Sunday, September 23, 2012

Week 3 - Selecting Distance Learning Technologies: Interactive Tours

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Week 3 Blog Post: Selecting Distance Learning Technologies
Example 2: Interactive Tours
James Landon

I chose example 2 this week: interactive tours of museums for high school students. This example involves a high school history teacher on the west coast. This teacher wants her students to take a “virtual tour” of two prominent museums in New York City and interact with the museum curators as well as see the art work on display. Then, students will choose two works of art and analyze them.

There are a variety of technology options available to this instructor to allow this lesson to be a success. First, this teacher should use a live video/audio connection combined with a live chat option. This will allow the teacher and the students on the west coast to communicate and interact effectively with the museum curators in New York. Next, the technology used should also include file sharing options that make high quality photos and video available to all students through a secure connection. Finally, these should all be available through an inexpensive online workspace that is secure and that museum curators, teachers, and students in the classroom all have access to.

The live two-way video and audio should be implemented through live video streaming over the Internet rather than through a closed network such as a fiber-optic line or compressed video over phone lines. The distance is too great, the hardware is not established at both sites, and the infrastructure is not adequate. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012) explain that video telecommunications systems are costly and cumbersome. This teacher could use live two-way video streaming over the Internet to connect the museum curator with students. Then, the students and teacher can interact directly with these professionals, ask questions, and all parties will have the added benefit of viewing visual cues and making adjustments to instruction accordingly. Simonson et al. (2012) describe the importance of visual cues by writing that the cues “give instructors insights that help them personalize the instruction” (p.154).

Next, the teacher should use an online workspace that provides a space for museum curators to upload images of the art works and share them securely with students. There are dozens of sites that are free and secure that offer this to teachers. These sites are sometimes called a “wiki” or a “blog.” According to Beldarrain (2006), these are part of a new generation of social web sites that allow more collaboration and interaction.  The site needs to be secure due to the copyright nature of the art work images that are being transferred as well as student privacy. A wiki or a blog site would provide a space to view the images of the art work and then submit a comment that would analyze the elements in the art work, provide insight into the artists’ technique and motivations, as well as critique the art work based on the goals and objectives of the course.

Finally, I have suggested two sites among dozens that provide both audio/video/chat conferencing and media sharing: WizIq and Vyew. These two sites have minimal costs, require only basic hardware and software that is commonly found on most computers, and provide all the necessary features. Both of these sites provide a secure classroom space for students to login, view files, collaborate and share ideas, and link to each other and others via chat, voice, and/or video.

According to the WizIq (http://www.wiziq.com/) Virtual Classroom website, students and teachers can “see facial expressions, hear multiple voices,” and presenters can “pass the microphone or webcam around with a single click and adjust video quality” (WizIq, 2012).  In addition, Cruthers (2012) gives an example of how she used WizIq in her high school classroom to “bring in outside educators on topics in which I do not have particular expertise.” She goes on to describe her lesson that involved a live distance connection with an expert in American History to do a presentation and then question and answer session. “My students raised questions and got answers live. This was truly a rewarding experience as I was able to expose my students to this document in a multi-dimensional way” (Cruthers, 2012).

The second tool I would suggest is Vyew (http://vyew.com/s/). This site is very similar to WizIq and allows users to share information including audio, video, and chat in real time. According to the Vyew website, users can “upload course content for real-time and anytime collaborative and active learning” (Vyew, 2012).  Students can view images, post annotations, and collaborate with each other, the teacher, and the museum curators using live chat, audio, and video features.  According to the Vyew website (Vyew, 2012), teachers can conduct classes and lessons in “real time using a shared workspace, webcam, voice over IP, free teleconferencing, text chat, and desktop sharing.” All this is available with no downloads, or software installs. It is entirely online. Finally, Frierson (2012) explains that this “incredible new tool delivers TRUE DISTANCE LEARNING at your fingertips” and he goes on to describe how Vyew can be used to utilize a “computer microphone and standard web cameras to see and speak with your students regardless of where they are” (Frierson, 2012).

I believe that the high school history teacher in the example should utilize one of these two systems to provide live video, audio and chat from “coast to coast”. This teacher should also utilize the collaboration and Web 2.0 features of these two systems to create an instructional environment and educational experience that is extremely effective, engaging, and will support a higher level of learning in the classroom.

References

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153. doi:10.1080/01587910600789498

Cruthers, D. (2012, June 12). Blended learning: Reaching digital natives in the mainstream classroom, part 2. [Blog message]. Retreived from: http://blog.wiziq.com/blended-learning-reaching-digital-natives-in-the-mainstream-classroom-part-2/

Frierson, R. (2012, September 17). Change your Vyew on distance learning. [Blog message]. Retrieved from: http://schooldesk.net/ContactUs/OurBlog/tabid/11163/EntryId/17/Change-your-Vyew-on-Distance-Learning.aspx

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

WizIq. (2012). Virtual classroom software for live, online classes. Retrieved from http://www.wiziq.com/Virtual_Classroom.aspx

Vyew. (2012). Uses for vyew: Educate and train. Retrieved from Vyew website at: http://vyew.com/site/product/vyew-in-action/uses-education/
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