Interactive Tools in Distance Learning

I selected Example 2: Interactive Tours, because high school students do not have the ability to travel to New York to see exhibits. The learners need to use technology tools to assistant them with understanding the artwork and communicate with the museum curators. That is why a blended of learning is a great way for learners to view the exhibit and participate with other students in a group setting. The high school history teacher is locate on the west coast and the students. However, the art exhibits are held in New York museums. The integration of technology and face-to-face group setting are a great place for learners to increase their understanding of artwork. The use of two-way audio gives the teacher and students the ability to communicate with museum curators in real time. The museum curator can also provide learners with additional audio to have for future reference. The history teacher wants to provide their learners a place where they can ingrate technology into a high school classroom. Introducing technology to learners at a young age will provide the benefit of using technology into education.

The distance learning technologies I suggestion to this teacher would to use LectureShare because it is a great place for teachers to share video, audio, PowerPoint slides, blog, and images of the artwork to the learners. This technology is an open environment where learners, teachers, and museum curators to communicate about the display of artwork. The LectureShare lets, “instructors post lecture notes to their students, or the world, quickly and easily” (LectureShare, 2011). The instructor can post assignments, videos, and communicate with other learners on the site. Students can receive the course information from their home computer. Even the museum curators can post videos and images of art work on the site. The teacher will work with the museum curators to post artwork dicusses to the learners.  LectureShare does not give the teacher limitations on what they can post on the site. This technology is, “highly participatory and promotes collaboration, networking, sharing, and the widespread generation of content, and the editing and mixing of content from diverse sources for new purpose” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009, p. 244). The LectureShare, http://www.lectureshare.com offers learners with an online search tool to view the current catalog of courses.

The course Online Testing Software is a course that offers individuals employment and training modules to help business grow in this financial trouble. The ProProfs, http://www.proprofs.com/training/ is online distance learning tool where companies can develop training module quick and easy. The online training module gives company’s an easy way to offer training and testing online without company time. The students are able to take quizzes, review documents, and take notes during their training session. It is an easy way to gather all employees in one location without the high experience. With companies being establishing worldwide employees do not have to meet in one location but rather online to take a training course.

Also, GoToMeeting http://www.gotomeeting.com is a technology tool that most companies and education institutions use to collaborate and provide demos to learners. The site also offers other useful meeting tools like, GoToWebinar and GoToTraining. An individual is able to host or join meetings.  For example, the museum curators can provide teachers and students live presentations on the museum artwork. The teacher can broadcast audio conferencing in the classroom where students can hear and participant with the museum curators.

Katie McColl

References:

LectureShare, Retrieved July 16, 2011 from http://www.lectureshare.com/

 GoToMeeting, Retrieved July 17, 2011 from http://www.gotomeeting.com/fec/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.