Benefits and Challenges of using Electronic Instructional Material and Media

         There are several ways of looking at electronic instructional material. Media that is electronically delivered can be both a positive and a negative. If the media works and does not detract from the lesson, it can be a positive. If the media stops working, takes a long while to “load”, somehow interferes with student learning or the main objectives; then it could be a negative. Electronic material and media are like any other type of instructional media; if used too frequently or without purpose students may easily get bored.

        

         Electronic media could be a problem if a school or district cannot afford the same media for everyone. If only some classrooms or teachers received the material, it may be difficult for them to work together to collaborate on lessons. Some older buildings may not be able to support the extra wiring needed for projectors or interactive boards. There may also be an issue training teachers how to use any of the electronic material. Some teachers may be set in their ways and not want to implement the newer electronic media. They may feel forced into trying to use the newer technology. If teachers don’t feel comfortable teaching in this way, they may not learn how to effectively use this material and the students may not have any enhanced learning experiences. It may actually have the reverse effect; giving the students the idea that the newer learning materials are just as “boring” as the lectures and worksheets of the past.               

         Some benefits to electronic instructional materials could be a renewed love of learning for the student and the teacher. Some students may learn better using this new method. Electronic learning would allow the student to go places that they may otherwise not be able to visit. A teacher could enhance a lesson by having the students supplement their learning by completing online research. The teacher could develop interactive lessons, computer enhancements, and even use “Clickers” to test for understanding in a different way. Getting the district to invest in some new infrastructure that will support any new enhancements is a great first step. The school could then take it to the next level and allow the teachers to collaborate on lessons and new ways to teach. Thinking outside the box and working on new ways to teach is always a benefit to the students. Whether it is with electronic or traditional methods, students always win when the teachers are working hard to present the best possible lessons. 

Visual Literacy

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         Visual literacy is the idea of creating and interpreting visual stimuli. It is more than just being able to read and write. It is the idea that a person can “read” a picture. A picture can be interpreted to help a teacher explain a topic to students. By using a visual, students get a better idea of the topic being discussed. The text identified two approaches; input and output strategies.  Input is what I discussed in the sentences above. It also includes analyzing multimedia and video programs. The output strategy uses writing to help students express themselves. It could also include the students producing their own visual presentation.  It is important to think of a student’s culture or upbringing when we teach with visuals. A student who has no background knowledge of a subject may not be able to produce a picture in their head. A student that has knowledge of the subject may be able to help the other students develop a picture or describe the topic being discussed. Many of our students do not have culturally rich backgrounds that bring a lot of life experiences to the classroom. They need the teacher and other students to help them fill in the gaps they have in their learning.

       There are several reasons a teacher would incorporate visual literacy into the eLearning environment. One reason that I mentioned above, would be if a student does not have any background knowledge of a subject. It would help them put an image with a word or description so they could understand. If the teacher was discussing a topic where the students had no point of reference, like ancient Roman togas, a picture could show this Roman style of dress. It would be easier to describe the togas from the picture then it would be to use out of date words that described the clothes. Another reason to use visual literacy would be to help motivate the students. Students would be more interested in a topic if they understood what the teacher was talking about. Students in my class have worked on a book study that featured a main character who carved a totem pole. The totem pole featured different animals to show the man’s values. None of my students knew what a totem pole was and they did not seem really interested in them. When I showed them several pictures online, they thought the poles were interesting and wanted to create one of their own. Sometimes having a detailed picture shows the students exactly what the teacher is trying to teach. Other times, a simple hand drawn example is better if students are expected to figure out how something may fit together or work. A more detailed picture may actually be more distracting in that situation. The teacher may decide what type of visuals to show, or give the student free reign to find visuals on their own. Either way, visuals enhance the students’ learning. Visuals put the same picture in students’ minds and allow the teacher to have a common place to start a lesson.

