Classroom of Tomorrow

How will the future of technology change the educational environment?
Let's look at some new forms of communication, and how those might apply to instruction:

The hot item on many Christmas wishlists this year are virtual reality sets. Many, like the Oculus Rift or Samsung Gear allow you to slip your current (compatible) smart phone into a wearable headset, add noise canceling headphones, and you're instantly in another world.

The videos of new users are quite amusing, they feel like they are riding virtual roller coasters and react accordingly: screaming or nearly falling out of their chairs as the experience is so engaging and realistic. Others are clearly overwhelmed or terrified, depending on the video. I don't think I could handle playing a horror game in this format; I'm a side-seat couch screamer at most games my husband plays as it is!

  

But let's look at how this could be used in the classroom! Instead of watching video lectures, we could immerse ourselves into a virtual but very realistic classroom, dissecting bodies w/o ever picking up a real knife. In fact, one aspect of this is already in practice in many places:

https://www.ted.com/talks/jack_choi_on_the_virtual_dissection_table
http://www.anatomage.com/portfolio-item/anatomage-table/
http://www.medgadget.com/2014/04/virtual-reality-dissection-system-helps-study-anatomy-spare-a-cadaver-video.html

Now imagine combining these two technologies...not only could you move around a body, you could see through it like an MRI and diagnose the problem by reading the symptoms inside and out. You could shrink down and fly INTO it, much like my beloved The Magic School Bus show.

I think these types of tools will soon become the norm, as there are so many applications, from 3D models (don't just draw it, sculpt it!), to walking tours in Aztec ruins together using 360 cameras, or even flying into outer space to watch a star collapse.

If I could "check in" to a classroom via a virtual reality headset, hear the lecture, see examples, and actually hear feedback responses (recorded from previous students), I'd definitely spend more time on the class! It's funny, we distance ourselves for convenience, yet we yearn for more connectivity that is so readily available in "real life." If I could build my work schedule around classes on campus, I'm still not sure that I would. Being an older student in the class, I definitely felt out of my comfort zone, and sitting behind the computer allows me to answer more honestly, at my own pace, and with the aid of internet research and editing tools. I can ask questions without feeling like all eyes are staring at me, and I can submit a paper at 11 pm if I need to, unlike many physical classes.

I think the future will see a merging of the two: more options for connecting and communicating at our own pace, but with more realistic feedback and interaction as the virtual world merges more seamlessly with the real one. Tomorrow's classroom can not only happen anywhere in the world through technology, but it could be any time period, and at any scale.

Using the Technology: Classrooms Then and Now

I came from an age of chalkboards and dry erase boards. The mimeograph was run by hand crank to copy our tests in this awesome smelling purple ink. The early printers were loud, slow, and had perforated edges you had to rip off, just as annoying as a spiral bound notebook. When the overhead projector came along teachers could write their notes in marker or print them on clear sheets that could be cleaned and reused. Often a class of tilted heads tried to follow along around shadow arms and smeared words. The highlight of education was when the TV cart was rolled out, and we watched a VHS (then DVD) of an educational Discovery video.

To say the least, we've come a long way baby.

Websites and programs allow students and teachers to share information in a wide variety of formats and inclusion styles. Google Drive allows you to share and collaborate work on documents, slides (powerpoints), and spreadsheets.

Nearly all my son's classrooms have Promethean boards, an interactive whiteboard system that combines a screen with the computer, allowing instant access and delivery of notes, and even interaction with the board through digital pens or multi-touch screens.

https://www.prometheanworld.com/products/interactive-whiteboard-systems/

Students use Noodle Tools for everything from annotated bibliographies to getting feedback on their papers. It aids my son in research projects by making the gathering of information easier to decipher, organize, and share.

