Interactive class Essay Example For Students

Interactive class Essay How to Go From Class-Room to Web-Room as Painlessly as PossibleBy Rik Hall, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New BrunswickGetting your course onto the World Wide Web (WWW) is best done using a systematic approach. There are a number of steps that need to be taken prior to starting any of the actual web work. Meetings should be held with various groups within your institution. Once the actual coursework is begun, there are some essential components and some optional components. There are specific skills and talents that you either need to acquire or you need to access. Each web-based course is unique, but they often have many components in common. Some are essential, others may be optional. Resources can be found on your campus, from the many web companies and from the web itself. World Wide Web, WWW, Distance Education, HTML, Web-Based InstructionThe number of degree credit courses available on the World Wide Web (WWW) has increased at the same astonishing rate as other activities on the WWW. There are some specific steps that can be taken that will help to transport the professor from the idea stage to the delivery of a course over the WWW. Also, just like any other educational technology, web-based instruction works better for some situations than others. Web-based instruction is useful when you want to create a virtual environment which is not easily or, perhaps, safely accessible. An example is sending learners to a virtual nuclear lab or on a virtual tour of the Louver in Paris. Web-based instruction it allows learners to gain knowledge and skill more effectively than traditional methods. Simply transferring material such as lecture notes to the web is not using the technology to its best advantage. Lengthy text such as lecture notes are, in fact, best p rinted because most learners experience eye strain and sensory disinterest reading long passages of text on a screen. Some specific situations tend to lend themselves to web-based instruction. You want to encourage communication through conferencing. Through internet conferencing learners may participate in discussions or group work with one another with or without the participation of the instructor. Role plays, simulations of historical events and debates are also examples of how learning can be facilitated through the conferencing option. You want learners to use source documents to complete assignments such as conducting an analysis or designing a project. These source documents may not be readily available to learners or perhaps, based on the assignment, will not be equally significant to all the learners. For example, you may ask learners to research and analyze issues pertaining to Canadian elections. To complete the assignment, various learners may access archived information such as newspaper and journal articles which specifically relate to their particular interest or point of view. One example is a site operated by the University of Victoria (http://web The Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass: T EssayThese are places where people can interact. Student-to-student, student-to-teacher and teacher-to-student or teacher to the entire class. These are sections on the web that students go to and are able to read messages and participate in on-line, asynchronous conversations. 7.2.1.2.6 Interactive real time two-way audio or videoThere are numerous pieces of software available now that allow desktop two-way video and audio. These tend to require very high bandwidth, and because they are real-time they require the participating parties to all be on the web at the same time. This is a place where your marking scheme can be listed. It is also a place where you can post marks or assignments in (if you have a secure server that only your class can access). As each week progresses, or just prior to each weeks work, students may need to have the equivalent of lecture notes to supplement what is covered in the text book, or what has been assigned on the web. Some web software will allow you to put the all the notes on the web site and as certain dates arrive, students then have access to the notes. These may be essential, depending upon your requirements. These may be as sound files (.WAV or .AU), audio streaming (Real Audio, Soundstream, Shockwave) or MIDI files. These may be as animated .GIFs, QuickTime, Shockwave or Java applications. 7.2.2.3 Quizzes, especially self-correcting quizzesThese may be as part of a web educational software (WebCT) or can be developed by yourself or your institution. These may be as included as text pages or may be referenced to other sites. This is one area where copyright can really come into play. The cost of clearing copyright on a set of Harvard business case studies can be out of the question. These may be as QuickTime video or may be done with the new Real Video that allows real-time video streaming. These will allow you to maintain and provide access to databases over the web. These may be as simple as step-by-step instructions for any topic with branching provided to additional sites. They can also be we intelligent tutorials with on-line interactive testing. An open server will allow anyone, anywhere on the web to access your information. A secure server will only allow persons with some type of authorization code to access your information. (This list does not constitute an endorsement on anyones part. These resources are a jumping off points to help you get your course on the web.) Please do not overlook the many resources on your own campus. This site has links to courses, resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which type and format of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or idiosyncrasies, and much more. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 8.2 Conferences, on-line or face-to-faceNAWeb 98 The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference is in its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing courseware for delivery on the WWW or for those delivering courseware over the WWW. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/8.3 Books, listservs and associationsBadrul Khans Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1997) is quite good. I host the WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400 members from around the world developing for delivery over the WWW or actually delivering courseware over the WWW. The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all aspects of distance education. You can join that one by sending this message DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance Education community by The American Center for the Study of Distance Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions expressed are those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State. The Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often helpThe Association for Media and Technology in Education Canada (AMTEC) is another favorite of mine. Use every and any resource you can. Join groups for support, and support others in similar projects. This is a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just as fast as it is emerging. Here is where you add ideas you pick up at the conference. Bibliography:This site has links to courses, resources, helper sites that aid you in choosing which type and format of media to use, sites that check your HTML for errors or idiosyncrasies, and much more. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/resources.html 8.2 Conferences, on-line or face-to-faceNAWeb 98 The Virtual Campus (October 3-6, 1998). This international conference is in its fourth year. It is intended solely for those developing courseware for delivery on the WWW or for those delivering courseware over the WWW. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/naweb98/8.3 Books, listservs and associationsBadrul Khans Web-Based Instruction (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 1997) is quite good. I host the WWWDEV listserv. This listserv hosts the NAWeb conferences, and has 1400 members from around the world developing for delivery over the WWW or actually delivering courseware over the WWW. http://www.unb.ca/web/wwwdev/The DEOSNEWS listserv is involved in all aspects of distance education. You can join that one by sending this message SUBSCRIBE DEOSNEWS your nametoemailprotectedThis is who and what they are:DEOS-L is a service provided to the Distance Education community by The American Center for the Study of Distance Education, The Pennsylvania State University. Opinions expressed are those of DEOS-L subscribers, and do not constitute endorsement of any opinion, product, or service by ACSDE or Penn State. The Canadian Association for Distance Education (CADE) can often helphttp://www.cade-aced.ca/The Association for Media and Technology in Education Canada (AMTEC) is another favorite of mine. http://www.camosun.bc.ca/amtec/Use every and any resource you can. Join groups for support, and support others in similar projects. This is a rapidly emerging field, and it is evolving and growing just as fast as it is emerging. 8.4 OtherHere is where you add ideas you pick up at the conference.