Coffee Break Guide - Educational Technologies

Last updated by: ccrews (Christina Crews) on 7 July 2011 - 11:41am

Educational technologies such as Web 2.0, social networking and video conferencing are increasingly becoming more popular for delivering course information and classes to students in a variety of formats.


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The flexible nature of these technologies allows for tutors and education facilitators to deliver teaching outcomes to cover a variety of individual learning styles.

Although these technologies are becoming more popular, some of the terms and jargon used in them can be difficult for academic staff to come to grips with.

Essentially, this guide is an introduction to educational technologies, and a list of possibilities for tutors or educational facilitators to consider in flexible delivery.
 

Blog
A Blog (an abridgement of the term "web log") is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Many blogs provide commentary on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media. Micro-blogging is another type of blogging which consists of blogs with very short posts.

Blogs may be public (even anonymous browsers can read them), or private (for reflective journals or private thoughts). Many educational blogs (edublogs) allow a student to share their blog with academic staff, but keep it private from the rest of the class.

Uses for this technology:

  • Student journal or diary
  • Daily or weekly recap of summary points
  • Image or text journey recording class progress
  • New resource repository - allowing a staged release of information and resources
  • Tracking progress of student projects
  • Timeline progression of work by students
  • Reflective student journal or diary
  • Peer review and feedback on student projects using blog comments fields.

Discussion Forum

An internet forum is a web application for holding discussions and posting user-generated content. It is a system which users may send, read and reply to messages on a particular subject.
A discussion forum is a web application for holding discussions and posting user-generated content. Discussion forums are also commonly referred to as Web forums, message boards, discussion boards, (electronic) discussion groups, internet forums, bulletin boards, fora (the Latin plural) or simply forums. The terms “forum” and “board” may refer to the entire community or to a specific sub-forum dealing with a distinct topic. Messages within these sub-forums then are displayed either in chronological order or as threaded discussions.

  • Uses for this technology
  • Focussed discussion around specific topics
  • Structured learning activity, with added feedback from the group
  • Question & Answer & FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)between students and tutors
  • Posting of related topics from students, backchannel
  • Posting of images / videos, the forum as an information portal for students
  • Brainstorming
  • Summarisation: feedback from students, with tutors able to change their delivery accordingly

Podcast
Apodcast is a series of digital-media files which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. The term podcast, like broadcast, can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a “podcaster”.

The term is a portmanteau of the words “iPod” and “broadcast”; the Apple iPod is the brand name of a portable media player for which the first podcasting scripts were developed. These scripts allowed podcasts to be automatically transferred to a mobile device after they are downloaded.

Uses for this technology:

  • Recording Lectures
  • Lectures in audio
  • Allows students to review information from classes
  • Supports mobile learning anywhere or anytime
  • Can strengthen information retention in conjunction with images
  • Reduces contact time – allowing for students to learn at their own pace
  • Podcasts can be aggregated for digital storytelling

Interactive Whiteboard

An interactive whiteboard is a large interactive display that connects to a computer and projector. A projector projects the computer’s desktop onto the board’s surface, where users control the computer using a pen, finger or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or on a floor stand.

Most interactive whiteboards capture annotations and emulate mouse and keyboard functions with varying degrees of accuracy. Users can click links and icons and, depending if the technology, support full mouse functionality: also control pop-ups, hints, hyperlinks and mouse-overs. The combination of a large, bright interactive surface offering, in some cases, complete control of any computer application and means they are ideal for integrating information technology into business meetings and group learning situations
Uses for this technology:

Used for interactive face-to-face learning activities in classes or lectures

  • Can be used as an interactive drawing or writing surface within the classroom
  • Demonstration of software applications
  • Reusability: interactive lectures can be saved and then reused or revisited by students
  • Additional features: Classroom response units used by students as remotes for answering questions.

 

SMS Text Messaging

Text messaging (texting) is the common term for the sending of “short” (160 characters or fewer) text messages from mobile phones using the Short Message Service (SMS). It is available on most digital mobile phones and some personal digital assistants with on-board wireless telecommunications. The individual messages which are sent are called text messages, or in the more colloquial text speak ”texts”.
Uses for this technology:

  • Texting students exam results
  • Course updates
  • Student Notifications: tests, overdue books, campus closures, tutor sick, venue change, reminders (general administration)
  • Key points of latest lecture
  • Keyword summaries of lectures
  • Phone camera: students sending images / info back to tutors as part of assessment
  • Students texting tutors for absence from class
  • Setting up appointments
  • Numeracy and literacy key points

References

Some useful websites

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