Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

Each week we were assigned a discussion question of which we were to respond to. As mentioned in my personal reflections I found the threaded discussions within my class to be very beneficial and useful in student learning. I enjoyed reading other peer posts as well as thinking critically about how I would answer the discussion questions. Listed below are the questions asked each week along with my answers to each.

 

Week One:

Professor’s Question Week One:

Discuss how you can use the Web in teaching, training, and learning. What are the advantages as well as the limitations and pitfalls of Web-based instruction? 

Styron’s Post Week One:

The web to me is similar to an individual’s motivation and determination. Walt Disney once stated, “If you can dream it, you can do it!” Though some tasks will be particularly easy to accomplish in comparison to others as the web continues to evolve the capabilities of its use continue to increase. Think back to the beginning of the World Wide Web when it was first made accessible to the public in the early 1990’s. Then look at it capabilities now. In just two decades we have seen not only the use of the web increase but also the functionality and usability of it expand.

Common uses of the Web would include:

Teaching:

•Students how to research information

•Furthering education’s accessibility to those in remote locations or at a distance

•Collaboration among schools and classes using video conferencing technologies

•Providing audio, visual, and hands on learning opportunities that students can progress through at their own speed

Training:

•Virtual reality experiences which allow students to make decisions and experience what the outcomes from those decisions

•Allowing individual’s the ability to progress through trainings per their own needs

•Having the ability to immediately reference training materials

Learning:

•Exploring historical sites and virtual tours allowing students the ability to visit places they might never have seen.

•Engaging in virtual learning environments which allow students to communicate with individuals throughout the world

•Developing productivity skills that will be essential for individual’s to succeed in the business world

Though these are just a few examples of many, the Web has allowed us to become a smaller world. In regards to Web-based instruction the Web allows us the ability to quickly access information, reference materials and correspondence that would otherwise be beyond our scope, and network with people throughout the world. It also allows individuals who might be in remote locations the ability to gain education, resources, and tools without having to leave their homes. With the enhancements of video, audio and synchronous learning students can receive the comparable instruction to those students in face-to-face courses.

The disadvantages I see would be to those who do not have the resources to gain access to the Web as well as individuals with disabilities. For example, one dilemma we face here in Mississippi is the accessibility to DSL, Cable and Wireless Internet. Some of our students still operate on dial-up, which makes it extremely hard for faculty who wish to incorporate multimedia into Web-based instruction to do so. On the student side this entices frustration, as downloading buffer times can be overwhelming. Secondly I know it is hard to foresee every obstacle or situation that might arise however, much consideration was not given to individual’s who might need assistive devices or help accessing the Web. Many students with disabilities lack the resources, knowledge or understanding of what a web-based course entails making it difficult for faculty at a distance to successfully deliver content as well as challenging for the students.

Week Two:

Professor’s Question Week Two:

What are the major components of a Web course if you are asked to design and develop one today? What tips and suggestions you would share with your colleagues when designing an effective Web site for teaching and learning?

Styron’s Post Week Two:

Dr. Yuen actually gave some great tips to remember in developing a Web-based course which served for me as a guideline to the tips that I wish share with my colleagues:

Determining the needs- Identify you target audience, their knowledge level, the learning outcome you expect for them to accomplish, etc. This will be important for every lesson and will guide you through the building of your online course.

Estimate the development cost, effort and implication- One of the biggest challenges with building online courses and implementing technology is the cost associated with completing such tasks. One needs to identify whether or not it is even feasible to develop an web-based course. It would be beneficial for you to seek out your Learning Enhancement Center or Technology Department to learn what resources are currently available. If technologies are not available or your institution lacks the funding needed to provide adequate software you may want to research open source software that is available which cost nothing to utilize.

Decide on an instructional goal- What purpose will your technology play in educating your student? Will it be a primary tool or used as an enhancement to course content? Determining your instructional goals as well as the goals your technology will plan in achieving these goals is essential in building an web-based course.

Browse existing online curricula for ideas- Have you ever heard of the saying, “Don’t reinvent the wheel?” Time is a precious commodity to teachers therefore do some research and evaluate whether or not there are sources of information online that you can utilize (obviously giving proper credit where needed).

Find online resources to achieve the course objectives- Look at the content you wish to teach as well as the learning objectives you seek to achieve and determine whether or not there are adequate resources online for your students to meet these objectives.

Organize and arrange the information- Web-based courses that are not well-organized and arranged will be a disaster for your students to navigate. Consider what student’s need to be able to readily access (grades, course assignments, discussions, etc.) and ensure that you are laying your content out accordingly.

Construct the pages- Once you have determined the layout of the information and your instructional goals building the pages to meet these needs will be next. As you continue to develop web-based courses you will want to make sure you build an organized way to house these pages so that it is easy for you to find and make modifications as need be.

Implement online students assessment and methods, and class management procedures- After reviewing your course objectives determine how to evaluate and assess student performance within the web-based course.

Test, Refine, and Update the pages- This is probably one of the most important pieces of the entire Web-based puzzle as there is no quicker way to kill motivation and student interest than with faulty links, inaccurate information or slow web pages. It will be a continuous process for the instructor to test, modify and refine their web-based pages as needed.

