Example
2: Interactive Tours
A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?
A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?
As an instructional designer, when
reviewing the above scenario, since the teacher and student is separated by
time and distance, it is best to use audio/video technology to give the
distance learners a better visual concept of the tour. In addition to the
Course Management System (CMS) technology tool, Audio and Video Streaming can
be used to deliver the video content of the museum tour as well as display
pictures of the art work. A discussion board might also be necessary for the
students to use as a discussion forum to critique the content. If the students
will work in groups then the media and technology selected must be able to
allow learner to learner, and teacher to learner interaction. Students separated by time and geographical
location, can log into the discussion forum at their convenient to participate,
they can also video the view multiple times.
Audio and Video Streaming
Digital
technologies for learning, such as self-paced learning modules, multimedia case
studies, simulations, video tutorials, and communications and assessment tools,
can increase the array of learning opportunities for adult students and their
teachers. “The
use of video in teaching and learning is a common practice in education today.
As learning online becomes more of a common practice in education, streaming
video and audio will play a bigger role in delivering course materials to
online learners. This form of technology brings courses alive by allowing
online learners to use their visual and auditory senses.” Hartsell, T., &
Yuen, S. (2006). Streaming media such as video and audio can help learners
understand complex concepts and procedures that are difficult to explain with
simply text and graphics (Klass, 2003). This ability is important for distance
learning instruction in that most online courses still use primarily text-based
materials to deliver instruction, and multimedia can add teractivity to these
stagnant text-based materials (Michelich, 2002). Cognitivists believe that the
addition of multimedia can help improve and augment the learning process of
students as they see the concept in action (Michelich, 2002). By using visual
and auditory messages, students can process the information quicker, which in
turn, helps foster their learning acquisition of the material. The old saying
that “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds true in this case in that
moving images add authenticity and reality to the learning context (Joint
Information Systems Committee, 2002). Video’s face-to-face context engages the
students, and can effectively capture cultural context to enhance the learning
experience (Stilborne & MacGibbon, 2001). In addition, a moving image can
help students visualize a process or see how something works. Video can take
tacit information or knowledge that may be too difficult to describe in text
into an articulate, vivid description through the use of images. Furthermore,
videos have visual appeal that can evoke emotional reactions from students that
would help in increasing motivation (Joint Information Systems Committee). With
these benefits in mind, streaming video is a new opportunity for educators to
bring online courses alive. Before creating digital video for streaming
purposes, the instructor needs to be certain that several factors exist. These
include ensuring that the developer has: (a) made the video in the proper
format, (b) access to a streaming media server, and (c) adequate bandwidth to
download and upload the video file. The hardware for creating video streaming
materials requires much of the same equipment for creating traditional digital
video no matter how the material is being used on the Web. These hardware and
software components include a video camera (analog or digital), video capture
card (e.g., Pinnancle System, AverMedia), video editing program (e.g., Adobe
Premiere, Final Cut Pro), video encoding software (e.g., Real Producer Plus, Discreet
Cleaner), a computer with a lot of storage space to store the video files, and
a high-speed network connection (Zachariah, 2001). Other equipment
considerations include (a) obtaining a tripod for reducing the amount of
movement that helps reduce the amount of work the encoder will have to do to
compensate for the movement, (b) obtaining a directional microphone that is
windproof to help reduce background noise, and (c)
ensuring adequate lighting (Joint Information Systems Committee,
2002).
Advantages
of using Streaming Video
There are many
advantages of using streaming video. Some of the advantages include (a) instant
play, (b) distributing live events, (c) delivering long-forms of media, (d)
multicasting to multiple viewers, and e) the easy creation of streamed files (Schmerbeck,
2000; Weiser, 2002). Other advantages that streaming video files can offer
educators are creating visually driven materials that are more appealing to
learners, helping educators handle volatile or quickly outdated materials
(e.g., CD-ROMs, tape) that can be stored into a searchable database, and create
synchronized presentations by having audio accompany still images, graphics, or
text (College of Extended Education, 2003). However, individual control of
pacing is the main advantage of incorporating streamed videos into distance
learning courses. Control includes access, choice, and manipulation by the
students (Joint Information Systems Committee, 2002). With streamed videos,
students can access the material asynchronously and independent of their
location. Students are no longer bounded by the traditional classroom or the
library to view visual materials provided by the instructor. With streamed
videos, students can access the visual materials at home and at anytime.
