Last Blog!

1. “Distributed learning is any educational or training experience that uses a variety of means, including technology to enable learning.” As technology evolves, distributed learning is becoming an everyday possibility in the classroom. There are many examples of distributed learning, one being corporate distributed learning. Corporations are using distributed learning in online training courses. Using these types of trainings bring the cost way down, since traveling and substitutes to replace employees while they train are no longer necessary. Web-based training can track who has taken what, and how long they spent on each objective.
Another example is academic distributed learning. More and more classes are going online in the higher education sector. With the economy lagging, many people are choosing to return to school to improve their job attainability. Online courses are so convenient, especially for older students with families.
On that same note, virtual institutions are cropping up all over America. These universities are completely online. Registration, classes, student support, and even libraries and bookstores make up the “campus”. This makes it even more convenient for students; they never have to leave their home!
Not all classes in the universities must be completely online. Some are hybrids, requiring some onsite meetings to supplement their online coursework. This would be necessary in courses requiring hands-on training, such as nursing.
Finally virtual classes are being offered at the secondary level for students who need to make up missing credits.
2. Reusability is the ability to use the same resource multiple times in multiple ways and contexts. I couldn’t think of any of my coursework that didn’t teach me many things useful in the classroom. However, I have been to many trainings and professional developments that have poor reusability characteristics. The issues are mainly that the presentors have a power point, they hand out a copy of the slides, then proceed to spend hours upon hours reading the slides aloud. The power point includes no ideas for use in the classroom setting, or do not relate to my class. For a training to be successful, I need real examples that can be used in my curriculum.

3.
This was created with Voki and is the prologue to Romeo and Juliet. I thought the heart was a good representation of the story and wanted something to grab my students’ attention. It allows them to hear the prologue read aloud, and gives them an interesting preview of the play. My students really enjoyed this.
4. Nanotechnology is based on the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules to build structures to complex, atomic specifications. The example in the book explains “smart paper”. I think this could be used in lieu of regular paper in a classroom setting that is virtual.
5. The goals of both the strait and narrow and the broad and inclusive are the same: designing and using technology/resources to improve learning and performance. However, when it comes to the characteristics of each, I tend to follow the broad and inclusive road. The main reason is that this road allows for change, much more than the strait and narrow. This makes it easier to adapt when the technology being used is not working in the way it was expected. I think being open to change is extremely important. Also, using a full range of reasoned inquiry make it easier to search for options needed.