Technology woes

I have learned a great deal this week about the use oa technology and the impact it has on our everyday lives. Knowing that I would be in a technology restricted area I purchased an aircard to ensure that I would be able to have access to my classes. Coupled with the iPhone I thought I was set. Wrong! I was unable to participate in the discussions because I could not post any replies. Half of the time it took 20 minutes or longer go even open WebTycho.

My point in this rant, as it applies to distance education is that the majority of students who participate in online courses are working and in many cases traveling. In my case, I will be traveling 3 out if the next 4 weeks. When choosing course management systems and other technologies which enhance the instruction we must keep in mind accessibility issues and provide alternatives and/or modifications got our students.

In an age when technology has become such an everyday necessity, we need to remember to make sure that our learning Programs keep pace with the technology.

Until next time....

I found an interesting article that has paired two web 2.0 technologies...geotagging and wikis. The most interesting part of the article is how geotagging is being used in science and engineering disciplines to apply real-world applications to text learning. I work primarily with the College of Forest Resources and one of their concerns with distance education is how to accomplish field based labs. It seems that geotagging would be an excellent way to accomplish some of their exercises regardless of where the student or the teacher are located.

The combination of geotagging and wiki would allow for collaborative learning in which the student can play an active part in the learning process. According to Safran et. al. (2009), articles can be attached to the wiki which apply to the geotag for additional learning.

This process sounds very interesting. One of the classes for the fall was planning an online scavenger hunt to familiarize the distance students with our campus. I think that the combination of the geotagg and wiki would be an great option to achieve this objective.

Reference:
Safran, C., Ebner, M., Garcia-Barrios, V.M. & Kappe, F. (2009). Higher education m-learning and e-learning scenarios for a geospatial wiki. In T. Bastiaens et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (pp. 3678-3685). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/33013.

Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Delivery

I have been doing quite a bit of reading this past week with regards to asynchronous vs. synchronous distance delivery. One thought that continues to come to mind is that there is not a right or wrong way of to deliver a course via distance.

Asynchronous delivery is the most common method used today for distance education. Defined as access to educational content is available at any time, and where interaction with one's peers and instructor is not accomplished in real-time. Synchronous delivery, on the other hand, is defined as receiving the content online but the interaction with peers and instructor are available in real-time (Pullen & Snow, 2007). Both methods have their advantages as well as disadvantages. It think that it comes down to the preferred method of the student as to which best meets their needs.

For me, I prefer the asynchronous delivery. I enjoy the fact that I do not have to be "plugged in" at a given time. Having said that, I have experienced asynchronous distance courses where I had no interaction with the professor as well as a synchronous course where I was "tied" to the computer for hours without a break. In the end, asynchronous delivery gives me the freedom to access my materials whenever I need them without worry. I have learned a great deal through this format and it has allowed me to reflect on the material before posting.

What works best for you? Asynchronous or synchronous?

Reference:
Pullen, M.J. & Snow. C. (2007). Integrating synchronous and asynchronous internet distributed education for maximum effectiveness. Educ Inf Technol, 12, 137-148.

I have been reading the assigned article about "Growing up with Google: What it Means to Education" and I came across a great idea. The article was talking about geotagging and its virtual uses for online scavenger hunts. At Mississippi State University, we have a new online Master of Science degree in Forestry. One of the first classes has an introduction to the university. The professor and I have discussed doing a scavenger hunt for various resources that the online students may need to know but may not think about since they are not on campus. I am thinking this would be an awesome way to introduce students to the MSU community. One compliant this that there is a disconnect for online students and the institution they attend because they are not physically there.

I think more research is needed to check this out. I'll let you know what I find out.
Jodi

Welcome!

Welcome to my Technology in Education blog. This is my first attempt at blogging so this should be interesting.

To tell you a little about myself: I am a Program Coordinator for Academic Outreach at Mississippi State University. My main responsibilities are to assist my assigned college in the design, development and implementation of their online degree programs.

I am taking this Technology in Education course as part of two graduate certificates offered through the University of Maryland University College distance education program. I hope that the information learned will help me help my partners better serve the students we teach.

I look forward to your comments!

Jodi