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Column
E-learning progress
Electronically supported learning comes in many forms. A
wide variety of educators and schools use a broad range of tools
to enhance the classroom experience and education as a whole.
Here, this reporter will introduce three programs in which are
widely used in educational institutions around the globe.
• Wikispaces: A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages, enabling
anyone to contribute or modify content on the Internet. In other
words, a wiki is a virtual content management program where
anyone accessing the content can upload and exchange a range of
documents, files and videos. Adam Frey, one of the founders of
Wikispaces (a type of Wiki platform) highlights the educational value
of Wikispaces, "It's great for schools obviously as there are
endless groups in school, classrooms, clubs, study teams, faculty
groups, etc who need simple ways to work together. Anyone in the
organization can use Wikisapces to do their work in a connected
way.
• Edline: Edline, a Learning Manage-ment System (LMS) is used in
all 50 U.S. states and in over 70 countries globally. Its purpose? It's
pretty straightforward: instructors can upload tests, projects, assignment,
class syllabus, and progress reports. Edline is an important
tool in promoting parental involvement, supporting teachers,
and engaging the learning community.
• Blackboard Learning System: Blackboard is a virtual learning environment.
Its purposes are to add online elements to courses traditionally
taught in a traditional classroom setting and to develop
completely online courses. It has become a helpful tool in delivering
learning content, engaging learners, and measuring their performance.
(Grade Quick included)
The Taft's teachers are able to insure that every voice is heard and that every
perspective is valued and respected.
To e- or not to e-
Despite the rapidly developing technology in the arena of E-
Learning, prestigious schools in America continue to hold traditional
learning methods in high regard. For these schools, traditional
methods of education are believed to be a better way to promote
the true meaning of "open education" where the atmosphere
encourages the students to "interact" with the teachers. The
Taft School, a leading national coeducational boarding school in
Watertown, Connecticut has not adapted any of the e-learning
systems described above. Mr. Macmullen, the headmaster of Taft
stated, "Schools just cannot assume the benefits of technology.
The application of technology, at all costs, must accelerate learning.
Schools must use technology in a visionary and strategic approach
to school campus." Macmullen further states, "At an institution
like Taft, one is given a certain amount of independence.
There is no need for programs such as Edline, because it should
be left as the students' responsibility to actively ask teachers to
evaluate their performance." There are, of course, fervent advocates
of technologically-based learning in classrooms. Most notable
is the Korea International School, a co-educational international
school located in Gyeonggi Province. KIS has already implemented
a one-to-one laptop program, which "represents the ultimate
in technology infusion." The school sees the "introduction
of [such] program as a paradigm shift in how instruction is delivered."
Not surprisingly, KIS makes full use of Edline and arranges
frequent parent-teacher conferences in virtual space based on daily
reports of students' performance on homework assignments,
projects, tests, and grades. Learning Management System, however,
is placing a greater responsibility on the teachers to serve the
students as, in effect, a perfect "secretary". The thinking is that future
generation students won't be responsible for keeping a record
of assignments in a homework log because they will be typed
neatly for them on Wikispaces. Parents won't ever have to ask
their children about the current status of their grades because they
will be able to log onto Edline and check for themselves when
ever they like. With a smart phone, parents can immediately send
an e mail or text message to their child's teacher at the moment
when a question arises. Therefore, ubiquitous education cannot
be achieved without ubiquitous teachers. So to what degree
should a government consider development of e-Education?
Students in Wonderland
Having a 3D image of an oak tree on page 3 of a digital biology
textbook, would this be a distraction or a great visual aid for students?Performing
a virtual dissection on a pig through simulation
software, would this eco-friendly, not to mention animal-friendly,
solution be better for students in terms of education itself? Many
wondering voices of parents have been shared at the site of e-
Learning Week. As opposed to applying advanced technology to
educational fields, government should set a clear purpose for e-
Learning. As the ultimate goal of e-Government is to encourage
citizen participation in problem solving, the question of to what
extent are we going to allow the merge of technology in education
must be examined, in order to establish effective guidelines.
Andrew Yoo / infor@koreaittimes.com
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