...school is a relatively new wave. Online schools have become ideally suited to meet the needs of government officials, politicians, calling for school choice, high school reform and preparation for the 21st century workforce. The growing numbers of students learning online and the importance of online learning as a solution to educational differences has increased the demand to study more closely the factors that effect learning in a virtual school environment. Many students who have participated and who participate in online education programs are attracted to online schooling because it offers advantages over a classroom based program. The benefits of distance (online) education for youth are increasing in enrollment is because these educational programs are reaching undeserved regions and districts, broadening educational opportunity for students who are unable to attend a traditional setting, are not accessible to resources and the teachers are not available locally which creates a better student teacher communication. Students in virtual schools showed greater improvement that their conventional school counterparts in critical thinking, researching, using computers, learning independently, problem-solving, creative thinking, decision-making, and time management (Barker & Wendel, 2001). Academic advantages over traditional classroom instruction were demonstrated by students in Mexico’s Telesecundaria program, who were “substantially more likely than other groups...
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...is their learning? In this current century, a good amount of colleges offers online classes. In my opinion online courses are not as effective as in-person classes, or could I be wrong? Let’s examine both points of view. The use of computer learning has increased over the last years, and it continues to grow dramatically across the globe. The articles I will be referencing are “Technology and Education” and “New Online Instruction Models Redefine Class Time” both come from credible source Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context which help students prepare research an subject matters that are widely important Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context is well known for providing more than 300 primary source documents, periodical articles, court-case overviews, statistics and contains more than 700 Greenhaven Press, Gale, Macmillan Reference USA™, Charles Scribner’s Sons® and U·X·L titles. Both articles were selected because they both point out the information necessary for the research needed. The University of Phoenix also presents these articles from their internal sources for student review. Technology has changed much of our daily life and now it is changing the way we educate our students. Professor Bergmann says, “students can't just "watch the video and be done with it." He checks their notes and requires each student to come to class with a question.” This is an effective way for students to pay attention in class, not just watch the lessons. The more students interact in...
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..."Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes" In the article written by Lynette Nagle, Seugnet , and Johannes Cronje "Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes" they talk about a wide array or reasons why students have done well or run into some learning barriers while taking online courses. As a professor with a Ph.D. in Computer-Integrated Education, Nagel understands participation in an online course and staying current with all assignments was what they needed to become more self-driven, empowering there initiative and interacting more freely between the other students along with them. Such as, in this course we learn and write about topics posed to us for all to see and read. We also form a dialogue/debate amongst each other with our responses. Once completed, the study which involved an eight week long elective course that encompassed a wide range of age groups along with different socio-economic and geographical areas, Nagel’s theory proved to be correct. That when it came to the course or assignments given, not all participants had to be involved with the other students or professors, but it was key to have open forums for discussions and debate with all the members of the class. Virtual classrooms were shown, having online areas where students could have discussions, not only yielded positive results from the students that are doing well in the class to forming a sense of unity and bond with everyone...
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...learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), computer-based instruction (CBI), computer-based training (CBT), computer-assisted instruction or computer-aided instruction (CAI), internet-based training (IBT), web-based training (WBT), online education, virtual education, virtual learning environments (VLE) (which are also called learning platforms), m-learning, and digital educational collaboration. These alternative names emphasize a particular aspect, component or delivery method. E-learning includes numerous types of media that deliver text, audio, images, animation, and streaming video, and includes technology applications and processes such as audio or video tape, satellite TV, CD-ROM, and computer-based learning, as well as local intranet/extranet and web-based learning. Information and communication systems, whether free-standing or based on either local networks or the Internet in networked learning, underly many e-learning processes.[1] E-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. It can be self-paced, asynchronous learning or may be instructor-led, synchronous learning. E-learning is suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but it can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term blended learning is commonly used. It is commonly thought that new technologies make a big difference in education.[2] Many proponents of e-learning believe that everyone must be equipped with basic knowledge of technology, as well as use it as...
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...Read-only participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Grand Canyon University: UNIV 501 9 July 2011 A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes This article explains the importance of participation, interaction, and communication in the virtual classroom between the students and instructors. Many students today are enrolling in online classes to continue their education. Inside the online classroom, students began to meet and greet through discussion forums. Once a relationship and trust has been established between the students and instructors, an online community has been formed within that classroom. Students and their instructors will learn, communicate, and interact with one another throughout the course. Initially, everyone starts out participating in the online discussion forums, but then the true slackers make their appearance apparent in the online classroom. Some students log into the classroom, but show little or no involvement in the classroom or lack input in the discussion forums. This eventually creates a big problem in the online classroom. Due to the lack of log ins, participation, and interaction dismantles the classroom as a whole. A research study was done to show how the students who participated very little could cause disorder in the online classroom community and risk online learning. Background Many education programs have become recognizable and...
