The goal of this presentation is to demonstrate how to utilize current, relative Web 2.0 Technologies and bring about effective pedagogy to engage adult learners in an online classroom.
This presentation will demonstrate how an existing online course, "Diversity in the Workplace," delivered through Angel's Learning Management System was enhanced by incorporating Web 2.0 Technologies. Course Polling was utilized to generate discussion posts by the learners. Audio files created by the Professor and uploaded into the course were used to correct assignments and provide grading and feedback to learners. Audio files give the learners a "personal touch factor" such as voice inflexion and tone. Flip vdeo was utilized to record interviews of pragmatic practitioners, such as an Academic Chief Diversity Officer and a United States Army Colonel who provided an every day practical approach on course topics discussed in the text as well as questions raised by the learners. In addition to Flip Video, Skype was utilized to conduct a live session interview with an Attorney who expounded on the legalities of Diversity in the Workplace.
A Blog page was created and linked to the course as a mechanism in which the learners could view the interviews recorded by the Flip video and post comments. The Flip videos were uploaded to YouTube and embedded into the Blog page. In order to capture and gauge the learner's engagement with the Web 2.0 technologies a Wiki page was created and integrated into the course. The Wiki page was utilized as a digital story of the class. Learners of the class were given authorship privileges and collaboratively created this page by adding, editing and designing its layout and content. Learners posted summaries of their team projects which included links and uploads of audio files, pictures, videos, and articles. In addition, the learners created their own discussion pages as part of the Wiki where classmates were able to respond or post new comments. The Wiki page is an ongoing evolving digital story; new content is added and developed as the course progresses.
Elluminate sessions are utilized as a method to provide mentoring and tutoring to the learners. Learners with a microphone and headset communicate live with the professor. Through Elluminate learners who are geographically located in different regions of the world, have the ability to host group study sessions where they can share files utilize a blackboard and brainstorm about projects fostering an environment of shared learning
The integration of Audio Files, YouTube, Flip, Skype, Elluminate, Wikis, Blogs, and Vodcasting into the course provided a human touch to the learners which resembled those that occur in face-to-face classrooms resulting in an engaging and effective teaching and learning to adult learners in an online classroom.
