ETEC 674, Session 2

Focused questions for chapter 1 and 4 for the Power of e-leering

1. Central to our investigation of eLearning Technologies and Methods is gaining an understanding of Learning Management Systems (LMS) sometimes also called Course Management System (CMS) software. Chapter 1 of our text discusses the functionality of typical LMS/CMS, identifying four major categories. What are those categories?

The four major categories of the functionality of typical LMS/CMS are:

1.      Distribution of course information.

2.      Student-instructor and student-student communication.

3.      Student interaction with course resources.

4.      Online testing and grading.

2. Use the Internet to find three different course management systems. Provide the name, a URL and a brief discussion of what you can find out about the similarities and differences between the three that you find.

1. ANGEL Learning Management System   http://www.angellearning.com/community/higher_ed.html

Content Organization and development: easy interface to access information, follows a dynamic model, allowing instructors to customize activities to meet the needs of the student, it offers templates and a design sorcerer.

Communication tools: it has synchronous and asynchronous communication, an internal email system, blog, wiki, podcasting and live chat capacity. Whiteboard

Student interaction with course resources: Students have the capacity to use a built-in drop box to turn-in assignments or they can place them in a portfolio to share with the instructor. Students can also choose to share their portfolios with other members of the class. Students have the opportunity to customize their home page with tools that allow the user to create menus and links to course resources.

Online testing and grading: it offers an assessment feature with testing module and an automatic grade book and reporting feature that tracks student progress.

Other features: expensive

2. Moodle Learning Management System    https://moodle.org/

Content Organization and development: The interface is simple and initiative. Instructors and students can form their own groups. Instructors

Communication tools: it is asynchronous learning environment; It includes instant messaging, blogs and chat communications. It offers searchable email, blogging, chat tool, a course calendar and a student’s portfolio, and content sharing options.

Student interaction with course resources: easy for students to use. It offers drop boxes for student assignments.

Online testing and grading: it offers student portfolios assessments tools with automated management. It offers an excellent online assessment, grade book and reporting features.

Other features: it is very intuitive for the administrator and instructor, it is an open source, The free versions means that there is no available support hotline to call if you need help.

4. eCollege Learning Management System   http://www.ecollege.com/index.php

Content Organization and development: the system includes a practical Editor. It has built-in whiteboard supports PowerPoint uploading, two-way chat sessions and web browsing. The management tools include a Group manager feature, calendar and announcement that help instructors and learners stay organized

Communication tools: it offers asynchronous communication tools such as instant messenger and chat. Students can share files and folders with one another. It offers whiteboard.

Student interaction with course resources: it offers students portfolio.

Online testing and grading: Assessments are formatted to support true/false, matching, multiple choice, and essay questions.

Other features: one drawback is the limitation of online resources and tools, making the development of a comprehensive course model difficult.

3. If you were going to create an online class right now, what LMS/CMS software would you use? Explain what you know about your system's functionality in each of the four areas identified by the book. (If you don't have access to LMS/CMS software just use Blackboard for your discussion in this area.)

 If I am going to create an online course right now I have two options. If my course is provided to k-12 students I will use Moodle Learning Management System due to the simplicity that it has. Which make it easy for k-12 students to be used. Another thing is that it is open sources system which eliminate unnecessary budget. On the other hand, I will use ANGEL Learning Management System if I am going to drive training course or college course because of the less budget concern in universities and firms. And because the useful and robust features that it has.

I will use Blackboard to explain the system’s functionality in four categories

1.      Distribution of course information. Blackboard offers several tools that contribute to distribution of course information such as, white board, content sharing options, student portfolio, announcements options, blogs, and journals.

2.      Student-instructor and student-student communication. Blackboard offers both synchronous and asynchronous communication through several tools such as massage, blog, discussion board, collaborative and built-in email system.

3.      Student interaction with course resources. Students who use blackboard can interactive with course resource through the content which can include syllabus; schedule, documents, and blackboard collaborate.

4.      Online testing and grading: Blackboard has tools for automatically graded assessments, automatically added scores to the Blackboard grade center. Tests/Quizzes, Surveys.

4. Chapter 1 of our text identifies six steps for getting started with eLearning. Discuss each step and use each step as a springboard for discussing what you want to do with eLearning either now or in the future.

Step1: Ask yourself why? First you have to be really convinced with e-learning, and e-learning method is to improve learning and teaching and to put students in the center of teaching process. 

Step 2: Make a commitment: Shifting learning method from traditional method to e-learning method it a challenge and required more work load. So the commitment to this work is so crucial.   

Step 3: Develop a new vision for a course and the method of teaching: teaching course in an e-learning environment required revise of the teaching approach and to the student’s approach of learning in such environment.   

Step 4: Determine the resource available for the course. Instructor in e-learning environment must consider the availability of resource and the tools available to display it.  

Step 5: Acquire new technology skills and develop new instruction method. E-learning approach required development of instructor’s technology skills and a development of new teaching methods.

Step 6: plan. To success in e-learning you must plan the way to get the course done considering several factors, instructional goals. Skills you have, time, the technology tools on hand, and institution support.

What I am planning to do with e-learning in the future is to design short training course about several topic related to instruction technology skills. This plan required the analyses of several elements including trainee, content, instruction support, and technology available to support this environment. The most important thing is to have a clear vision about the advantages and the development of learning process that will occur if I adopt e-learning approach, one important step that I have to put into consideration is to work on myself to improve my technology and teaching skills

5. Chapter 4 of our text discusses the functionality of specific LMS/CMS tools in terms of being for one-way communication, two-way communication or for organization. Explain the key differences between one-way and two-way communication and identify the tools your LMS/CMS provides for each type of communication.

On- way communication allow sending massage and display content without provision of interaction from person who receive this massage by replies or comments. Two-way communication occurs when massage is sent and received with the ability to immediate respond, comments.

Backboard offers both communication tools one-way and two-way communication tools. For one-way communication tools blackboard offers, documents a files creation tools, announcement and calendar tools, and email. Wikis. For two-way communication tools Blackboard offers, discussion board, Whiteboard, online testing and Blackboard collaborative.

6. Consider how a CMS/LMS supports the three types of interaction (Student-Content, Student-Instructor, Student-Student) that were discussed in the first session 1 presentation. Specifically, list all of the tools or features that your CMS (as discussed in question 3 above) offers. Then identify each type of interaction that each tool would support. Finally, explain what you know about the strengths and weaknesses of each tool to support the type of interaction you identify for it.

Student-Content:  The tools that available in blackboard  to support students- content interaction are documents a files creation tools, whiteboard. Resource links. The most important strength of student-content interaction tools in blackboard is that it allows instructor to add a variety of multimedia content, image. The most important strength of student-content interaction tools in blackboard is that it allows instructor to add a variety of multimedia content, image

Student-Instructor: The tools that available in blackboard to support students- instructor interaction are email, discussion board, Blackboard collaborative, and grade books. In Blackboard collaborative tools some weaknesses appear. Students must have specific program to be able to run the tool perfectly.

Student-Student: The tools that available in blackboard to support students- student interaction are email, discussion board, and group.

The most important strength of student-content interaction tools in blackboard is that it allows instructor to add a variety of multimedia content, image.