Workshop on

Enhancing Teaching Effectiveness:

e-Learning

Hue, June 11 – 12, 2007

Danang, June 15 - 15, 2007

Presenter: Prof. Tung Bui - University of Hawai’i at Manoa

Assistant: Ky Nguyen - University of Hawai'i at Manoa
This afternoon…

IT application in teaching and learning

The Internet – an endless source of knowledge

Computer-mediated Communication

E-learning

Google – a good companion of teachers

Introduction to Moodle (if time allows)

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IT, Multimedia, and Instructional Technology

 IT is an "umbrella" term: the confluence of

telecommunication, video, and computing
technologies
 Multimedia: interactive use of text, audio, still
images, video, and graphics
 Instructional technology:
 systemic and systematic application of strategies
and techniques to solve instructional problems
 the use of technology (computers, compact disc,
interactive media, modem, satellite,
teleconferencing, etc.) to support learning?

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 Using IT & Multimedia in Higher Education

 IT&MM now has an important place in university

and college teaching

 IT&MM has created a "new educational culture"

(Connick, 1997)

 Vietnam’s Education Development strategy

2000 - 2010: “IT applications will be major
teaching tools”

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 Why IT & MM?

 Raised on MTV, video games, e-mail, the Web

and instant messaging, students now have
developed cognitive thinking patterns that differ
from previous generations
 In the Information Age, IT&MM keep us updated
on the world
 Interactive media and smart technologies
enhances motivation and communication
 IT&MM prepares students for the real world

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 Why IT & MM?

 IT&MM enhances all 5 major components of

teaching & learning
 MOTIVATING :
• the general context of the didactic environment
 INFORMING :
• knowledge and its medium
 ANALYSING :
• skills at higher level
 INTERACTING :
• making use of various resources
 PRODUCING :
• personal construction or "production"

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 Benefits of IT&MM application in education

 can enable students to simulate, visualize,

model, and experiment with real-world
problems
 enables collaboration, interactive learning, and
new pedagogical approaches
 facilitates the creation, publication, and
dissemination of educational materials
 can facilitate connections across disciplinary,
institutional, geographical, and cultural
boundaries

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 Benefits of IT&MM application in education

 provides access to world-wide resources

 can facilitate the accumulation, generation, and
presentation of data
 enables inquiry and extend the human
capability to visualize, organize, and analyze
data
 provides immediate feedback to the student,
either from the technology itself or the
facilitator/instructor

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In higher education, IT&MM are used to enable

 Communication, interaction, and collaboration

 Computation, visualization, simulation, and data
modeling
 Instruction, tutoring, and mentoring
 Gathering and filtering of data, consolidation of
information, and derivation of knowledge
 Combinations of the above instantiated as
multimedia, multimodal applications

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 IT&MM in Higher Education

The question now is not: “Should we use

technology?”
The questions we are interested in are:
 In what contexts and for what purposes is
technology appropriate for learning and
teaching?
 What do we need to do to ensure that when
we use technology for learning and teaching
purposes, we use it effectively?'

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 IT&MM in education: Elements for success

 The S E C T I O N model

 Student: what is known about them?

 Ease of use and reliability
 Costs
 Teaching and learning
 Interactivity
 Organizational issues
 Novelty: how new is this technology?
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 Discussion

In groups of 3 or 4, discuss:

Imagine yourselves as IT&MM

enthusiastic teachers. How do you think
your roles would change in the
classroom? What obstacles would you
have?

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 IT&MM and the role of teachers

 Are teachers becoming redundant?

 From "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side"
 From an instructor to
 a constructor
 a facilitator
 a coach
 a creator of learning environments
 They now have to
 encourage higher levels of cognitive skills
 promote information literacy
 nurture collaborative working practices

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 Possible drawbacks of IT in education

 Poorly functioning equipment

 Over-promotion of technology-based learning to
students
 Lack of quality in courses delivered by
technology
 Increased research is required into the
effectiveness of IT in the classroom
 Teachers and students may not be well-
prepared in terms of technology & infrastructure

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15
 IT application in US Education

 Students prefer to access subject information on

the Internet
 IT is everywhere in US education
 There have been many positive research
findings
 Universities have also been adopting computer-
based gaming in the classroom
 In 2001, the second highest ranked course among
Executive MBA students at Harvard Business
School was a simulation used to teach global
logistics

National Education Technology Plan 2004, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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 IT in US Education: A Case Study

 In 1994, the Chugach School District (CSD) in Alaska was failing

by almost all measures: students scored lowest in the state and
only 1 student in 26 years had graduated from college.
 CSD used technology to enhance student learning, to improve
student technology skills
 Overall student use of the Internet increased from 5 percent in
1998 to 93 percent in 2001.
 Results have been dramatic: Reading scores rose from the 28th
percentile in 1995 to the 71st percentile in 1999; mathematics
from 54th to 78th; and language arts from 26th to 72nd.
 Fourteen CSD graduates are now attending post-secondary
institutions.
 In 2001, the district was the smallest organization ever to receive
the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for performance
excellence in education.

National Education Technology Plan 2004, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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 IT in US Education: Another Case Study

 The Florida Virtual School

 Founded in 1997
 Motto: “anytime, any place, any path, any
pace”
 21,270 students & 150 teachers
 Teachers monitor the progress of all students
and are available to students by telephone or
e-mail
 Website
http://www.flvs.net

National Education Technology Plan 2004, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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The Internet: an Ultimate Source of
Knowledge at Your Fingertips

What is there on the Internet?