http://www.noodletools.com/

Websites like Quizlet and Kahoot uses online games created by students and teachers as study guides to reinforce the content in a more engaging environment. Kahoot even lets you submit your answers through your phone, and the teacher's host computer logs the responses. It's a great way to reevaluate the notes you've taken, and can even search other notes and study guides from others in the same class. Like Wikipedia, there's the chance of finding incorrect information, but a matching game of definitions to terminology is so much more engaging than just glancing over one's notes again.

https://quizlet.com/
https://getkahoot.com/

Colleges are using clickers as a way to get instant feedback from students during lectures, as pop-quizzes can be answered, recorded, and graded live.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=727409&page=1

There are so many new technologies every day that access our love of technology, and use it to merge the information we need with the flexibility of different learning styles. I'm so impressed with the technology my son's public school has access to, and I'm actually jealous of the innovations I've yet to use.

Cons of Online Education: Is There Anybody Out There?

Online classes do have a few disadvantages. Looking beyond the problem of financial or physical access, there is also the problem of distance to your distance learning.

You don’t have that college experience, that’s for sure. That can be both a pro and a con. But there’s also isolation away from students and professors in general.

I had one class that was basically self-automated; I’m not sure there was even anyone running it, as ghost professor never posted any announcements past the introduction, was not one to respond readily to questions, discussion boards, or emails. And he didn’t give any feedback on grades or assignments. There were mandatory discussion board posts, but they didn’t have any real meaning, just answer the question posed, respond to a classmate. Really, it felt like you were on your own, left to watch videos that were recorded who knows how long ago, testing on material straight from the book. It was boring, not at all engaging, and more than a bit frustrating.

You also have a lack of true communication between other students. While there may be required discussion board posts, do you really have a full conversation online? In 140 words or less, can we really debate the pros and cons of a topic? And is there any real discussion happening when the teachers are grading based a student responding with the “correct” static answer response? I relish the few TAs who give actual feedback, but in an online class of faceless hundreds, I imagine it’s hard to humanize the screen and get real responses; often you just get grades. It’s difficult to read every post (150 or more) to find someone actually engaged in the topic, and you may be posting a response days later, with either no answer back or the post is closed for the next chapter.

This completely limits exchange of thought exploration. I love the classes where current videos or news articles are shared. It lets me know they’re actively engaged in the curriculum and class each semester. They encourage emails or links from students when we find interesting related material. I got more out of that class than 6 before it.

Teachers who set up online classes need to understand, it is still possible to connect with your students. Even if you don’t see their faces, hear their voices and let them have an educational outlet instead of just regurgitation. This goes for education at every level, and can be a struggle in face-to-face learning as well. I think it can be very easy for teachers to do the work once and just keep repeating the same information without furthering the content or encouraging critical thinking.

Here are a few more articles that further explore some of the cons of online education:

http://blog.udacity.com/2015/04/3-challenges-facing-online-education-today.html

http://wp11.americanobserver.net/2011/10/a-changing-virtual-face-of-education-pros-and-cons/

http://education.seattlepi.com/disadvantage-online-learning-communities-1331.html

Pros of Online Learning: No more paper, no more books....

Many people argue that technology has changed how we learn and what students produce in the way of content. I wholeheartedly agree, but I think that change has been for the better.

Most of my online education has been through utilizing Blackboard. This website allows many schools to share class content through a variety of outlets. I personally have used the following:

• announcements
• video lectures
• PDF or Word syllabus, notes, assignment instructions
• PowerPoint notes
• discussion boards (whole class and group forums)
• Turnitin (checks for plagiarism)
• grades 
• teacher, aide, or student emails
• external links, videos
• FSU and shared Libraries (JSTOR)
• Google Earth

I have to say, the flexibility a teacher has to share content was quite surprising. While I may not be in a class room and I've rarely entered a teacher's office, I have face-to-face lectures I can pause, playback, continue after dinner, or screenshot images for my notes. This alone was a fantastic gain in the education field. I don't have to try to record a lecture, or type while they're talking, distracted by other students or ideas. 