Another control element is the choice over which material to observe on-demand.
Finally, being in charge of when to start, pause, skip, and review the visual
material is another way that students can contend with the material. In short,
the primary advantage of streaming video is the ability for students to
self-pace their learning.
Limitations of using Streaming Video
However, there are
drawbacks of streaming video that the instructor must consider. Inadequate
bandwidth to retrieve streamed files is one limitation (Reed, 2003; Schmerbeck,
2000). Video streams can be bandwidth intensive. Depending upon the Internet
traffic, users who have 56K modems or even cable/DSL connections may have
difficulty in terms of retrieving and playing streamed video. Internet
congestion can cause playback delays, and even living on a particular road or
street can influence the reception of streamed video connection (College of
Extended Education, 2003). In addition, competing technologies to control
standards is another obstacle for video streaming. Different vendors have set
their own standards in terms of video streaming and this has caused a problem
in that if a user does not have the right player, the video cannot be seen.
Finally, lack of training and technical support can prevent effective video
streaming use (Burnett, Maue, & McKaveney, 2002). If support and training
are not readily available, it is difficult to sustain streaming video in
academic institutions because of limited access to technology and knowledgeable
experts who can assist in maintaining and developing streamed video (Shepard,
2004). Equipment requirements, technical support, and network infrastructures
need to be firmly in place before any quality video streaming projects can
occur. Therefore, it is vital that these
resources are made available to take advantage of what streaming video can
offer to education. Video
streaming allows online instructors the opportunity to deliver alternative
course materials to students who are not campus-bound.
A discussion board is a tool which allows
groups to communicate online. It is quite similar to e-mail, but is separate
from your e-mail account and is accessed, stored and organized centrally. The
entire group can read all the messages. You can read old messages or post new
messages at any time. A discussion board
is made up of ‘forums’ – folders containing messages on a particular subject,
‘threads’ – each thread is a series of messages about the same topic, and
‘messages’ – each message is an individual contribution to a conversation (like
a single e-mail). Online
discussions are often seen as a component of distance learning; however they
can also be useful for on-campus enhancement in a variety of ways including:
·
providing
materials for seminar work, in order to optimize class time
·
extending time for
discussion beyond scheduled class time to allow for reflection and further
comment
·
requiring students to
move beyond listening in a lecture, engaging them in critical debate on the
topic
·
providing an outlet
for students to pose questions and receive feedback, not only from the
instructor but also from other participants
·
allowing students to
share information or references with each other (book reviews, websites etc)
Advantages of using a discussion board
Discussion
boards can be used in many ways, but some principle advantages exist however
you use them. The main benefit of asynchronous (not real time communication is
that you can join and read forums at any time convenient to you, catching up
with messages already posted. You can reply at once, or go away and think about
your answer before coming back to reply; or indeed, as in a real discussion,
you can simply listen without contributing at all. Discussion boards are
generally archived, so you can print a particularly interesting or relevant
discussion, equally you can return to it at a later point when further
contributions may have been made.
Discussion
boards can be seen as impersonal, with no face-to-face interaction, however the
level playing field they create allows shyer students to contribute as equally
as more dominant personalities in the classroom. Should it prove necessary,
individual users can be temporarily ‘blocked’ from posting to allow others to
have their say. Additional features, such as enabling ‘anonymous’ posting,
ensure that ‘stupid’ questions can be asked with impunity.
One
of the fundamental outcomes found by the law school at Durham in its use of
discussion boards is the preparedness of participants to collaborate – not
something expected of traditionally competitive students.
Chat room
Discussion
board
The diagram below shows some
methods of communications that can be used.
“The instructional environment should be viewed as a system,
a relationship among all the components of that system – the instructor, the
learners, the material, and the technology.”
Simonson,
M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S.
(2012).
Reference
Hartsell, T., & Yuen, S. (2006). Video streaming in online
learning. AACEJournal, 14(1), 31-43.
Retrieved on March 10, 2012, from
http://digitalvideooverview.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/1/9/2019204/article_6152.pdf
Joint Information Systems Committee. (2002). Video streaming:
A guide for educational development. Manchester, UK: JISC Click and Go
Video Project.
Klass, B. (March 15, 2005). Streaming media in higher education:
Possibilities and pitfalls. Campus Technology (in print). Retrieved
November 4, 2005, from http://www.campus-technology.com
Simonson,
M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning
at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
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