The brain presentation by Dr. Mike was very informational and provided a broad overview of how learning is enhanced by the proper use of the multimedia design principles. His helpful tips about multimedia, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, and coherence has made me aware of how the use of text and images in educational presentations is connected to the way the information is received by the audience.
In creating an active and engaging online learning environment, it is necessary to use the Web 2.0 tools available to us today. Blogs, wiki spaces, and collaborative spaces like Blackboard has changed to face of distance learning and education. When I began my online learning journey, our class time was spent typing in chat windows as we struggled to make our point and keep up with the moving conversation. Today, I can sit in a class and hear and see my classmates. It has made distance education a personal affair.
Now that I have read Bonk & Zhang's R2D2 Method, I can recognize it in my current and past online classes. Reading and reflections have played an important role in how students collaborate and build relationships with each other online. It gives us time to process the new information and reflect on it before having to respond to our peers. This process can be time-consuming, but makes doing group projects easier because we have been making connections with each other throughout the course of the semester.
This material will help me in various parts of my work and personal life. I co-head my school's parent association and I am also the director of the preschool program. Having the knowledge to make connections to families, faculty, and students through the use of multimedia will benefit our school greatly. We are attempting to move with the time of technology and making the most of those opportunities to impact our audience is important to our success. I also hope to teach adult-learners who are looking for online programs in the field of early childhood education. Whether that be in a college course or professional development workshop, I believe I have the drive and capacity to rise to the occasion.
I loved reading your reflection. I was also among the first wave of online learners back in undergrad years ago. While I thought the chat feature was cool, it left me with no real feeling of connection to my instructor or classmates and did nothing to foster a better understanding of the material. Today, taking an online course (at least in the ETEC program) is a far different experience. It is interactive and engaging and allows for collaboration and experimentation on a number of levels.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I had to chuckle at the photo you placed in your blog of the preschooler using the promethean board. He is WAY too small to interact with it properly. Knowing and understanding learner’s needs is critical to successful and meaningful implementation of technology. This child could never interact fully in many interactive whiteboard lessons because he couldn’t reach to engage the machine properly. Maybe the facilities manager who installed this board should take a few ed courses? Or maybe a request should be put in to have it lowered to an appropriate level for the learner (I had to the the latter when my SMARTboard was installed the same way). :)
Being a consumer of online education and watching it evolve has made me feel "old." I can say things like, "when I started taking online classes at UH, there wasn't even Laulima." Can you imagine the stories we will be telling our kids when they have the opportunity to engage in distance learning!? They might be teleporting by then.
ReplyDeleteI find it quite impressive how online instruction has evolved over the years and I appreciate how much thought and research goes into instructional design. I think the College of Education does an exceptional job of providing a quality distance learning experience. I hear stories from students in other disciplines and I don't think it is the same experience system wide.