Assignment 1: Animoto and Picmonkey

 

 

Animoto is an interesting video editing tool allowing the creator to develop a story with a theme. It is a free and fairly easy to use and has great implications for the classroom environment. Teachers could use it to introduce materials to students quickly and embed it in a class website or as a link within a learning management system. Used in conjunction with Picmonkey, it is possible to edit the pictures before including them in the video.  Both applications are quite easy to use and offer several tools, such as music in Animoto and flowers and butterflies that can be added to photos in Picmonkey.

I created a video that introduces personal finance to my students by asking them the things for which they are saving and how personal finance can help them make those dreams come true. Personally, I did not have any problems with the product, but had a bit of a problem embedding the code in the mixxt site. 

The potential for teachers in the classroom may also include the students using this open source software to create a video about the objectives they learned in the classroom. One of the potential uses would be in a biology class where students could take pictures of their experiments or dissections, and then create a video with Animoto that shows the process and the results. History classes could use this approach using artifacts to produce a video showing what students have learned about a certain period of time. Math classes could have students take pictures of the problems they worked and create the video from each step they used. Teachers may also want to use this software to create virtual field trips for their students. For example, foreign language teachers might create a video using photographs of landmarks in the country of the language that they are studying.

My Animoto

Discussion 2

Blended learning is becoming a very popular way to teach and provides and opportunity for student to get the online experience as well as the face-to-face physical contact with students and instructors. The concept of blended learning is to combine the traditional classroom instruction with the multimedia that is available through the Internet and open source software. Much of the research today is pointing to blended learning as being the most advantageous for students in any learning environment. Of course, the success of blended learning rests in utilizing the appropriate media for specific objectives and addressing different learning styles for maximum benefit.

·  Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these sections (Sections I to V in An Instructional Media Selection Guide for Distance Learning).

·  How could teachers/educators use the material/information addressed in these sections to help improve their online instruction or professional development?

Blended learning is a great idea! However, like everything else, there are advantages and disadvantages to this type of system. As time goes on, the acceptance of more blended learning may increase, but it will be slow as is anything in education. Full implementation of blended learning may take many years, especially where access to the Internet is still limited.

My preference is pure online learning because I don’t like to use time to travel and I also possess the self-motivation and discipline to take online courses. Students do need to remember that online or distance learning is NOT easier than face-to-face learning. There are many misconceptions about online learning and that is often one of the myths.

One of the major strengths of blended learning is that there is still physical contact, but it is mixed in with the online feature allowing students to accomplish many of the activities outside of the classroom. This often fits in to their schedule and promotes critical thinking skills. Another advantage can be the utilization of the “flipped classroom” where students can listen and comprehend course material at home and then use the classroom for pertinent questions and application of hands-on learning.

A weakness of blended learning comes in the form of social interaction between teachers and students, and students with other students. Psychologists are concerned that humans are missing out on physical contact and social interaction due to online or distance learning. I think it is important to balance the physical contact with the independence that comes with being online.
Professional development could certainly be helpful in assisting teachers with building their own websites to promote the blended learning features and increase the use of online materials. Exposure to the Blended Learning Model would help teachers understand how the different online components can be used to enhance student learning outside of the classroom, and help build the asynchronous section of their class. Many of the video creation applications may be taught so that the instructor can emphasize what outcomes students should accomplish. There are so many resources available that it would be very important to not just show teachers how to use it, but how it will improve student learning.

Perhaps, most importantly, professional development might be used to show teachers how to incorporate students’ productions into the classroom. Allowing the students to utilize the technology, they will gain technical skills for the real-world application and possible increase comprehension of materials.

Discussion 1

I always enjoy learning more about the history of technology and learning. This gave the best of both worlds and relayed some interesting facts about the emergence of eLearning, mLearning, distance education, etc. It was interesting how the readings discussed the foundation of distance learning in terms of instructional techniques and design, and pointed out the benefits and challenges of the different strategies. Explanations of learning styles and how online strategies meet those different learning styles were also an informative part of the documentation. Furthermore, the sections discussed how teachers/instructors can utilize materials and information available to enhance their online instruction and professional development.

Discussion 1

How could teachers/educators use the material/information addressed in these sections to help improve their online instruction or professional development?

The first thing that struck me as being very powerful relative to material and/or information for improving online instruction is the use of diagrams. Each diagram visually illustrated the information trying to be conveyed and this is an excellent way for learners, including teachers and students, to grasp the details needed to understand online learning. Most learners are very visual so this is an appealing way to share the material. My favorites are The Historical Timeline of Distance Learning, The Family Tree of Distance Learning, and the Instructional Strategies for Distance Learning.

For those who are teaching online, the evolution of online learning is an important aspect because it helps define the different distance education terms. We are so used to relating distance learning to computers and other technological gadgets, that there are probably few who realize that distance learning actually began with the correspondence courses. This, along with other historical aspects of online teaching and learning, would be something interesting to share in a professional development session for online instructors.

Another aspect of this guide is the explanation of “blended learning” and how it was basically a result of the face-to-face proponents and the online learning proponents being at odds with each other. It is a term that suggests that both ways of learning are appropriate and have their place in the educational arena.

The instructional strategies would be another great piece of information to share, enabling instructors to see the connection between online learning and the cognitive styles of learners. It is extremely important to focus on the learning styles of students and how the modalities affect the learning process. The list of different modalities could be very helpful for online instructors when they are planning the lesson and how information will be delivered with students in mind.

Finally, the explanation of synchronous and asynchronous learning environments was well done, and provided good examples of how each could be used in the online classroom as well as the benefits and issues that may be encountered. It would be very effective if online instructors understood how each can be used to reach their audience, and how student might use them to enhance their learning. To me this is what really makes e-Learning great; the fact that students really can learn anywhere at any time.

What future trends do you see coming from the topics dealt with in these sections? In other words, do you think the material/information discussed in these sections has any relevancy to the future or is it just a passing fad?

The information in these sections of the guide is steeped in history, research and common sense. Therefore, it definitely has relevancy for today’s online instruction as well as future e-Learning. All of the definitions are well developed and include all of the necessary details on which to base distance learning having a foundation in learning theory and concepts. As our understanding of brain processes (neuroscience) increases, this cognitive basis will enable us to explore more deeply the effect of the different learning modalities and how online instruction can use them to enhance learning and increase retention. It is important to point out that “research has identified over 71 different types of learning styles,” and I believe that everyone comes with more than just a couple of learning styles that work for them personally. It is in the diversity of online instruction that we reach the most students effectively and efficiently. Hopefully in the future, we will be able to more closely identify the combination of online instruction that works best for all types of learners.

Introduction

This blog is being created as a requirement for IT740: Interactive Instructional Media as part of a doctoral program in Instructional Technology and Design at The University of Southern Mississippi. As an educator, it is always helpful to have many resources available with which to enhance curriculum and learning. Via this course, I will be able to experience many different Web 2.0 tools that will both interest and engage students as they develop 21st Century Computer Literacy skills in an effort to prepare for the future and the technical careers that are now available. Too many times teachers try to use the same teaching methodology that has been used in the past without regard to the new innovations to which the digital natives of today are so accustomed. Today's students demand more engaging learning options with the ability to be creative and receive almost immediate feedback. As an instructional designer, I see it as my duty to make certain that teachers are prepared to introduce new learning tools inclusive of, but not limited to the Web 2.0 tools. There is a great divide between teachers who can "use" technology and those who can "share" technology in an appropriate and meaningful way that will promote student engagement and comprehension. I do believe that all students can learn and will learn if given the right opportunity and the proper tools.