Thursday, April 24, 2014

Module 4: Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools





As I continue to advance my education, I am learning more and more about how to use the most updated and appropriate technological tools to complete my course work. The graphic organizer above showcases the collaboration, content and communication tools that I use and have gained great amount knowledge both inside and outside of the classroom.  Outside of the classroom I use Google + , LinkedIn and Skype for a lot of my communication and collaboration projects. These tools can also work very well within the online learning environment because they each have a specific purpose and role that they play in bringing students together from all over the world.


In LinkedIn, students can network together with their classroom peers as well with others within the same field of study. Google + has the ability to better prioritize your social and professional lives into circles so that there is no overlap between the two unless it is requested. Skype allows for students to actually participate in group meetings from a distance while also viewing everyone in the room and vice versa. This tool almost makes you feel as though you are all in the same environment even though you are miles away.  All of the tools above are placed specifically not to just keep learners engaged but also keep the learning environment a fun place as well.

I have commented on the following blogs as well:
http://jeanniefrazierblog.wordpress.com
http://distanceedandlearning.blogspot.com/

2 comments:

  1. Hi Cottrell, Your graphic is intricate and I like the way you used different shapes. I notice on content you included online library databases. I use this particular technology constantly for everything we do. I would be hard pressed without this particular technology. I also noticed you selected Linkedin for communication. I have just started using Linkedin and never considered it as a place for communication regarding education. I am new to this technology and haven't spent much time exploring and using it. I am glad you included it on your graphic because now I will take a closer look. Good job!

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  2. You have a nice post. Many of the highlighted technology tools you have listed are practical and affordable for regular classroom use. I particularly like your place of Google+, and, in thinking, about the products available on Google Drive, which allow for real-time communicating, might they also fit in this category? I am asking because through my own work with Google Doc products, I felt it deserved a place on the organizer, but I could not place where. I was thinking the "collaboration" category, bu was unsure so I left it off.

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