How can Learning Management Systems (LMS and/or non-LMS) help me develop courses where students learn in the best way for them (teacher-structured/personalized), while providing me with the tools I require for efficient and efficacious presentation, moderation, support, and assessment (for, as, and of learning)?
Stephen Downes outlines some characteristics of the ‘n-gens’, as he calls them, in his blog about eLearning 2.0. He notes that they absorb information quickly through the use of pictures, videos and text from multiples sources – all at once. They expect and give instant feedback and responses, prefer random ‘on demand’ access to media, expect constant communication with friends and create their own media in order to meet their own needs. For the n-gens it’s all about sharing information, improving on existing resources and spreading the word through social media and file sharing sites. It’s not about ownership. It’s not about reading excessive amounts of information. And it’s definitely not about sitting in a classroom listening to someone drone on about the parts of a sentence. N-gens want media – videos, audio clips, interactive websites, they want choice – in what they learn and how they learn it, and they want learning when they want it and how they want it. I myself have taught students who struggle to read or write or do basic computations, yet excel at mastering various levels of the latest video game and collaborate with friends to achieve challenges set forth in them. N-gens learn with technology and expect us to teach that way.
So how do we, as educators, reach this generation of learners? How do we create engaging lessons, share information and assess learning in a way that fits the student but works for the teacher? How do we reach the n-gens and excite them about learning the content that we are required to cover?
The answer is a blended approach.
Just as I truly believe that the best approach to teaching is a blend of face to face classroom time with a healthy dose of online experiential learning, I also think that there is no single LMS or tool available that will meet all the needs of students and teachers and so a blended method or approach is necessary to get the most benefit out of the online learning experience. This website was designed to showcase a number of tools that I have come across or been made aware of through my time in the OLTD program and my time teaching and learning in a face to face environment. My listing here is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of tools that are available to teachers and learners today. Most often, our choice of LMS is limited to the one supported by our school district or educational institution. Though we are confined to that specific tool, our choice in non-LMS resources is endless. The internet provides access to numerous tools for a variety of function, be it a grade book program, an ePortfolio platform, a content delivery system, or anything in between. By making use of the most up to date or engaging tools that we find on the internet, we ourselves remain cutting edge and provide an exciting and engaging learning environment for today's learner. Students can also create their own package of tools, a Personal Learning Environment, in which they access content, showcase their work and track their own progress. Again - the possibilities are endless.
Keep in mind that I haven’t actually put many of these tools into practice. As I stated earlier, I am a face to face teacher. I have based these choices of resources on what works for me as a learner in the OLTD program, my experiences using the technology and the internet in the classroom and information that I have been exposed to over the last few years. I am quite sure that this collection will look different a month from now and that a year from now it would likely have no resemblance to what is now on this page. Technology and available resources are evolving so rapidly that what is now the ‘flavour of the month’ will soon be relegated to the ‘beginner’ area or be remembered for what didn’t work and so was improved upon by its users. Here and now this collection represents the new and the brightest, the most effective tools to communicate, to track progress, to evidence learning, to share information. At this moment this is cutting edge material. Engaging, informative, relevant. Right here and right now these tools would adequately meet my needs as a teacher and the needs of my students in their learning environment. What tomorrow will bring can only be imagined…..but it's pretty exciting to be sitting where we are right now.
Stephen Downes outlines some characteristics of the ‘n-gens’, as he calls them, in his blog about eLearning 2.0. He notes that they absorb information quickly through the use of pictures, videos and text from multiples sources – all at once. They expect and give instant feedback and responses, prefer random ‘on demand’ access to media, expect constant communication with friends and create their own media in order to meet their own needs. For the n-gens it’s all about sharing information, improving on existing resources and spreading the word through social media and file sharing sites. It’s not about ownership. It’s not about reading excessive amounts of information. And it’s definitely not about sitting in a classroom listening to someone drone on about the parts of a sentence. N-gens want media – videos, audio clips, interactive websites, they want choice – in what they learn and how they learn it, and they want learning when they want it and how they want it. I myself have taught students who struggle to read or write or do basic computations, yet excel at mastering various levels of the latest video game and collaborate with friends to achieve challenges set forth in them. N-gens learn with technology and expect us to teach that way.
So how do we, as educators, reach this generation of learners? How do we create engaging lessons, share information and assess learning in a way that fits the student but works for the teacher? How do we reach the n-gens and excite them about learning the content that we are required to cover?
The answer is a blended approach.
Just as I truly believe that the best approach to teaching is a blend of face to face classroom time with a healthy dose of online experiential learning, I also think that there is no single LMS or tool available that will meet all the needs of students and teachers and so a blended method or approach is necessary to get the most benefit out of the online learning experience. This website was designed to showcase a number of tools that I have come across or been made aware of through my time in the OLTD program and my time teaching and learning in a face to face environment. My listing here is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of tools that are available to teachers and learners today. Most often, our choice of LMS is limited to the one supported by our school district or educational institution. Though we are confined to that specific tool, our choice in non-LMS resources is endless. The internet provides access to numerous tools for a variety of function, be it a grade book program, an ePortfolio platform, a content delivery system, or anything in between. By making use of the most up to date or engaging tools that we find on the internet, we ourselves remain cutting edge and provide an exciting and engaging learning environment for today's learner. Students can also create their own package of tools, a Personal Learning Environment, in which they access content, showcase their work and track their own progress. Again - the possibilities are endless.
Keep in mind that I haven’t actually put many of these tools into practice. As I stated earlier, I am a face to face teacher. I have based these choices of resources on what works for me as a learner in the OLTD program, my experiences using the technology and the internet in the classroom and information that I have been exposed to over the last few years. I am quite sure that this collection will look different a month from now and that a year from now it would likely have no resemblance to what is now on this page. Technology and available resources are evolving so rapidly that what is now the ‘flavour of the month’ will soon be relegated to the ‘beginner’ area or be remembered for what didn’t work and so was improved upon by its users. Here and now this collection represents the new and the brightest, the most effective tools to communicate, to track progress, to evidence learning, to share information. At this moment this is cutting edge material. Engaging, informative, relevant. Right here and right now these tools would adequately meet my needs as a teacher and the needs of my students in their learning environment. What tomorrow will bring can only be imagined…..but it's pretty exciting to be sitting where we are right now.