Virtual Tours and Technology Tools

With the current state of many school budgets, costs for field trips have often been reduced, calling on teachers to find other ways of bringing experiences into the classroom.  One way of doing this is through interactive tours.  In scenario 2, a high school history teacher located on the west coast wants to show her students some new exhibits at museums in New York City.  The teacher wants the students to take a “tour” and interact with the museum’s curators.  After the “tour,” the teacher would like the students to choose artwork from each exhibit and participate in a group critique of the artwork.   There are a variety of technology tools that could be used to help make this distant learning experience as success.

To interact with the museum curators in an asynchronous environment, podcasting is one technology that could be used.  Podcasting allows for audio and/or video material to be recorded and stored on the internet so that it can be played back using iPods, MP3 players, computers, as well as other electronics that allow for the playback of audio and/or video (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  There are various benefits to using podcasts.  Using multiple forms of media in a podcast helps to enhance the learning that takes place.  Research has shown that using both audio and visual content helps learning increase significantly.  In addition, the research also shows that online students who use podcasts have shown more effective learning as well as greater satisfaction, autonomy, and motivation compared to students that do not use podcasts (The Technology of Distance Education).  This could be used because students could listen to thoughts and comments regarding the artwork in the different collections by the museum curators as the students look at the different collections.  In addition, the content could be paused or replayed as needed to help student understanding.  One example of podcasts being used in art museums is in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery.  American Art staff produces podcasts that feature the voices of artists, curators, museum staff, lecturers, as well as students (Smithsonian Art Museum).  If a synchronous environment is available, videoconferencing is another technology tool that could be used.  With videoconferencing, audio and video is used so that the students and presenter can interact in real-time.  As the curator shows students different pieces of art, students would be encouraged to ask and answer questions as well as share their opinions and ideas (Smithsonian Art Museum). The Smithsonian Art Museum offers a variety of videoconferencing programs like this, showing that it can be successful. 

To help with the discussion component, a threaded online discussion forum could be used.  With a threaded discussion, the teacher posts questions that are related to the content being studied.  Students then posts comments and thoughts that they have relating to the question in a discussion area that is provided (Simonson et al., 2012).  The class should be broken down into smaller groups for discussion in this manner, however, rather than a whole class discussion forum.  Bentley and Waters (2006) established various guidelines for successful threaded discussions.  This included creating subgroups of 10-15 students for the discussion (Simonson et al., 2012).  This means of discussion is also beneficial because students can post as they think of ideas rather than trying to remember something until another day to be able to share with the class.

As I was looking around the internet, I found one example of a virtual tour that shows the actual inside of the museum and you can maneuver through the museum with clicks of the mouse and audio is also included.  This particular virtual tour is from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and can be viewed at http://www.mnh.si.edu/panoramas/.  Also, the Smithsonian Art Museum which has virtual tours and videoconferencing programs that were discussed can be viewed at http://americanart.si.edu/visit/about/.

 

Resources

 Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

 Smithsonian Art Museum. (ND).  Retrieved from http://americanart.si.edu/visit/about/

The Technology of Distance Education. (ND). Laureate Education, Inc.

Distance Learning...An AHA Moment!

Distance learning is an interesting topic.  I had my first encounter with distance learning in 2007 when I enrolled in my first online graduate program.  I was offered a full time job working for a non-profit organization as soon as I received my Bachelor’s degree but knew that in order to become a teacher like I wanted to, I needed to pursue a master’s degree and with working full time, going and sitting in a college classroom again would not work for me.  This made me look into online master’s degree programs.  As a result, I defined distance learning for myself as a learning experience that was caused by the physical separation of the learner and instructor.  As a result, distance learning for me was completely virtual and self-centered.  I initially thought that by using distance learning, I would be doing course readings and completing assignments that would then be evaluated by the instructor since the instructor and myself were separated geographically.  I had never thought about interacting with the instructor and other students in the class through discussion forums or group projects.

As I have been taking classes through distance learning and learning more about what distance learning really is. I have had to reshape my definition.  I have not needed to throw out my initial definition, but rather after experiencing distance learning over time and learning more about it, I need to add to my personal definition.  In the reading for week one of this class, distance learning was defined as “institutional-based, formal education where the learner group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

Some key components that I had to include in my definition that were originally omitted include the fact that distance learning must be institutionally-based.  It is not an independent study but rather an academic learning environment.  As such, the learning is conducted through an institution (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  This could include colleges and universities, or even companies in the business world.  The other important aspect that I left out was the fact that interactive telecommunications are what connect the learning group and the instructor (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  This communication can be either synchronous or asynchronous.  Distance learning has more to it than just reading course materials and submitting assignments for evaluation.  It is important for learners to interact with each other which could include group projects, discussion boards etc. in addition to interacting with the resources and instructor.  One thing to keep in mind is that the interactions need to be relevant (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  I was involved in a hybrid distance learning experience before where this was not the case and as a result, the experience did not seem to reach its potential.  During the web based component, we would learn one thing and then when the group met face to face, something different was discussed, creating disconnect between the two course components.

Distance learning has evolved a lot over the years and with the changes in technology that continue to take place rapidly, distance learning will continue to change.  With new technology that continues to be developed, such as smartphones and I-Pads, distance learning courses can be more accessible than before because people can always have the course at their fingertips.  The evolution that is taking place with distance education and the technologies that goes along with it is an important piece in how to engage learners since they first started to be gathered in school buildings.  If a commitment is going to be made to provide education in this type of format, restructuring is needed which will require distance education instructional designers to collaborate with teachers and the school system (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008).  This statement can be applied to higher education and the corporate world as well.  The learning experiences need to be engaging and relevant just like they would be if they were going to be delivered in a face to face situation. 

In closing, through my experiences with distance learning and the things that I have learned, I have had to add to my definition of distance learning to fully encompass everything that distance learning has shown to me over the years.  No longer do I view distance learning as something that I am in by myself.  Instead, through the use of different forms of technology, I have the ability to interact with a variety of resources and individuals through the learning community of each class to increase my knowledge on subject matter that is presented.

Resources:

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The Evolution of Distance Education: Implications for Instructional Design on the Potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–6 7.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.