Problems with Learning in the Virtual
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.
Last 5 posts by Atiyaf
- Going to class at 2 a.m. - June 10th, 2009
July 27th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Before this term, I would have agreed with you, but after having taken classes with both Josephine and Joan Schuurman, I have to say it’s really the teacher that makes the difference. While they both have very different approaches, they each have a strong grasp of and comfort with the medium; and it is this that has made the difference for me.
Joan is very to the point and structured in her class layout: given her work environment (Blackboard) she has to be. Her clearly laid out system leaves no room for error and makes even the most loathsomely disorganized student stay on track. In contrast, Josephine’s more exploratory approach, allows students to cast a wide net and use forums that work best for them. For us (the 2nd project group) we launched our own Google group and shifted from SL in to NING chatting, to allow easier collaboration between students with differing Internet connections. This exploratory approach has given a true sense of ownership to our group collaboration and would have been impossible had our forum been restricted to specify areas.