e-learning experiences

Source: screenshot from video

This video from Kemnal Technology College (scroll to bottom of page) outlines how LAMS has been introduced into lessons and to what effect. Its quite short but the overall impression it gave was that both students and teachers found the software enjoyable and easy to use in the classroom. Soon I will be creating a LAMS task with my partner Maria, so it was good to see this brief example and some positive feedback from staff and students. One particular aspect of LAMS that were highlighted in the video as being beneficial in the classroom was the idea that the whole class was contributing to the task and the teacher was more easily able to evaluate their contributions (for example, on a discussion board) since they were recorded. I think that this aspect of LAMS is excellent since it means that a) students can put more thought into their comments than if they were put on the spot verbally, and b) the teacher can revisit the response to assess it more accurately.

Another point that one of the teachers emphasised several times was that so much could be achieved with LAMS in just a one hour lesson. I think the implications of this for the classroom are huge, since it means that lesson times can be used more constructively than using more traditional methods. Another benefit of LAMS was said to be that it helped to improve students discussion skills, thereby improving learning. If students make use of the LAMS discussion tools such as the discussion board, forum and chat they can work collaboratively in the classroom from their own individual computer, which is also a great help in terms of classroom management.

Salter’s article “Making use of online discussion groups” (pages 5-10) outlines some advantages and disadvantages of discussion-board type technologies, as well as some strategies for implementing this technology in the classroom. One of the advantages that stood out to me is the idea that online discussions can provoke deeper thinking by giving students more time to reflect and compose their response. In terms of improving writing skills I believe online discussions could be very useful in the classroom, since publishing or posting messages online gives students practice in writing for a wide audience in a variety of ways. Maria makes a similar point about how technology can enhance writing skills in her post on wikis.

Another important point Salter raised was the need for clear instructions, guidelines for use and marking criteria that must be spelt out to students in the beginning. If students do not know how to use discussion boards or are unsure what is expected of them chaos could ensue, so I think establishing what is expected early on is essential if this is to be used in the classroom. One of Salter’s suggestions that I would hesitate to implement, though, is the idea of anonymous posts, since I think this could create tension if criticisms were made anonymously of students’ work, for example.

If I had the opportunity to use discussion boards in my classroom, I would probably do so with an older primary class, ie stage 3. Before doing so I would definitely discuss the idea with my students to make sure everyone was comfortable with the technology and that it was relevant to the curriculum.

From url: http://www.nofanalone.com/blog/archives/2007_03.html