 Just email and chat?
 Anything and everything you want is readily
there in a few seconds
 A whole new world for people to
communicate and to educate themselves
A comprehensive virtual library
How much has using the Internet
expanded your information horizon?
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How to explore the Internet most effectively

You learn to do it by doing it!

Search engines: all you need is a key
word

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 Google: the best search engine

Why Google?
 BIGGEST search engine database in the
world: 25 or more billion pages
• Google Books
• Google Scholar
• Google Video
• Google News
• Google Images

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 1-minute paper & pair - share

In 1 minute, write down as much as you

can about the disadvantages of
information on the Internet.

Share your paper with a peer. Ask

questions and give comments as
appropriate.

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Some drawbacks of the Internet in education

 Plagiarism
 Information not always “correct”
 Too much information to process
 Inhibits critical thinking and creativity
 It threatens the roles of teachers

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 Computer-mediated Communication

What is CMC?
 the use of online communication, via the
Internet, or specific local area network (LAN)

CMC in higher education

 Becoming more widely accepted as an
effective alternative tool for teaching and
learning

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 SCMC vs. ACMC

Synchronous CMC Asynchronous CMC

 Users are online  Delayed message

simultaneously system
 Real-time  No real-time
communication interaction
 Examples:  Examples:
 Chat windows (IRC, Instant  Emails
Messengers)  Weblogs
 Audio conferencing  News bulletins
 Video conferencing  Discussion boards
 Cell phone text  Online forums
messaging(?)

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 CMC in teaching & learning

Vygotsky’s theory of ZPD:

 learning occurs as a result of meaningful
interaction between novices and more
knowledgeable beings, such as peers,
parents or teachers
CMC has an equalizing effect on
participation
Autonomous learners
Learner anxiety decreases

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 E-learning: What is it?

E-learning is a mixture of the various

preferred learning methods
 delivered to the learner through the use of IT
 supported with educational instructional
design and engaging content

E-learning is a vehicle,
which uses technology
to enhance the traditional
approach to learning
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 Instructional design

The design and development of

instructional materials and learning
activities to meet learning needs

Systematic process of translating general

principles of learning and instruction into
plans for instructional materials and
learning

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 Characteristics of E-learning

E-learning allows you to learn anywhere

and usually at any time
E-learning can be CD-ROM-based,
Network-based, Intranet-based or
Internet-based.
It can include text, video, audio,
animation and virtual environments
It is self-paced,
hands-on learning

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 Levels of e-learning

Knowledge databases
 most basic form of e-learning
Online support
 forums, chat rooms, online bulletin boards,
emails, or live IM
Asynchronous training
 self-paced learning
Synchronous training
 real-time with a live instructor facilitating the
training
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 E-Learning – what for?

 Organization of courses and learners

 Presentation of content / learning materials
 Stimulation of learner’s activities
 Facilitation of learner’s collaboration
 Communication between teachers and
learners / learners and learners
 Feedback and answers to learners

 Assessment of learner’s achievements

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 E-Learning – but how?

 Three Settings
 Additional to face-to-face teaching
• Easy, fast solutions for beginners
 Blended learning
• Medium challenge
• For slightly advanced users
• Rather fast solutions
• Big improvement in quality and efficiency
 Absolute E-Learning (100% autonomous)
• Difficult and expensive
• For sophisticated users
• Long-term application required

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 Benefits of E-learning

less expensive to produce

self-paced
moving faster
consistent message
any location and any time
can be updated easily and quickly
easily managed for large groups of
students

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 Potential of E-learning in higher education

Site- and time-independent learning

Learner-centered learning
Individualized learning
Just-in-time learning
Many open source applications

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Free tools for teaching and learning online

Emails
Instant Messengers
Forums
Blogs
Wikis
Some web sites (Googlepages.com)
Some learning management software
(MOODLE)
Etc.

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 How to promote E-learning in Vietnam?

Discussion:
 In groups of 4, discuss and share your ideas

1. What is the current trend of E-learning in

Vietnam? What are some sources of
support?

2. What forms of E-learning do you propose

for your institution? To what extent?

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 Electronic learning and teaching materials

Course Homepage
 Course syllabus
 Total access to course information
 All materials, handouts, and lecture notes,
etc., are accessible
 Administrative materials
 Course policies
 Assessment & Grading standards
 Learning objectives

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 Introducing Google Page Creator

 A free homepage for your course: Can you

believe it?

 It’s FREE and VERY EASY

 You only need

 A PC
 Internet connection
 A Google account (FREE)

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To begin… open Googlepages.com

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Now begin creating your homepage…

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Choose a layout for your page…

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Choose a look for your page…

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It’s time to input data…

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It’s as easy as A-B-C…

YOU CAN
-Type texts

-Upload pictures

-Upload files from

your PC

-Create links to
webpages

-Etc.

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 The EDIT tools are very useful

Add images
Link to files/webpages
Bold & Italic
Choose colors
Choose font types and size
Align texts

Company Logo
45
You can always change look and layout

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When you’re done, click PUBLISH

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Your homepage is now online…

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Congratulations!

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 Introduction to MOODLE

If time allows, I’ll introduce the MOODLE

LMS/CMS and do a quick demo.
However, I think we should give them
more time for the last “application
assignment”.

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 Application of ideas
 Now get together with people from the same department
(or teaching the same subject) as yours

In 10 minutes, try to decide on something

you want to teach and design a lesson plan
basing on a principle or technique or
approach we have discussed.

 Write you lesson plan on a blank sheet of paper. I’ll show it

on the screen.
 You’ll present your lesson plan

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