A compilation by J_K_Saini

M. Tech. ET-2013

CAN TECHNOLOGIES FOR ONLINE

LEARNING BE USED FOR DIFFERENTIATED

INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT?

Education is one of the fastest-growing

economic

and social sectors in the world, and the

use of new technologies is an

integral and driving component of that

growth.

No two students attending a classroom

have identical abilities, experiences,

and needs. Learning style, language

proficiency, background knowledge,

readiness to learn, and other factors

can vary widely within a single class

group.

. With technology in schools today and the online

platform open for access and use by both teachers

and students, there are many options for how teachers

can deliver their instructions as well as how students

can present their knowledge. One way of

differentiating instruction is through student

presentations of knowledge learned. Permitting

students to choose the type of technology they use to

present the information enables them to work within

their own interests to complete the projects.

Technology helps teachers deliver many

different types of instructions by enabling them

to present and review information in a variety

of way

SOME OF THE ONLINE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

WHICH CAN BE USED FOR DIFFERENTIATED

INSTRUCTIONS ARE EXPLAINED BELOW:

• streaming video

• Power Point Presentation

• Web pages and web quests

• Blogging

• Learning Management Systems

• Wiki

• Chats

• Educational animation, simulation, and games

• Podcasts

• Collaborative software

• Guided Internet Tours

VIDEOS

• Developing a video that showcases information gives students

the opportunity to express their creativity. Add music, transitions

and even themselves on video. Allowing students to record

themselves presenting the information can lower the stressors

associated with speaking in front of a class. It also encourages

students to work on detail and editing skills. Ideas for video

presentations include news reports, music videos and

commercials.

Youtube.com, teachertube.com and many such sitea are

offering a knowledge bank for sharing and learning.

POWERPOINT

• Choosing a PowerPoint presentation lets the student lay out the information slide by slide. Titles, bullet points and pictures highlight the information so the student can easily share it with the class. Using PowerPoint with a SMART Board enables students to interact with their presentation by adding links and writing information as they go. This interactive approach is very useful for basic research.

WEB PAGES AND WEB QUESTS

• Designing a website or Web quest allows students to show off

their creativity and Internet savvy while providing valuable

information. Students can create a website with several pages

to show their information, including a home page, history page,

information page and resource page. Ask students to link their

Web resources to this page. Web quests are like scavenger

hunts on the Web, where students create a list of questions and

provide links to find the answers. Both of these projects

encourage research and critical thinking skills. Upload these

websites and Web quests to the school website to share with

parents and the community.

GUIDED INTERNET TOURS

• The ability to explore the world from the classroom is

possible with access to software such as Google Earth.

Prompt students to serve as tour guides and walk the

class through historical locations. Have students

explain what the location is and discuss its importance

to the topic you are studying. This guided tour lets

students explain their knowledge verbally while visually

guiding students through the locations

BLOGGING

• Blogs allow students and teachers to post their thoughts, ideas, and comments on a website. Blogging allows students and instructors to share their thoughts and comments on the thoughts of others which could create an interactive learning environment

• Blogs can also be used by teachers for assigning coursework, and serve as a place for students to submit their work

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

• Learning management systems, for example, BlackBoard or

Moodle, are internet based applications that institutions used to

reach their students. It allows educators to create and deliver

course material using the internet. Educators can post

announcements, grade assignments, check on course activity,

and participate in class discussions. Students can submit their

work, read and respond to discussion questions, and take

quizzes

PODCASTING

• itself is described as the method of distributing multimedia files,

such as audio or videos files, over the internet for future

playback on mobile devices or computers:

• A particular advantage to podcasting is that the media is easily

created by most recording equipment (an iPod with a mic, a

computer, a DV camera) and is encoded into an industry

standard (MP3) that is universally read by computers and

portable media devices

Audio chat using Skype has become common, and web

conferencing isused for teaching and for creating podcasts

WIKI

• A wiki is a collection.

• Wikis are growing because, at their core, they are about as

simple as can be. That simplicity means that people find them

easy to use, just like e-mail and blogs. Like e-mail and blogs,

wikis also perform a very useful service in a simple way. A wiki

allows a group of people to enter and communally edit bits of

text. These bits of text can be viewed and edited by anyone who

visits the wiki. of articles that multiple users can add to and

edit freely online

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Social networking sites like Facebook,

MySpace, and Bebo are not only keeping

the world connected but also offers

tremendous scope of sharing information

for collaborating learning.

EDUCATIONAL ANIMATION, SIMULATION, AND

GAMES

• Video games are highly engaging, and there is great

interest in how to harness their power to support

learning. Researchers have studied educational games

and simulations to determine how they can effectively

support learning.

HAND-HELD AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

• They are now used not only for voice communications, but also for listening

to music, downloadingemail, sending Short Message Service (SMS)

messages, and surfing theWeb. Some are now using mobile devices to pay

bills or pay for softdrinks at dispensing machines. Many people are choosing

mobile devicesover desktop computers. These include ultra-notebook

computers,e-books, web pads, and tablet computers

These devices are disguised as telephones,tablets, e-books, and web

pads, and now include a web browser,an instant messenger, and an email

feature, along with other functions

As affordable access to high

bandwidth increases, and

the cost of wireless devices

that can incorporate all the

features of a PC decreases,

the educational possibilities

are unlimited. Learning

becomes universally

accessible.

PEER-TO-PEER FILE SHARING

• Peer-to-peer applications allow users, regardless of location or connection

speed, to share practically any kind of file with a limitless population of other

Internet users. The peer-to-peer model allows members of its “community ”to

transfer files directly between users, without having to access or be

constrained by a centralized server.

It is easy to make connections between learning objects, intelligent

Educational systems, and the peer-to-peer model. Research and other

materials can easily be offered online and “harvested” by a well-designed

P2P program, offering students or teachers a wealth of knowledge that might

not otherwise be available.