Miles and all,
Its very good to see this thread being developed to focus on the
teaching/learning rather than the technology.
You might like to look at the analysis of 'value-add from ICT' that has been
done by the European Education Partnership - http://www.eep-edu.org and
click 'innovations Service'. This also focuses on the human aspects of
teaching/learning.
The analysis provides a good framework for looking across the various areas
in which VLEs/MLEs/learning platforms potentially can bring
teaching/learning benefits. So you can look at things you find particularly
relevant but also see the other areas where you might gain benefits.
Where a school/college wants to generate benefits is a matter for the
individual institution - different institutions will put the priority in
different places, depending on their educational philosophy, organisational
arrangements, catchment area, nature of students etc.
The thing that I am most pleased to see is the growing concentration on
functionality needed rather than technological affordance/opportunity. There
are thousands of different ways in which ICT can be used to benefit
teaching/learning - far too many to be able to make a sensible assessment
and to make decisions, if this is approached from the technology side. But
the human processes of teaching/learning and the functionality
needed/desired are only changing slowly and can provide a rational context
for technology assessment.
It is also good to see people making comparisons between learning
environments without VLEs/MLEs/learning platforms and those with - probably
the only way that the benefits of ICT to teaching/learning can be measured
is by comparison between the two - given that it is not possible to separate
'e-learning' from learning and given that you cannot isolate learning from
the societal and institutional changes happening around the teachers and
students.
Regards
Roger.
Roger Broadie,
Chief Executive,
European Education Partnership.
***PLEASE NOTE NEW FAX NUMBER***
PO Box 18, Chatteris,
Cambs, PE16 6YH, UK.
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www.eep-edu.org
tel: +44 1 354 695583
fax: +44 1 354 696647
on 10/25/05 16:50, Miles Berry at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Our model has been to take at least some of the best things about our
> vaguely constructivist classroom practice and to use the technology to
> make them available to our learners at home too. For example:
>
> * Just as they are encouraged to talk about the things studied in class,
> to share their insights, and to ask for help from one another or their
> teacher, so on-line discussion forums, synchronous chat and messaging
> makes this possible at home too;
>
> * As in class when there's the opportunity for instant feedback on their
> work, so with online assessment this becomes a reality for homework too,
> at least in those subjects where this is practical;
>
> * As at school they have the opportunity to access a range of resources,
> reference material, reinforcement or extension activities, so the VLE
> makes these availablt to them at home: we've taken the line of providing
> rather than requiring, hopefully encouraging some degree of learner
> autonomy and providing a more personalized approach to resource provision;
>
> * In class, they have the opportunity to look back over the work we've
> done, or to ask to go over something again, so by making audio and board
> work available for download as flash movies, they can look back at the
> lesson at home - and indeed any absentees can keep up with the class; and
>
> * as in class we may adopt a collaborative approach to a number of
> activities, so shared glossaries, some forum disuccsions and crucially
> wiki pages make this possible at home too.
>
> Miles.
>
> Andy Neil wrote:
>> Hello everyone
>>
> ...
>>
>> My problem, coming from a secondary school standpoint, is that I'm
>> about to begin 'selling' the concept of a VLE to staff. It really is
>> going to be a case of how the VLE is going to improve teaching and
>> learning. What will be the benefit to teachers of devivering course
>> content through a VLE? And I'm not really talking about improved
>> performance by pupils here, I'm talking more about the direct
>> benefits to teachers such as saving time, reducing workload etc.
>>
>> So come on everyone! What's the best thing that you've done with a
>> VLE? I've got a few ideas of my own, but would be keen to hear from
>> anyone with a bit of experience in what has to be the most important
>> area of enhanced teaching and learning.
>>
>
> --
> Miles Berry
> Deputy Head
> St Ives School, Haslemere
> www.stiveshaslemere.com
>
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