussions online. In fact, they are very
comfortable and thrive during online discussions. It has been observed that those
who prefer to keep quiet in the classroom will be the ones to express their
opinions and convey their ideas actively in the online classroom. Have you ever
wondered why or do you know the reason? This is largely due to personality
differences and preferred learning style.
Millions of adults around the world are actively discussing a variety of topics
online. Thousands of discussion forums exist on the Internet. To search for one
that you may be keen to join, Google Groups at http://groups.google.com/
should be able to assist with your search. An endless variety of topics exist. When
I typed in a search for discussions on distance learning, over 300,000 discussion
groups were found! Try searching for a topic that you would enjoy discussing.
Please note that every online participant is expected to observe netiquette, that is,
acceptable behaviour on the Internet. If you need to learn about netiquette, visit
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html.
On the other hand, online discussions on a variety of educational topics are easily
found. Whether it is a discussion among pre-school teachers online or a group of
experts on adult learning or testing and evaluation or on innovative teaching,
there is plenty to choose from and participate in.
Again, collaborative learning is not new. It existed before the emergence of the
Internet. Collaborative learning is more practical on the Internet as not everyone
has to be available or present online at the same time. It is an active versus a
passive way of learning, where if done correctly, will lead to engaged learning. It
also makes more sense for adult learners to be part of a collaborative learning
community where everyone is able to contribute to a rich set of discussions based
on their experiences. Distance learners like you should be enjoying it.
ACTIVITY 2.2
It is now time to look at some of the real issues related to the success of
e-learning. Deep in your heart, do you think e-learning is the way to go? Does it
or will it work? If it does not, why not? If it does, why? There are no easy
answers to any of these questions.
What do you think each of these nine myths mean? Perhaps, rather than
presenting all the myths of e-learning, it is better for you to do the research
yourself. Start with the four documents below, explore further if you must and
discuss the related issues surrounding the myths in class.
(b) If You Only Look Under the Street Lamps or Nine E-Learning Myths
http://www.elearningguild.com/pdf/2/061603MAN.pdf
Please take some time to deliberate on this most important topic. I personally
believe in the potential of technology in education in general and e-learning in
particular. However, implementation of any sort is never straight forward. There
are challenges to overcome and there are obstacles to be avoided. One needs to
be pro-active and plan to avoid the hurdles, yet it is not always possible to
predict what may or may not happen. It is indeed a challenge!
The Internet is full of resources that can be used by teachers with their
students
Collaborative learning is not new but takes a whole new meaning online
Books
Littlejohn, A. (Ed.) (2003). Reusing online resources: A sustainable approach to
e-learning. London: KoganPage.
Rossett, A. (2002). The ASTD e-learning handbook. New York: McGraw Hill.
Internet Resources
Pittinsky, M. (October 2004). The networked learning environment: stepping
beyond courses to a more expansive online learning experience. Overview
White Paper October 2004. Retrieved December 20, 2005 from
http://www.blackboard.com/docs/AS/Bb_Whitepaper_NLE.pdf#search=
Networked%20Learning
Woodward, M. K. (April 21, 2005). Exploring e-Learning Myths. Retrieved on
December 20, 2005, from Learning and Training Innovations Newsline at:
http://www.ltimagazine.com/ltimagazine/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=9622
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