In teaching online courses for adult learners, it is important to consider choosing technology options that will accommodate learners. They need to be easily accessible and user-friendly. The latter has special implications for adult learners: Some may have visual, hearing or cognitive impairments. For example, if you are going to include videos in your lessons, you should also provide transcripts for learners with hearing impairments, so they have the option to read the material. For those with visual impairments, you would want to ensure the Learning Management System has a zoom-in feature to enlarge texts and images.
There are a number of educational technologies that are available to online teachers, with more and more emerging. Teachers need to keep abreast of all these new learning technologies as the field of online learning continues to evolve. Some may make online learning easier for adult learners.
One way to keep apprised is by reading the annual Horizon Report, an ongoing qualitative research project that reviews emerging educational technologies, including mobile technologies, cloud computing, geocoded data, personal web programs, semantic-aware applications, and smart objects (Hanover Research Council, 2009). The Horizon Report is from the New Media Consortium Project, and can be accessed at http://www.nmc.org/horizon-project.
In selecting which technologies to incorporate in your course, consider how they might benefit your student. For example, mobile technologies could aid adult learners who travel during their work. Using special applications, they would be able to access class materials, participate in discussion forums and post assignments on their mobile devices while on the go.
Teachers also need to familiarize themselves with basic online instructional technologies, including web pages, discussion forums, course management systems, audio tools, and video tools. However, in lesson planning, teachers may need to consider a number of issues in order to choose the types that are most appropriate for their course and for their adult learners.
The University of Washington has a Learning and Scholarly Technologies website at http://www.washington.edu/lst/ . It provides a help center for online teachers, and addresses a number of technological issues. These include using audio devices (such as telephone conferencing, audio lectures and voice mail), videos (including how to produce your own lecture videos, with pre-and-post viewing activities), images (using flowcharts, maps, graphs, pictures and more), modifying a set syllabus, and developing your own webpage (Hanover Research Council, 2009, pp. 14).
What you want to avoid is overloading your adult learners (who may already be anxious about navigating online courses) with too many new technologies. I would use videos (with transcripts) judiciously, and would prefer to use audio lectures, so that learners could listen to them, whether they are commuting to work, gardening, or relaxing in bed. I would also recommend no more than one lesson-related website per week, in an Additional Resources section. I might also add a cartoon here and there, for levity. If the course called for a demonstration, I would make my own whiteboard presentation on this website, which I highly recommend: “Show Me” at http://www.showme.com/
Reference
Hanover Research Council (2009). Best practices in online teaching strategies. Retrieved from http://www.uwec.edu/AcadAff/resources/edtech/upload/Best-Practices-in-Online-Teaching-Strategies-Membership.pdf
The Horizon Report is an excellent go-to source for the latest research. Thank you for the valuable resource.
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing resources on technical learning technologies. Often times educators only think about incorporating technical formats they are comfortable working in, however if students are far ahead on the technical curve then there is still a gap between the instructors and learners.
ReplyDeleteBy staying on top of upcoming technologies, as in the Horizon Report, instructors can watch for students who are technically savvy and are willing to share capabilities with classmates. When students learn to rely on each other, the instructor’s time is not only freed up, but there is opportunity for empowerment. Higher levels of metacognition develop as students to learn facilitation and support skills (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011).
Resource
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
The link to the Horizon Report is useful! The website states it is an open forum that facilitates global collaboration. This approach uses a wiki to create an open database of information from experts all over the world. This looks like a great way to keep up with current best practices and new technology.
ReplyDeleteLili, online learning tools are great, but not all are a necessity. Mandating or using certain tools just because they are available is not justifiable (Palloff, 2012).
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of not overloading the adult learner with resources. I think it is a great idea to choose carefully, and provide only what is absolutely necessary and critical for the learning task. Overloading can turn busy adults away form learning altogether. Limiting one additional resource also sounds like a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThe Show Me website is awesome! I can see myself using it in the future. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Lili,
ReplyDeleteYou discuss some great points to consider when choosing technology that will accommodate learners. Learners with disabilities need to always be considered when designing online courses. So many times we forget that everyone does not learn the same. Great post.
Kecha