Integration of Blogs & Wikis in Education

The integration of blogs and wikis over the last decade has increased dramatically. It has evolved so quickly because of it's appeal to students looking to be presented with new ways of acquiring and communicating views and information to others. It has opened up so many ways to supplement teaching with a variety of uses and value that can allow instruction to be more meaningul to the student. When this happens, the teacher may experience not only a better environment for relating information, but a new sense of motivation as well.

A lot of the times, when the students are utilizing the tools to complete a given task, the teacher may also be learning right along with them. In fact, many students today know more about how to use these tools because of the advancements they grew up in. It is that connection and correlation that can create better sense of community and that can provide a more positive outlook when learning about any subject. Lastly, "because of their ease of use and rapidity of deployment, they offer the opportunity for powerful information sharing and ease of collaboration" (Boulos, Maramba & Wheeler, 2006). It is that confidence that empowers us all to further our learning process.

References:

Bolous, M.N., Maramba, I., & Wheeler, S. (2006). Wikis, blogs and podcasts: A new generation of web-based tools for virtual collaborative clinical practice and education. BMC MedicalEducation, 6(41), from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/6/41.

CBT's and WBT's for E-Learning

Review and Discussion of Lekan Quadri's Blog

"CBT/WBT can be used as alternative or supplement to expensive conventional courses and lectures, seminars, trainings or workshops. Adapting the framework for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional multimedia is that of extend version of Kirkpatrick’s (1996) four levels of evaluation introduced by Schenkel. It begins to appear in academic institutions using for instruction. The evaluation show various recommendation for computer base/web base learning from assessing learning, reaction and attitude, behavior change in the intended environment, and assessing results and return on investments (ROI)."

My Summation

I think that this student did a great job focusing on specific aspects and utilizing examples of various sample CBT and WBT programs. I think many would agree that these programs offer a useful and meaningful suppemental value in relation to supplemental practices. Many pertinent companies and academic institutions have caught on to the advantages that can increase when using various modes of instruction to meet the needs of all individuals. I thought it was good that the author of the blog above included statistical and informational data to back up their claims and statements, which showed that the author did research their topic in one way or another. It does seem that it is very important to evaluate the workers reactions and attitudes towards these types of programs to continually make them better and more engaging for the future.

References

Quadri, L. (2007 September 24). Computer based and web based education and training.

Message posted to

http://lekanquadri.blogspot.com/2007/09/wk-3-personal-reflection-computer-based.html.

Evolution of Technology In Education!

I think it is amazing how far we have come as a society when it comes to the evolution of technological tools and use in education. Many theorists have such innovative ideas on how to utilize technology in new and vibrant ways to reach all of the learning styles and modes of each and every individual student. Walczak (2003) has many wonderful depictions of what a truly engaging classroom can be in her ideas on "Adventure Learning." This type of learning allows students to become more independent in their thinking and processes to complete given tasks. It also allows a wide variety of technological tools to choose from to best fit the way that they retain and acquire new information. Overall, these ideas show promising prospects of what is to come in the future and I cannot wait!

References:
Walczak, D. (2002). Encompassing education, pp. 60-64, In Department of Commerce. (2003).
Visions 2020: Transforming education and training through advanced technologies.
Government Report. Available at: http://www.technology.gov/reports/TechPolicy/2020Visions.pdf