Making Connections
The Map of the Internet (2005)
Opte Project www.opte.org
In higher education, there is a big push to promote technology-enhanced teaching and learning, especially in regard to the implementation of video technology and webconferencing. With video technology people can connect not just with information and content, but with each other via video or webconferencing.
Institutions of higher learning need to provide students a well-rounded education to best prepare them for life beyond college. No doubt, institutions with appealing, valuable course offerings and services attract students, and video technology will, in part, fill this demand. However, it cannot just be a matter of offering technology-rich courses and services, but providing quality teaching and learning opportunities. What, when and how can technologies be used, and are they pedagogically appropriate, effective, and beneficial? These are the ongoing questions that always need to be considered when implementing technology into the curriculum, whether it is in a brick-and-mortar classroom, or blended, distance or fully online course.
It’s not just a matter of what students know, not just the research they’ve done, or their publications, projects and presentations, but how they are able to connect with people, engage and collaborate. How far is their reach? How much do they really connect with people? How relevant is their work to them as individuals and their personal, academic and professional development?
Technology has an important role in blended, distance and online courses. However, it is crucial to recognize that any distance education endeavor requires a solid team approach and early and ongoing collaboration between administrators, support services, and instructors to create and maintain good teaching and learning environments. Planning technology implementation requires administrators, instructors and course designers to be forward thinking. Will the technology used in blended, distance or online course facilitate or impede course goals and learning objectives?
Students should have an ease of use experience and opportunities to interact and explore. If technology is used inappropriately or in excess, students will have trouble making the necessary connections with people and with what they need to know. Are they able to tie the new concepts they are learning and should be applying to what they already know and have experienced as it relates to life and culture both in their native and target languages? One of the focuses of language courses, especially if they are part of the general education requirement, must be to teach students the language while providing them with a cultural experience that will help them as they enter into more advanced levels and also in their chosen careers.
The aim of educators is to encourage a strong work ethic, good citizenship and lifelong learning. In distance education courses, due to the added element that is inherent to them – technology – there must be learning opportunities and guidelines for students to understand expectations: how they will and should interact with classmates and instructors, and how to be successful. It has been said by some that school is not the “real world.” However, as in any course, and this also applies to blended, distance or online courses, policies and rules need to be in place that reinforce the standards by which we all live in the real world: come on time, be prepared, be up to the challenge, work collaboratively and produce quality work. Educators need to understand that what may seem like common sense, may not be clear to students and must be described to students in more detail when students are learning in different ways (i.e. via webconferencing, video conference).
Technology and Curricular Considerations
Rigorous – Set high standards. Coursework should be challenging. Students should be learning to think critically, analytically, and how to problem solve. What activities will involve technology? Will these activities be easily achieved using the technology?
Expectations – Course policies need to be transparent and applied equally to all to reinforce good teaching and learning environments. These include netiquette, scheduling, punctuality and attendance, participation, time on task, assignment submissions and deadlines, evaluation criteria, communication, and interactions (peer-peer, student-instructor, student-technology, student-internet, student-institution).
Flexibility – Video technology offers students the convenience to access content and instruction synchronously and asynchronously, and the convenience of anytime, anywhere learning. Blended, online and distance courses give students more freedom to explore when there are asynchronous instructional materials, tools, and student-centered activities.
Community Building – Blended, online and distance education courses must include activities that foster connections between students and between students and instructors. Students need a support system just like their peers in brick-and-mortar classrooms and campuses have. Include easily accessible links to disability services, academic affairs, advising, testing, counseling, student advocacy, technology support, libraries, in addition to other essential institutional services.
Surveys – Course improvement is ongoing. Have students and instructors complete mid- and end-of-semester surveys that evaluate resources, technology usage and preferences.