I would also add understanding the software from a student’s perspective would be beneficial in building your web-based course. Many times what seems natural and easy for you to understand can be confusing for your students. It would be beneficial if you shared these pages with colleagues or graduate assistants asking them to navigate through the pages and provide feedback as to how they look. Secondly, it is very important that you understand the software being utilized. This will help you understand how to fully utilize the software but also assist your students should they experience problems along the way. In a web-based course not only are you a teacher you sometimes are students only link to trouble-shooting computer problems.

When building effective web-based lessons for teaching and learning Dr. Yuen (2008) also suggests identifying instructional goals, motivating the learner, understanding the technical environment, requiring active involvement, and providing guidance, feedback, and administrative information (Slides 16-21).

Reference:

Yuen, S. (2008). Web-based Instruction. Presented in IT 648 online course at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Week Three:

Professor’s Questions Week Three:

Discuss the dangers associated with using the Internet and the strategies teachers can use to minimize risks.

Styron’s Post Week Three:

The Internet in my opinion has been one of the primary tools in helping our nation become a global community allowing students to have resources at the tip of their hands. However with such benefits also come certain risks that must be accounted for. For example, if a teacher develops a website dedicated to a specific course for his/her students, they must be aware of privacy laws that are in existence. One law in particular would be the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act, commonly referred to as FERPA. FERPA protects student information that must be kept confidential. Examples would include social security numbers, grades, and particular contact information. Teachers should avoid posting such information as it can breech student rights and, in a worse case scenario, place them in harms way of Internet stalkers or identity theft criminals.

Furthermore especially within the P-12 setting teachers should provide students with guidelines for Internet etiquette and safety precautions. The Internet is a social network which allows anyone with an Internet connection to connect with individuals from around the world. Some criminals will try to lure children into traps asking for parental credit card information or arranging a time and place for the student to meet them. These situations are extreme but are still prevalent in today’s society. One way of minimizing this risk would be to establish a secure site where only teachers, students, and/or parents can obtain accessibility. Within this site networking tools can be provided which will ensure that the proper people are communicating with students.

The last risk I can think of is the increased risk of plagiarism and poor information sources. Teachers should educate students on proper sites to obtain information from as well as constantly teach proper MLA or APA requirements for plagiarism and paraphrasing. I believe that if teachers started teaching these type of lesson at an early age by the time students got to college faculty would see less of these types of incidences occurring.

Week Four:

Professor’s Question Week Four:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Interactive Video (IVN) in education? What are your opinions about the use of IVN in teaching and learning if you have taken IVN classes at USM? Discuss how you can use video conferencing technology in education.

Styron’s Post Week Four:

Per Dr. Yuen’s resources, some of the advantages of using Interactive Video networks is that this technology allows a video element within nontraditional classroom settings, the ability for diverse medias to be implemented, collaboration and immediate feedback and connects students with external resources (advantages can be found at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/Using.html).

Though there are many benefits associated with the incorporation of technology teachers who are considering IVN technologies should also weigh the risks associated. Video lagging, audio delays, and image pixilation might present challenges during use (disadvantages can be found at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/Using.html). There are many preventative measures teachers can take providing students with best practice information to ensure the smoothest implementation possible.

I have never taken an IVN course before and have very limited knowledge on productivity, efficiency, student success, Universal Design compliances, etc. I assume that its primary function is to serve as an enhancement to distance education courses. If I had to utilize IVN technologies within my classroom I believe I would try to connect my class to resources they otherwise would not be able to utilize. For example, maybe a formal discussion can be arranged between four history courses across the United States. This would bring additional perspectives, regional experiences and networking capabilities within the classroom for my students. Furthermore I think it would be beneficial to also incorporate International IVN experiences building International relationships and perspectives, landmarks and monumental visual experiences to life.

Week Five:

Professor’s Question Week Five:

Discuss the advantages, obstacles, issues and opportunities facing wireless technology in education.

Styron’s Post Week Five:

Wireless technology has both advantages and disadvantages that school district’s should consider when determining whether or not to invest their limited funding on. Some of the advantages include accessibility, and flexibility (Yuen, 2008, Slide 6). Wireless technologies tend to be highly accessible allowing students to utilize Internet resources throughout school areas. Wireless technologies make this possible by allowing laptop computers to connect without having to be confined by wires. They also allow school districts flexibility within their integration of computers. Some schools utilize mobile carts with computers for their students. These computers would not provide students with Internet if they were not equipped with wireless technologies. This allows the school to bring computers and technology to individual classrooms for students to utilize.

Some of the disadvantages include costs, time, interference and tech support (Yuen, 2008, Slide 7). Wireless Internet tends to be more expensive then installing wired networks so, as technology budgets continue to remain small, completing a cost analysis to determine whether or not wireless is cost efficient would be necessary. Time allocation is also a consideration when discussing wireless technology. Time would include the time spent to setup the network as well as the time to train faculty and students. This can be very expensive and the lack of not providing training for staff and students would result in major challenges and frustrations as well as the students and teachers not utilizing the technology itself.

Again, it is up to the administrators, school leaders and technology specialists to determine whether or not wireless technologies would be a good fit within their school district. Without conducting proper research, completing a budget analysis and determining whether or not these technologies meet the needs of the school funding for wireless technology would be a waste of technology resources.

Reference:

Yuen, S. (2008). Wireless technology in education. Presented in IT 648 online course at The University of Southern Mississippi.