William Cope
Helen Repp.png "Rita van Haren")
Rita van Haren
Nadia Ayub
Micheal M Van Wyk
Clifford Blizard
Mellissa Rosal EspirituUbiquitous Learning and Instructional Technologies MOOC’s Updates
Essential Update #1
In Singapore, before the COVID-19 outbreak, computer-based learning has been used to assist in traditional teaching method. For example, lecturers teaching students face-to-face in the classroom with the use of phones to answer or vote answers.
With the pandemic and moving into the endemic, computer-based learning has now played an integral role in teaching and learning. One example of a learning technology, which genuinely makes a difference to the dynamics of learning is Microsoft Teams. Teams has enabled many students to communicate and remain on the same page as well as understanding relevant topics with classmates eventhough they are away from each other. While it does have it's limitations, lecture notes and lectures can be held using this system and this provides an opportunity for students from other countries, to learn from the different lecturers and experts on the topics discussed.
The pandemic really pushes us to change quickly. like learning that was previously done in the classroom with the learning pandemic, it has drastically changed to online learning, which we really need to make a lot of adjustments to. Of course this can have a good impact in terms of learning
The ability to share documents across a number of students who can each contribute wiki-style is a neat new-school concept. With proper moderation, it becomes something of a peer study group, taking cues from the old white poster boards posted to a wall where students write up something with marker for all to consider.
While I have never utilized Microsoft Teams, I am familiar with the concept. Are there drawbacks to using this service? If this is a paid-service, I imagine that would be one drawback. In my opinion, utilizing this type of video-chat service brings the traditional classroom interactions into the virtual environment, however does it address the challenges within the traditional classroom of certain students dominating the conversation? Incorporating other technology platforms into Microsoft Teams would help with overcoming these challenges. Is there an opportunity for different modes of interaction such as through chat, on a microphone, shared written notes, or writing on a shared whiteboard? That may help with the disparity of participation typically found in classrooms.