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The graphics were found on the following sites:

1. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVVCGVRfVdAcMaSP_JLIznltQhU47So853wr8DCIOJyMbAwMgqoQ1ZvqxyRsJmW52BIeIjvXNwBY9swYkPLAO481slalWnToFRy3HqQv6SNAcMHwjApeQVJZ4fwZHRevBnlr1au5CpDA/s1600/Visual+Thinking.jpg

2. https://www.google.com/search?q=visual+literacy&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=sNTzUeayHefNigKP-IGIDA&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1517&bih=497#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=HNDy4ymuJh3ggM%3A%3BnmgU63eVhYl5nM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.learninglive.co.uk%252Fteachers%252Fprimary%252Fliteracy%252Fmaterials%252Fvisual_literacy%252Fvisual_img.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.learninglive.co.uk%252Fteachers%252Fprimary%252Fliteracy%252Fmaterials%252Fvisual_literacy%252Findex.asp%3B443%3B402  

 

The Teacher in an eLearning Environment

     Typically, when I used to think of a teacher in an eLearning environment, I thought of a faceless, voiceless entity that sent feedback, and posted a grade for work submitted. My thoughts instantly went to a distance learning program because that is what I was introduced to when I started taking nontraditional classes. My first exposure was a science class that was presented through the television. I had a book to read, a program to watch on a public broadcasting station, and I needed to visit a predetermined site to take tests. The teacher was there to answer any questions that I had, but for the most part, I went through the program, following the syllabus and turning in my assignments on time. The teacher in an eLearning environment may be more of a facilitator than a traditional teacher. Teachers in this type of environment may work with their students in a synchronous setting where they have some interaction with the students. Lessons are presented, students may instant message, Skype or use other means to interact with the teacher. Some students are expected to be online at a specific time of day; the teacher is also online and delivers the lesson on the computer. Other online programs have the student working at their own pace reading, watching or interacting with the lesson; but the teacher is not present online at the same time.  I find that many online programs deliver their lessons following this asynchronous method.  Both types of online classroom settings have all the material that the students need on their student page, articles are hyperlinked, homework is attached; the teacher has all this material ready to go when the class begins. Students are able to review and reread any materials that the teacher has placed in their “classroom”. The teacher is contacted by email, phone or even face to face if the program is in the same city as the student. Teachers must be sure their lessons are well constructed and easily followed since they are often not online with the students.  In an online environment, teachers have to be available to offer timely feedback, answer questions relating to their material, and even offer technical support if a student is having issues.

Teachers in a face-to-face environment have to perform many of the same tasks as an online instructor. They need to be able to answer questions, offer feedback and in some cases offer technical support. They also have many different challenges. In the traditional environment, teachers have to deal with interruptions to their day; specials, fire drills, classroom visitors. They must be able to deliver a lesson to the entire class, even if a student is acting out, sick, or just not ready to learn. Their delivery method is real time, and usually the lesson isn’t recorded or saved somewhere so the students can review it at a different time. The students are expected to “get it” the first time it’s delivered. Remediation is often offered at lunch, after school or in correspondence with the parent. Due to the tight schedule of the school day, there isn’t a lot of down time where the teacher can stop, answer questions and reteach the lesson. Individual instruction can’t take place because there are too many students and only one teacher. Some on-on-one time may be available if the teacher has an aide or an assistant. The main difference is traditional teachers are in front of the students, in the classroom at the same time. The lessons are often more teacher lead, with students following along, or answering the questions the teacher has predetermined. Both the online and face-to-face instructors are starting to change their method of teaching. Student lead instruction is emerging as the “new way” to teach. The students are more actively involved in the lessons and with just a brief introduction expected to explore the lesson with minimal teacher involvement. Some differences between the two types of delivery methods may disappear in the future with this new style of teaching. Teaching is going in the direction where students need to discover things, develop questions on their own, and struggle. Having a teacher in front of the class delivering a long, formal, verbal presentation is a thing of the past. Students will be expected to step up and take a more active role in their own learning.

