Chapter 7
“Distance Learning Tools & the Role of the Internet in Education”
1. Introduction
A. History of the Internet in Education
i. Internet was developed in the 1970’s by the Department of Defense to allow rapid communications between researchers working on various projects at different locations; then the internet was called the ARPAnet (Advanced Research Projects Agency network)
ii. 1980’s—the National Science Foundation funded a high speed connection among universities based on the ARPAnet structure which became the Internet as we know it today
iii. WWW (World Wide Web) is a subset of the Internet—WWW is an internet service that links sites via hypertext
iv. Mosaic—first web browser, introduced in 1993
B. Using Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)
i. Internet usage is dependent on the use of common protocols that allow computers to communicate despite differences in operating systems
ii. Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)—internet addresses
iii. Domain designators—the last three letters of an address line typically indicate what type of content can be found on the website
1. .com—commercial site
2. .gov—government
3. .net—Internet service provider
4. .edu—higher education institutions
5. .org—non-commercial organizations
iv. Suffixes—an optional part of the URL; come after the domain designator to indicate locations on a server that are set aside for specific purposes
v. URL Uses
1. Locating URLs
2. Reading URL’s
3. Fixing errors in URLs
C. Navigating the Net
i. With links
ii. With buttons—ex. Forward and Back buttons
iii. With the ‘History’
D. Using Bookmarks, Favorites, and Online Organizers
i. Adding a bookmark
ii. A well-prepared bookmark file is a valuable asset for a teacher
E. Starting Up Search Engines
i. Major Search Engines
ii. Metacrawler—program that uses more than one search engine at the same time to locate things
F. Evaluating Internet Information
i. No one actually controls who posts web pages or the content of those web pages
ii. Content can be incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date; being able to evaluate information critically is a key skill in the information age
iii. Design
G. Basic Internet Trouble Shooting
i. Site connection failures
1. URL syntax error occurs when the address is not precisely entered
2. Local domain or server is down
3. Server traffic
4. Dead links
5. Firewalls
ii. Feature on the site will not work
H. Pitfalls in Internet Use
i. Accessing sites with inappropriate materials
ii. Safety and privacy issues for students
iii. Fraud
iv. Computer viruses and hacking
v. Copyright and plagiarism issues
2. Communicating on the Internet
A. E-Mail
B. Listservs, Bulletin Boards, and Blogs
C. Chatrooms, Instant Messaging, and Videoconferencing
D. Other Collaborations: MUDs, MOOs, and Avatar Spaces
i. MUD—Multiuser Domains
ii. MOO—MUD Object-Oriented
iii. Avatar Spaces—internet places that users can interact using their virtual representations
3. Distance Learning: Placing the Internet in Context
A. Background on Distance Education
i. United States Distance Learning Association—the acquisition of knowledge and skills though mediated information and instruction, encompassing all technologies and other forms of learning at a distance
ii. Distance education has fundamentally changed the educational system
B. Distance Learning Delivery Systems
i. ‘Snail Mail’ Correspondence Course
ii. Videoconferencing
iii. Internet
C. Type of Distance Learning Activities
i. Student research
ii. On-line classroom materials
iii. Web-based lessons
iv. Virtual courses and programs
D. Current Issues in Distance Learning
i. Digital divide issues
ii. Development and socialism issues
iii. Impact on education reform
iv. Virtual schooling issues
1. Curriculum alignment
2. Teacher certification
3. Accreditation
4. Funding
E. Current Research in Distance Learning
i. Distance students tend to drop out at a higher rate than face-to-face students
ii. Initial research points to a face-to-face advantage for underperforming students
iii. Course characteristics that affect success
1. High interaction rates between students and instructor
2. Support during course
3. Minimal technical problems
iv. Characteristics of successful distance learners
1. Studies disagree on whether a single cognitive factor can predict success in an on-line learning environment
2. Studies have found a combination of 4 characteristics that may predict success
a. Achievement beliefs
b. Responsibility
c. Self-organization ability
d. Technology skill & access
v. Characteristics of effective distance learning instructors
1. Course planning and organization that capitalize on distance learning strengths and minimize constraints
2. Verbal and non-verbal presentation skills specific to distance learning situations
3. Collaborative work with others
4. Ability to use questioning strategies
5. Ability to involve and coordinate student activities among several sites
4. Offering Courses and Programs with Distance Technologies
A. Web Course Development and Support Tools
i. CMS—Course management system; on-line collection of web course design and delivery tools
ii. Smartboards
B. Characteristics of Effective Distance Courses and Programs
i. Well designed and structured to support learning
1. Knowledge is constructed and not transmitted
2. Students can take full responsibility for their own learning
3. Students are motivated to want to learn
4. Course provides ‘mental white space’ for reflection
5. Learning activities appropriately match student learning styles
6. Active learning augments the on-line environment
ii. Engaging collaborative activities
1. Require participation
2. Form learning teams
3. Make the activity interesting
4. Don’t settle for opinions
5. Structure
6. Require a deliverable
7. Know what your goals are
8. Use peer grading
iii. An interactive learning community
iv. Effective assessment strategies for online courses and programs
C. Assessing the Quality of Distance Courses—various rubrics available
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