Virtual Learning Environments

Second Life meeting on July 20th:

SL Meeting 7-20-09

SL Meeting 7-20-09

Project 1, Conflict Texts group meeting

Sunday night at 8 PM eastern time we met through our Ning’s chat function. During our meeting we discussed Salman’s answers to our questions. As a group we chose the tools our site would provide and organized its layout. After about 50 minutes we decided to take a break and spread the next couple days putting together instructions for teachers and students on how to use the site.

The Ning chat box does not allow users to copy and paste the entire conversation, So there will not be a detailed minutes for this meeting.

 I thought this was an interesting article for a librarians perspective on VLE.

Library Journal article

Here are a few snapshots of our site:

Metaplace Snap shot

Metaplace Snap shot

I thought I’d post this link if anyone wants to join in a conversation on Seesmic about how we engage students online. I have had a couple of responses from people not related to our class which I find really neat. I have also posted the actual video conversation in the comment section on my post about Moodle vs. Wiki.

olysha

seesmic conversation

An LMS is just what it says. Learning Management System. It is a computerized system to manage learning. As the readings described they are created as a means to better organize and automate E-learning. Instead of just having everything on a disc as a glorified digital manual to go through along with an instructor, LMSs provide instructors and students the ability to access material from great distances. As the texts this week said, its evolution has revolutionized distanced learning, at the same time they have tried to shape the way we learn away from out natural learning styles. I agree with the readings that we all learn more casually now. We relay on google and wikis far more than text books or structured classes. We even learn through daily interactions with people and our environments. The latter is the main drawback for LMSs. LMSs are tools to use in order to an educator to educate a student. But LMSs make educators assume that all or at least most people can learn as well through self-paced but still automated lessons. But when it comes to an educational purpose or job training it is still important to have an instructor to go over material, answer questions, or make material interesting enough to learn. Google and Wiki’s work well because the user can find what they are interested in learning, we learn from our interactions because what we have learned has made an imprint, it was interesting enough to remember. If an LMS is used to automate education too much, then it becomes dull and nothing is learned. For example, look back to one of the first posts on this blog about virtual learning, there was an entry about Traffic school and how dull and monotonous it all was. I mentioned my experience, and although I learned enough to pass my test and I really can’t recall any of the information… and I still can’t drive 55. I’ve had the same experience at every job I’ve had. LMS’s are used for training and although I learn how to do my job through the automated lessons, I don’t retain everything in the long run, only the daily tasks. One thing mentioned in the articles was LMS’s used to train sales people the information they need to sale products, but in my experience (I was a sales manager for a dying retail company, won’t say which one) sales people learn more from interactions with the product and the costumers than they do through automated lessons. Personally, I remember more from uninteresting material because of the lecturers who covered it rather than the words I read about it.

Ok. I have something to admit. I love open source programs. Before I even looked at Moodle I knew I was going to have a positive opinion of it. I knew that because I saw the “open source” on their website. Unlike commercial LMS’s like Blackboard which make a business (or a monopoly) out of their educational tools, Moodle makes a community out of its educational tools. The greatest asset that open source programs like Moodle have is its users; when users find Moodle to be lacking a specific tool they only need create it or to bring it up to the right people and that tool can be created and distributed freely amongst the educational community. With Blackboard and similar LMS companies, an educator, company, or school must pay for the license of the program, then once the program is upgraded with new feature, they need to acquire a new license that covers those new features. For instance, The New School recently upgraded its Blackboard system, although they had a relatively new version of blackboard already, it did not have the new features such as class blogs and smartphone access which were becoming more in demand. With open source programs like Moodle it is often the users who create new features and it is the core company that collects and incorporates those at a later time. After looking over the various Moodle sites I noticed two things; first, Moodle really does allows a great deal of customization for those who need it; second, the need to customize and create their own format can be a hinderance for some. Yes that’s right, Moodle has a drawback. The administrator themselves who sets up their sites don’t always know what their doing. The problem isn’t always with the tools or the content, but rather the design and the layouts. Students only need the tools to get the job done, but it is still important to keep students stimulated. Several of the sites I looked at were simple black and white sites with blue links to content, this can seem dull and although organized the ultra plain formats like that can seem less organized because it becomes difficult to differentiate between links, sections and modules making it harder to navigate. This is one time I would say commercial LMS’s are better, one thing people pay for in the programs fees is the paychecks of designers who have set up their programs for ease of use and navigation.

So, as a quick recap: Moodle, you’re not perfect.

Moodle: First Impressions

Moodle has a nicely structured platform and has my vote over Blackboard.  In the Film Studies demo, I appreciated the emphasis on lesson sequence and the capacity to break each lesson/class into a separate page.  The use of modules- particularly, quizzes and surveys -also helped to streamline the discussion process.  [Note: I appreciate the freedom blogs give everyone to expound on their views and arguments, but having a limit imposed on initiating forum threads can go a long way towards focusing the class when dozens or more are participating.  The Moodle discussion topic we are currently having is a perfect example –four or five of us have started separate threads on the same topic.]  Additionally, the ability to customize language settings is also critical as the New School and others try to push beyond the American-centric classroom.  Finally, like Nag, I agree that Moodle’s ability to suit industry and government as much as academia is imperative.  In my own work environment, my boss consistently pushes our in-house online strategy team to attend digital tech and social media conferences; it would be nice if we could participate in post-conference classes with the speakers (many who are already in academia).