My poor, horrible handwriting no longer has to be viewed by others. All of my papers are typed up and submitted online, with plenty of resources to make sure I have a correct reference page layout and spelling has been corrected.

I've even had a few classes where there are no required textbook purchases (hallelujah); they are able to convey the message with different mediums: web videos, scanned pdf pages, or articles and journals available online. It takes me seconds to start my research for a project with a few clicks, rather than hours in a library.

I feel I waste less time taking classes online; when I sit down to watch a video lecture I'm focused on that quiet screen, no coughing or fire alarms to distract me; I can pause it to do something else and come back to it later if need be, having not missed a word. 

We may even be getting better at getting our point across by communicating online. No more stutters or stammers, our anxiety fades away in the safety of our own home with the ability to edit before the post. We are often required to interact with students on discussion boards. And while this guided conversation can be a bit limited, it does cut down on non-topic wandering.

According to the article below, our new ways of learning is not hindered by our texting-prone minds; our reports have fewer spelling errors than our grandparents, we are writing longer papers, and faster. 

http://daily.jstor.org/student-writing-in-the-digital-age/

Our technologies have changed and so has our learning styles, and I see nothing but promise in a future of options. There are so many opportunities and ideas to share, we just have to seek it out.

Internet Courses: Windows of Opportunity

I’ve been on a long, slow road to complete my college degree. I had my son young, work full time, and missed the whole traditional college route. I started taking two courses a semester for my AA degree at Tallahassee Community College, but the long hours on campus in the evenings after a full eight-hour day working was really stretching me thin and I was running out of patience. I had very little time left at home, and it seemed more of a waste of my precious time to drive, park, sit in class, drive, get home, get dinner, get my son to bed, and finally crack a book. I was making more of an effort to get to class than I was studying and doing the actual work. I finally finished my AA after four years but got frustrated, so I ended up taking another break to focus on my job and child.

Once I decided I was ready to pursue my Bachelor’s of Science at Florida State University, I knew I’d need to take a different approach. I had completed a blended class previously (a program that is taught partially in class and partially online), and I really loved the freedom the online learning gave me. I build as much of my schedule around online or distance learning courses as I could and never looked back. I get so much more done, and even though there may actually be MORE work to online classes, the time saved driving and the flexibility of working on my school work whatever free time I have has been well worth the extra cost and different teaching style. E-Learning has become a bright beacon to many adult students who have little free time but want to better their careers. Below is a link to an article with similar stories.

http://www.workingmother.com/career-advice/back-school-yes-we-mean-you

However, the allure of online courses is not just enticing the non-traditional students (older, working, back to college group); the fresh from high school and graduate students are also flocking to the flexibility of distance learning. We live in an internet world, and today’s students are quite content with watching lectures online, posting to discussion boards or emailing classmates, and submitting digital papers rather than physical ones. Online courses support one of Francis Cairncross’ Trendspotters Guide theories: through the “death of distance” students can learn whatever they want, whenever they want, from the comfort of their own homes. Colleges have matched this increased interest in internet-based higher education with an increase in e-course offerings. There are a number of degrees you can complete online now. You can take individual classes online, or you can take your entire degree online.

This link has a short video describing their distance learning programs

https://distance.fsu.edu/experience-fsu-online

Check out the link below to see FSU’s current Distance Learning Graduate Programs

https://distance.fsu.edu/students/graduate-programs

Initial Post: Topic Submission

For my Mini Project 2 post, I'm selecting topic option number three: Virtual Education.

I've taken almost all of my bachelor's degree online, and quickly grew to prefer e-Education over classroom learning. I personally feel there are more strengths than weaknesses to this mode of education, and more possibilities in internet-based education in years to come.

I'll use this blog to discuss both the merits of usage of software like Blackboard, but also the downfalls of what I'm missing in traditional face-to-face learning. I'd also like to explore other types of virtual education, such as use of Virtual Reality sets, and hope to find interesting articles and videos online that help me form a well-rounded opinion of the use of new technology in education.