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...Current Systems The current system that St John’s University has implemented caters to everyone in the college community. Their system covers from admissions through graduation and everything in between. One accesses their university information system through what they call St. John’s Central (stjohns.edu, 2013). Through the university’s website, St Johns Central provides internet access to manage many facets of one’s college career. According to StJohn.edu (2013), the University possesses a wide variety of technology systems, places, and services including: * Electronic Mail (E-mail) * Some helpful places to bookmark * Some important places for learning * Computing devices * Communication via the Network * Software * Collaboration and Storage Places * Student Support and Technical Consultation St John’s University provides access to e-mail by way of Microsoft Live 365’s system. Their e-mail can be accessed through their network on campus, but they also provide access to their e-mail system through mobile devices (tablets, smartphones), which eases the burden of communication between teachers and students and amongst other students in an effort of collaboration, so that one doesn’t have to be physically in school to log in to one of the university’s pc’s to view e-mails or to work on projects or other assignments. In today’s digital age, Cloud computing provides ease of access to the university’s network by, according to Laudon & Laudon(2012)...
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...Online Learning and Face-to-Face Contrast and Comparison When personal computers were introduced into the workforce, they were used to automate and simplify many of our work routines. With the growth and population of the computer, it was natural for the automation of training to follow. Many trainers began to look for ways to automate training, and ways to move traditional training to the computer. This was the dawn of electronic learning, more commonly referred to as e-learning. With the invention and explosion of the Internet and web browsers, many organizations and trainers have taken and are taking advantage of technology. Accessing training via the Internet is called online learning. Even though there is a difference between e-learning and online learning, most people think of online learning as any learning that involves a computer, whether the Internet is involved or not. For the sake of this paper, online learning refers to all types of interactive training that uses the Internet. As online training has evolved, organizations and trainers have come to learn that there are many similarities and differences when compared to face-to-face or formal training. Organizations and trainers have learned that most, if not all, of the content delivered in a face-to-face training can be delivered in an online training. In order to achieve success with online training, trainers should fully understand what online training and face-to-face trainings are and the differences between...
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...learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), computer-based instruction (CBI), computer-based training (CBT), computer-assisted instruction or computer-aided instruction (CAI), internet-based training (IBT), web-based training (WBT), online education, virtual education, virtual learning environments (VLE) (which are also called learning platforms), m-learning, and digital educational collaboration. These alternative names emphasize a particular aspect, component or delivery method. E-learning includes numerous types of media that deliver text, audio, images, animation, and streaming video, and includes technology applications and processes such as audio or video tape, satellite TV, CD-ROM, and computer-based learning, as well as local intranet/extranet and web-based learning. Information and communication systems, whether free-standing or based on either local networks or the Internet in networked learning, underly many e-learning processes.[1] E-learning can occur in or out of the classroom. It can be self-paced, asynchronous learning or may be instructor-led, synchronous learning. E-learning is suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but it can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term blended learning is commonly used. It is commonly thought that new technologies make a big difference in education.[citation needed] Many proponents of e-learning believe that everyone must be equipped with basic knowledge of technology, as well...
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...Article Summary With online education becoming more widely accepted and available around the world, many people wonder about the differences between traditional classrooms and virtual classrooms. One difference is student participation and communication. In a traditional classroom setting, some students are able to earn credit by just attending class, not necessarily participating in class discussions. What do those types of students look like in an online environment? Does their lack of participation affect the learning process for others? How does class participation equate to student success? With this case study, the authors sought to answer those questions exactly. More particularly, the study examined online students who fail to fully engage but are still able to show educational progress, referred to as read-only participants or ROPs (Nagel, Blignaut, & Cronje, 2009). The authors wanted to understand the connection between participation and communication and course success. They organized an eight-week online Masters course using WebCT as the learning management system (LMS). Twenty-two middle-aged students, from all over the world, participated in the course. Students were required to participate through class discussion via forum posts, group assignments, and other research. A collaboration rubric was created by the students as a group assignment and used by their peers to measure their group participation. After the course, the facilitators requested...
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...In the world today nothing is more confusing than choosing for your education. Considering, there are different ways to access a higher education, it is clear to see that understanding your options of traditional and online programs can certainly help you decide which method best meets your needs and individual situation. In Fact, looking at the benefits each option offers can guide you in making a responsible educational decision on which program is right for you. Even though obtaining a traditional education can be beneficial and similar to online education, the flexibility, environment, and length of class makes online a better decision. Looking further within the variables of flexibility, traditional education is considered to be very structured. The classes are set for specific times and days of the week without change. Undoubtedly, this can be very helpful when scheduling your everyday activities or goals. In addition, you know when you have to attend classes. In fact, attendance is a requirement; to receive an adequate lecture of course materials and information you need to be there to receive the appropriate knowledge to pass the class. Of course, disciplining yourself with your attendance, travel time to school, and organization of your life and education will guide you on a path to achieve a good traditional education. However, if a strict schedule through traditional education is more demanding of you, and you would prefer having a more flexible schedule, the convenience...