All these benefits aside, Moodle’s aesthetic experience proved a huge drawback.  Personally, I would rather log into an LMS with Ning-like aesthetics, profile markers, homepage videos, etc.  Hopefully, a Moodle redesign is under consideration?   Even if a redesign is not in the cards, Moodle does seem to have an impressive list of registered sites.  I noticed two well-known U.S. high schools – Culver Academy and Brooklyn Tech – are using Moodle as well as the 1st infantry division to train new troops. My old high school in New Jersey is reportedly running on StudyWiz Spark (see demo).  I’m not sure if anyone else used StudyWiz or another LMS at their respective high schools – it is a new venture for my own.  We didn’t have cell phones let alone school email accounts when I was student (10 years ago).
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To answer Katharine’s question (below) about Moodle: I would argue that if students are not appreciating the benefits of Moodle it is because Moodle like the LMSes mentioned above do not target students where they already are (i.e. established social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Twitter).  As we wrap up our analysis for the semester, I am concerned that we are creating too many platforms that compete for students’ attention.  We need to start integrating the LMS or VLE model into existing platforms so that we can give students interactions that are meaningful, personal and consistent with their daily behavior as digital natives.  As noted on its website, StudyWiz prides itself on being able to seamlessly integrate with the iPod.  My response:  so what?  iPod interoperability is old news when teens today are using all-in-one iPhones that provide seamless access to not only their favorite music but Facebook, YouTube, Tweetdeck, etc.
In his analysis, Siemens argues that the “management” aspect of LMS’ creates a problem: “The underlying assumption is that if we just expose students to the content, learning will happen.”  He goes on to write that “our real-life manner of learning is at odds with the design and implementations of most LMS’” and that “most LMS platforms are attempting to shape the future of learning to fit into the structure of their systems, even though most learning today is informal and connectionist in nature.”
Informal and connectionist are key.
A few weeks ago WIRED ran a feature on the Great Wall of Facebook (I just reposted it on del.icio.us and Twitter).  The article largely addresses Google’s approach to information sourcing and the competing vision of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg.  Per Wired: “Zuckerberg envisions a more personalized, humanized Web, where our network of friends, colleagues, peers, and family is our primary source of information, just as it is offline. In Zuckerberg’s vision, users will query this “social graph” to find a doctor, the best camera, or someone to hire—rather than tapping the cold mathematics of a Google search. It is a complete rethinking of how we navigate the online world, one that places Facebook right at the center.”

I’m not a huge fan of Zuckerberg (Andreesen and Bianchini’s Ning has more dynamic potential), but I believe he has the right vision- and one that can be adapted for educational purposes.  When I was in high school, most of the facts and theories I learned in the classroom didn’t take on meaning until later in the day:  during conversations with peers or dinner table chatter with my siblings and parents.  I think the same goes for today’s high school students only they now have virtual social networks for feedback and analysis at their disposal.  Facebook would do its “student” members well if it launched classroom networks (much like a Ning network) where teachers could customize modules (like Moodle) and updates on assignments, readings, quizzes, etc. appeared in profile newsfeeds or sidebars.  From there, students could share materials with friends in their broader networks – and “learning” could actually go viral.

I’m being idealistic, and I can already hear the legions screaming that they don’t want to friend teachers on Facebook.  But I refuse to buy the argument that integrating a VLE into Facebook, Ning or any other social network would dumb down learning for students.  Privacy settings are available.  And if anything, such interoperability would elevate the debate and dialogue currently taking place among digital natives on those platforms.

Hey group – just wanted to send out a note that we will be meeting in Second Life on Monday instead of Metaplace so we can discuss our presentation – see everyone in Funk Soup Island – Theater. I can teleport people if they feel lost – my name is strobe svenska – everyone that met last Monday in Second Life I added as a friend so it should be easy to find me. Cheers! Stephanie

I think that ease of navigation with an LMS or VLE, like Moodle is only half the battle when it comes to engaging students online.  When the face-to-face interaction of an actual classroom is removed it is extremely difficult to stay maintain the sense of connection in the virtual.  I find personally, while working in VLE’s, it can become extremely difficult to manage all of the requirements and expectations of the class. I find that I check the syllabus several times a week to confirm that I have not missed any assignments or let anything slip through the cracks. This is where I think a website like Moodle is effective, in that it centralizes all of the learning materials and allows for greater ease of navigation.

I think its possible to be comfortable with the medium of computers and online games but still be hesitant when it comes to an online learning environment, mainly because they are still so new.  In addition many of the VLE’s fail to actually engage the student in the material, confusing that with basic levels of interactivity.  Just because we are reading the material and participating in a basic level discussion about it does not mean we are being engaged or challenged as learners.  This is where I feel a system like blackboard fails due to the fact that its very one dimensional and where it seems like sites like Moodle might be able to expand upon.  However, I think George Siemens in his article Learning Management Systems: The wrong place to start learning puts it best when he says “The more feature-rich an individual tool becomes, the more it loses its usefulness to the average user.” Couldn’t agree more.  Sometimes all of the bells and whistles do nothing more but create an obstacle between the student and the program.

Another problem, which one of the other posts spoke to, was the social nature involved with learning.  So much of what we learn is through the interaction with other students and I feel that sometimes VLE’s can make the student feel very isolated. This can be combated with sites such as seismic and twitter which helps to remind the student that they are not alone.  For me this semester, the use of Twitter has been extremely helpful with putting a face and personality behind the blog discussions.