The Differences between Teacher-centered and Student-centered Instructional Strategies

The Differences between Teacher-centered and Student-centered Instructional Strategies

        Teacher centered instruction dictates that the teacher directs the learning. She may be delivering the lesson in presentation form to the whole class so everyone hears the same information all at once. The  teacher can accomplish this by giving a lecture, showing a video, or using an overhead. This method should be u when the information needs to be delivered to the entire class. This ensures that the entire class gets the same information. If the teacher needs to show the class how to process a difficult procedure; then she may use a demonstration to show the class. In an elementary school situation, the students may not be able to work with chemicals or items that may be harmful. The teacher may lead the instruction so the students will be exposed to the content of the lesson, but not be handling harmful elements. Another way a teacher may use teacher centered instruction is when a student or several students do not understand the lesson. She can take a small group and use direct instruction to re-teach the lesson using a different method. This method could include videos, a computer generated lesson, or maybe even step by step worksheets. That process ties in to another use of the teacher centered instruction, “drill and kill”. Named by students who feel like they are doing the same type of problem until they are killed by the repetition! Students often need to process a lesson a few times to make sure they understand the concept; math and spelling often use this process.

        Student centered instruction has the students at the center of the learning. A teacher may introduce a topic, but then she steps back and lets the students discuss and develop their own learning. Students are encouraged to pursue the topic and take it in different directions. A student may raise a question about the book they are reading. Instead of the teacher answering the question, the students discuss what they believe the author meant. Getting to the correct answer isn't always the goal in student centered instruction. Having the students develop communication and problem solving skills is often the goal. In implementing the new common core standards, the students need to be able to think at a higher level, problem solve and support their position by evidence found in the text. In order to develop these traits, students must be allowed to struggle and search for answers. When they get out of school, students won’t find many situations in life that come with a set of multiple choice answers. They must be able to think and determine solutions on their own.

         In the paragraphs above, different situations for the roles of the two different instructional strategies were discussed. When and how you would implement the differing strategies was developed. The main difference between teacher and student centered instructional strategies is who is at the helm, who is presenting the instruction. Teachers still need to plan and strategize on what lesson they want the students to learn, but in student centered instruction, they act more like a facilitator than a teacher. They are guiding the topic, but letting the students discover and determine where the lesson will go. Students learn by doing. Some of my most memorable lessons were when students discovered things on their own. They were much more excited when they discovered the answer and didn't need me to lead them.

Differences between Technology and Media

Differences between Technology and Media

Technology encompasses a wide array. Technology begins with the equipment that brings the computer and all its peripherals to life. One can think of the actual CPU, monitor, mouse and keyboard as the basics. Add to those pieces the web camera, projector, scanner, printer. Some may also add an interactive white board, and some classroom response systems. All of these items, used in conjunction make up a technology rich classroom. Using these components to allow students to get information at their fingertips, and store it for later use is all part of technology. All of these pieces of technology are important, but how does the information get to the student?

That’s where media comes in. The technology mentioned above is a big part of the picture, but it has to be accessible to the students. That is where the software, internet, video, audio, manipulatives and even the people come into play. Accessing the technology is what the media is used for, and that is the main difference. Technology keeps reinventing itself every few months; newer, faster, more compact desktops and laptops. Tablets are a newer member of this group, as well as the interactive white board. For the most part, technology is well defined, and just keeps improving. The software is what makes everything work, and is redone more often. It seems that one version of a software comes out and then soon after it is revised and improved. Media is what we use to run the technology.

Both media and technology have a role to play in the K-12 eLearning environment. It depends if the eLearning is done with the student completely online, only interacting with a teacher via the computer, or if eLearning is done in a traditional classroom setting with all the technological enhancements. Technology is the hardware that schools decide to purchase to give the students the most access to the digital world. Some school districts invest more heavily in computers, some like to add more of the accessories. Some feel that technology is so important, that they offer a wide variety of items from interactive white boards, to iPads for each student and Apple TV in the classroom. Media would vary from a basic use of text in reading something from a book, or online to incorporating video, and/or audio into a presentation. It would also include the use of people teaching to the whole class, or small groups, using visuals or manipulatives. An eLearning environment would be rich in both media and technology, giving the students the best chance at an education that would prepare them for their future.