BA IN ELT

2014
Educational Technology
and the Internet
Study Guide Week 4
creatiga
U N I V E R S I D A D A U T N O M A D E S I N A L O A
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EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY


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Unit 3 Internet as a Teaching and Learning Tool


In this unit

3.1 The internet and the World Wide Web
3.2 The Web as a Learning Environment



3.1 The internet and the World Wide Web.

One of the most common sources of information nowadays is the internet. But, how long
has it existed? Whose idea was it? How much do you know about it? Explain.




What about the World Wide Web? How was it developed?


The conceptual foundation for creation of the Internet was significantly developed by
three individuals and a research conference, each of which changed the way we thought
about technology by accurately predicting its future:
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Vannevar Bush wrote the first visionary description of the potential uses for
information technology with his description of the "memex" automated library
system.
Norbert Wiener invented the field of Cybernetics, inspiring future researchers to
focus on the use of technology to extend human capabilities.
The 1956 Dartmouth Artificial Intelligence conference crystallized the concept
that technology was improving at an exponential rate, and provided the first
serious consideration of the consequences.
Marshall McLuhan made the idea of a global village interconnected by an
electronic nervous system part of our popular culture.


In the 1960's, Ted Nelson popularized the hypertext concept, and Douglas Engelbart
developed the first working systems. In the 1980's, the web as we know it was
conceived and developed in Europe by Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau, and then
rapidly spread around the world by Marc Andreessen and the NCSA team that
developed the Mosaic and Netscape browsers in the 1990's.



Now, lets check on your knowledge of the cyber world. Are you familiar with the
following words and acronyms? Define them.

Browser __________________________________________________________

HTTP ____________________________________________________________

HTML ____________________________________________________________

URL _____________________________________________________________

Link _____________________________________________________________



Now, search the web and find the answers for the following questions:

1. What was the first use given to the internet by the ARPA?
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Around how many people in the US are going online every month?
_____________________________________________________________________
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3. What is the name of the document formatting language used to link documents within
the Web? _____________________________________________________________
4. Until __________ the Web remained primarily text based.
5. What are the two most popular Web browsers available?
______________________________________________________________
6. Name the components that help route emails to the proper recipient
a) _______________________
b) _______________________
c) _______________________
d) _______________________





Did you find any similar ideas on them? Explain.



3.2 The Web as a Learning Environment

Technology in education has come a long way from traditional tools through print, radio
film, TV, VCR, all the way to CD-ROM's, satellite mediation and the internet. However,
many of the technologies raise criticism. For instance, critics have been argued that
most technologies fail to adequately address the real needs of teachers in classrooms.
"[They] become the media of choice not because they were deemed to be the best but
because they were available at the time" (McMahan & Dawson, 1995).

We can ask ourselves the following questions:
Is the internet's role in instruction any different?
Will computer-mediated technologies deliver more than earlier technologies?

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Anatomy of
online
courses
How is the
WWW a
learning
environment?
Lets see if we can find the responses here.

There is an already recognized fact that the need for educational
experiences is rapidly growing. Previously there was a sense of
audience as a market segment. However one major impact of the
Internet is that neatly packaged target markets do not present
themselves. Passions for and uses of learning grow in a way that
has little to do with demographics. Therefore the flexibility provided
by the educators becomes especially important and the new
meaning of access to education is quite individual enabling
individuals in making their own decisions regarding their private and
public lives.

In its capacity as a tool, Internet is but a ripple on the surface of our
educational institutions. In its capacity as intellectual challenge, it is
without precedent in the educational history of mankind. The
importance of Internet in education, particularly using its Web is a
well-recognized fact. A wealth of resources and techniques now
exist which serve as a source both for exciting examples of new
teaching practices, as well as easily accessible methods for
adoption into various formats of teaching and learning. Internet
technology allow teachers and students keep up with their minds. It
let them try their ideas as soon as they come up with them.

Generally, students appreciate the convenience, choice, and
flexibility that an online courses offers. Instructional designers value
the standardized framework and flexibility. Many instructors believe
that an online course is convenient; they applaud the ease of record
keeping and the reduced travel. Administrators like the idea of
automated, consistent assessment information and the reduced
costs that it can bring to an education institution.
Web-based learning can be a flexible and cost-effective alternative
to classroom learning, but it can also be a colossal waste of time
and money if not implemented correctly. One of the biggest issues
facing universities wading into online learning is interactivity, both in
its level and mode. How can the instructor make Web-based
teaching more interactive? How can the instructor create a virtual
classroom environment that maximizes participation? Just what
constitutes 'interactivity' is hardly clear for some instructors. To
some people, it means enabling learners and instructors to share
ideas in a virtual chat room; to others, merely posting a question on
a bulletin board qualifies as interactivity. Despite the popular
conception of the Internet as our most interactive medium, on the
great majority of Web-based courses the interaction all goes in one
direction. Students interest, motivation, questioning, and interaction
must be on display throughout the learning process

The content of an online course is usually identical to the on-
campus classes, but the delivery method is different. Instead of
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attending weekly on-campus sessions, students take the course as
an Asynchronous Learning experience, which means learning from
anywhere at anytime using your own computer. Instruction will be
delivered via Web pages, and e-mail.

Most likely, students will use the discussion forum for class
communication. They are encouraged to raise questions and to
respond to one another. The instructors also have online office
hours, during which they will be in their offices and available by
phone, fax, and for "live" discussion in the forum.

The instructors also arrange a "Student Orientation" session, during
which you will learn how to study effectively and efficiently for the
Web-based courses, prior to taking their course.
To succeed in a Web-based course, students should be motivated,
and self-directed. Instructors who fail to engage and support
students from the start may cause students to expect an easy ride
from online courses, when in fact the online courses are far more
rigorous than face-to-face courses.

What happened? Did you find the answers to the questions above? Explain.




In your opinion and based on your personal experience working online:

What are the characteristics an online student should have in order to complete
the web-based tasks successfully? Explain.


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The following are the minimum required characteristics to complete a course work at a
distance successfully. Do they match the ones you are proposing?

Seriousness: Online classes are not for goof-offs who seek easy
credits. Virtual students should expect to spend at least as much
time on homework as those in traditional courses.

Self-Disciplined: It is up to students to budget their time and keep
up with assignments. They must create -- and stick to -- their own
schedules.

Self-reliance: The ability to independently solve problems or to
research information is needed. Questions can be answered by e-
mail, but that takes time.

Careful Reading Skills: Because classroom lectures are replaced
primarily by written words, students need to be careful and
thoughtful readers.

Computer Skills: Students must be comfortable using computers
and the Internet. They must become Netizens (Net Citizens). That
includes e-mail, Web browsing, downloading, and word processing.
Online learning enables you to extract information from different
types of resources anytime, anywhere.
No one need be ashamed of what he or she does not know or how
long it takes to master new information. Learning on the Web can be
nonjudgmental and self-paced. Using advantages of this technology
to expand learning opportunities is particularly crucial, because we
live in a time when learning is becoming a necessity, not a luxury.

Answer these questions:
Is the WWW a learning environment available for your students? Explain your answer.
How are courses different when a WWW environment is included?
What are the characteristics an online student should have in order to complete the web-
based tasks successfully?