Classroom Technology

A school you can attend anytime of the day or night, Virtual Education will turn out to be the next reality. Will

On the advantages of virtual, text-based discussions:

“… In all my years of teaching classes, there are constantly some students in the class who are quite difficult to get to speak up. You can ask them a direct question, but basically, unless they are put on the spot, these students will not volunteer their own opinions in class, and I believe that there are various factors why individuals are reticent and do not want to do that. Occasionally I think folks are shy and don’t want to be put on the spot — all the conversation stops, and everyone turns to look at them. In some instances, students for whom English is not their very first language, it really can be an intimidating thing to have to extemporaneously put together English sentences like that in a classroom environment.

In Virtual Classrooms,  that problem of students not participating in class discussions just completely disappeared. And when I thought about it, these factors, these challenges of speaking up in a normal class went away in this environment. In Second Life, when you want to contribute some thing to the class discussion, you just go ahead and begin typing it in your chat box, and nobody turns to look at you, even if they do notice that your avatar is doing the typing motions, they are not actually looking at you, it’s just your avatar, and your avatar is not performing anything embarrassing. When you are ready to enter your comment into the conversation, you just hit enter. And it doesn’t have that moment where everybody stops and looks at you. Your comment just goes right into the conversation, along with everybody else’s. So i think a lot of the anxiety that goes along with the public-speaking aspect of participating in class discussions, is just removed in this environment.

On the flip side, we didn’t have any trouble with students who dominate the discussion. There’s always been the phenomenon of the student who ends each sentence with a conjunction in order to not stop their comment, and you can do that as much as you like in Second Life, and it doesn’t stop anybody else from participating in the discussions. What’s nice about that is quite often folks who usually speak a lot in class have a lot of quite good things to contribute, and it’s hard as a teacher to shut somebody down in order to make space for other students, specially if you do feel that you want to be encouraging of their interest and enthusiasm. And this just takes away that problem as well.

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“The notion that I would actually end up virtually preferring to run a class in a virtual environment to a real-based environment, that was a massive surprise.”

It began in 1998 with website Groups.

Students could read stories and write online, and share lessons and activities with other schools and teachers around the world.

This was linked with epals. They developed an extensive list of schools and teachers who had been interested in connecting first for writing experiences for their students, and today in shared projects and linked forums and sites withepals, with their school and classroom links .

It went ahead with web sites in early 2004, using 1st on-line lessons and online courses and activities. Sites began offering totally free lesson plans and Activity sheets, and became an on-line source.

The next step was Moodle, and student tasks on-line with journals, activities and projects.

Sitepals, Virtual heads, and talk-back features began with ALICE

I employed my very first Alice, who is still on my first English web site

From here the start of making use of the voice developed with podcasts, recordings, and news and the ‘English Voice became the English Voice in Korea, then in China and now basically, “News and Views”

Suddenly the technology was there for the Online Classroom, and the begin of the Virtual Classroom and the Virtual School    http://Activeenglishspeaking.com

Lessons are held on two platforms…wiziq and edufire

Lessons take location in a Virtual Classroom which has every thing a real classroom has….a teacher, students, a whiteboard, a chatline and the sharing of file, images, and any other teaching tool and teaching aide. Classes can even be run by two teachers in a team situation.

Benefits:

You choose your class, time and teacher and study when you wish. The lesson is also accessible for revision and replay, which is a feature the real classroom does not have.

Lessons can be 1-to- one, or group. A teacher can take 100 or a lot more students in 1 session. In China, the large classes frequently meant that students at the back do not get the exact same attention. Here all students get the exact same attention, and lessons can be replayed if required as quite a few times as the student wishes. The lesson becomes a students possession like a textbook.

The Lesson format is the exact same as a regular Classroom. The text is replaced by a Power Point. The lesson is read by the teacher with the students following the words like a Presentation. After the lesson, there is interactive activities using the whiteboard and student voice via a webcam and microphone. Students who are reticent, can practise the lesson in a replay, and listen to their own voices.

Student and Teacher tools…a personal computer with a microphone and a webcam.

Cost of the lessons…bulk lessons from .00 a lesson, and private lessons around – a session. No insurance, no travelling, no being late for class, ( basically replay the lesson later and catch up on the part you have missed) and no building or maintenance costs, tasks, or issues. You basically enrol and take component in the lesson…at your leisure.

You can now learn anything on the web….free of charge and paid lessons.

I am teaching English, but I will also be teaching Social Abilities, Creative Writing and later, Art and Pc Technology, extending to a full School Day of as numerous hours as the student wishes to take.

You are invited to view the Free Public lesson and see how the Virtual Classroom works for yourself. The initial lesson is on January 5th 2009 at 9.30pm Korean time (+8hours)

Will Virtual Education take over Real Schools?

With so several social difficulties and men and women resorting to Property Schooling their children, Virtual Education could well turn into the next generation.

With so a lot increased mobility and change of home and schools, here is one permanent security. You keep the same school and teacher, wherever you live and work, and when you travel, your school comes with you.

There is no bullying, no negative influences and no teacher student dissent. You stay where you enjoy and want to discover, and you discover at your own pace and own level o ability. You attend due to the fact you want to, and you are free of charge to repeat lessons and replay the sessions you get pleasure from.

You can request the courses and lessons you wish to discover, at any level or stage, and you can move from class to class at your own leisure and pleasure. Learning becomes what you decide on to do, and is Student Directed.

Welcome to the New World of Virtual Education. It is here to stay,  and can only get greater. You and the Teacher is Reality in a Virtual Classroom and World.

Marguerite Carstairs 2009

Activeenglishspeaking.com

Copyright © 2008 Ladymaggic