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...Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology Prepared by: Marianne Bakia Linda Shear Yukie Toyama Austin Lasseter Center for Technology in Learning SRI International January 2012 This report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Education under Contract number ED01-CO-0040 Task 0010 with SRI International. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education is intended or should be inferred. U.S. Department of Education Arne Duncan Secretary Office of Educational Technology Karen Cator Director January 2012 This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce this report in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the suggested citation is: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology, Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity, Washington, D.C., 2012. This report is available on the Department’s Web site at http://www.ed.gov/technology On request, this publication is available in alternate formats, such as Braille, large print, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternate Format Center at (202) 260-0852 or (202) 260-0818. Technical Contact: Bernadette Adams Senior Policy Analyst Office...
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...Summary - Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Tonia Ray Grand Canyon University: UNV-501 January 30, 2013 Summary - Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes More than ever, online classes are becoming a viable approach and solution for students pursuing undergraduate and secondary degrees. However, the accessibility to these classes does not guarantee all online students are receiving a quality education. Recent studies have shown that as online course enrollment increases, issues with assignment completion, lower quality work, and dropout rates have risen. One study revealed the drop-out rate for online students is 20 to 50% (Nagel, Blignaut, & Cronje, 2009), (as cited in Bernard et al., 2004). In their research, Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronje (2009) like Klemm (1998), Rovani, and Barnum (2003) felt it was essential to be participative in online discussions to be successful in a web-based learning environment. The study also revealed that within the virtual community of learners there exist two types of students that pose a risk to the online learning community, legitimate non-participation and inadvertent non-participation read-only participation. Legitimate non-participation students avoid the stage and are content observing others and contribute little to the success of the group. This type of student does not share personal learning experiences and feeds off group ideas...
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...TRADITIONAL LECTURE-BASED TEACHING WITH E-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY Nicholaus Thomas Andrade Hall Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield Western Bank,, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom José Miguel Baptista Nunes Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom ABSTRACT The objectivist nature of lecture -based teaching is often perceived to be unsuited to encourage deep learnin g and the acquisition of contextualised transferable skills. On the other hand, collaborative and active e -learning is seen to be an approach capable of fostering these highly desirable outcomes in the learning process. However, given the pragmatic needs and constraints of teaching and learning in Higher Education (HE), lectures are still the prevalent mode of imparting knowledge to students. In order to try and improve the learning experience of students undertaking a course in Information Systems, the research team, with considerable experience in online learning, tried to combine objectivist lectures with a moderate constructivist learning process facilitated by a WebCT online resource. This paper presents the design and development of such an e -learn ing environment and discusses how e -learning can be applied to complement and support traditional on-campus teaching. The e -learning resource aims at providing students with content materials, self-assessment facilities, case-study materials and infrastru ctures for online...
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...------------------------------------------------- Top of Form Effects of Technology on Education By Anton Lebedev | Submitted On January 22, 2010 4 1 Education has changed significantly in the last twenty years. One of the main reasons education has undergone so many changes is because of technological development. In 1990, computers and other forms of technology served a minimal role in the classroom. Today, many if not most college students attend class with a laptop. I am writing about some of the biggest advantages technology gave to education. Technology has made research much easier. Before online Encyclopedias, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and other online research tools were available, students were forced to spend numerous hours in the library. With the new tools, students can conduct research faster in the comfort of their homes. With Google and other search engines, students can find relevant information faster and more efficiently. Also, there is no more need for intensive memorization as information is more readily available. New also technology allows for a faster, more efficient, and more interactive classroom experience. With Powerpoint presentations and projectors, there is no need for blackboards and whiteboards. With clickers, students can take quizzes during the classroom. These developments also help improve tutoring services. Online tutoring programs are becoming available. One-on-one in-home tutoring programs are also being aided these developments. Tutors...
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...Abstract Background: Blended learning environments - involving both face-to-face and remote interactions - make it easier to adapt learning programs to constraints such as residents’ location and low teacher-student ratio. Social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook®, while not originally intended to be used as learning environments, may be adapted for the distance-learning part of training programs. The purpose of our study was to explore the use of SNS for asynchronous distance learning in a blended learning environment as well as its influence on learners’ face-to-face interactions. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study and carried out semi-structured interviews. We performed purposeful sampling for maximal variation to include eight general practice residents in 2nd and 3rd year training. A thematic analysis was performed. Results: The social integration of SNS facilitates the engagement of users in their learning tasks. This may also stimulate students’ interactions and group cohesion when members meet up in person. Conclusions: Most of the general practice residents who work in the blended learning environment we studied had a positive appraisal on their use of SNS. In particular, we report a positive impact on their engagement in learning and their participation in discussions during face-to-face instruction. Further studies are needed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of SNS in blended learning environments and the appropriation of SNS by teachers...
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