Instructional Technology Trends in Education

Instructional Technology Trends in Education

The presence of the Internet in students’ lives outside of school, and especially on mobile devices, allows for more online and blended learning models in classrooms. That trend is supported by an increasing tolerance and even excitement among teachers for mobile devices as learning tools. As the cost of devices continues to come down, they proliferate in classrooms and can be powerful learning tools.

Print and digital textbooks are getting some serious competition from open-source content, which has captured the imagination of educators who are finding valuable content outside the prescribed realm of textbooks.

At the same time, educators feel less isolated and more inspired by relationships with colleagues fostered through social media. Some are even discovering new joy in their profession with increased access to lesson ideas and new teaching practices.

Learning Communities

There has been a growing interest in exploring the construction of learning communities among teachers to achieve teaching excellence (Vescio, Ross, & Adams,2008).

In school settings, learning communities are crucial to enable teachers to reflect, interact and collaborate with one another focusing on a common goal of improving practice for students’ learning.

Technology advancements provide increased opportunities for schools to move learning communities to online environments.

Ke and Hoadley (2009) define an online learning community as ‘a developed activity system in which a group of learners , unified by a common cause and empowered by a supportive virtual environment, engage in collaborative learning within an atmosphere of trust and commitment’ (p.489).

Internet tools: Litservs Blogs Wikis Social networking forums Course management systems

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)

Virtual learning environments (VLEs), and systems like them, provide ‘the ‘online’ interactions of various kinds which can take place between learners and tutors, including online learning’ (JISC and UCISA, 2003).

These systems all share a common thread; they can take on many roles and they can support a wide range of educational, administrative and logistical processes, each of which is able to interact and integrate with the others.

VLEs are used in1. Distance learning2. On-campus coursesVLEs are used for facilitating and mediating the need and

activitiesof a particular courseVLE functions exist in a ‘blended’ relationship with human

activities, independent of whether they are the primary delivery medium (e.g. distance courses) or one among many (e.g. on-campus courses).

It might be expected that any given VLE might be employed in different ways within different course contexts.

In the same way, a particular course could be expected to use different VLEs in different ways.

Current Trends in Malaysian schools

The Ministry of Education (MOE), Malaysia, initiated a project called 1BestariNet to enable teaching, learning, collaboration and administration to be carried out in schools nationwide through a Virtual Learning Environment( Frog Asia).

Mobile internet and high speed 4G virtual learning environment will be available in all schools throughout Malaysia.

In line with the government's objective to develop human capital and to increase the use of the Internet among people, 1BestariNet expand technology to improve the level of education and equip students with the necessary skills to face the world today.

VLE in teaching and learningEnhance many different learning skillsEnhance the efficiency of learning among studentsEncourage cooperative and collaborative thinkingTaking the students out of the classroom learningImproving communication skills and enhancing higher-

order thinking. The different technology tools that assist teachers to

improve their teaching and learning process ; e.g. Blackboard, Moodle, Google+ and FROGVLE.

Frog VLE is a virtual learning platform that has won awards and is easy to use, well designed for users. 

Developed in the United Kingdom with a 13-year track record, Frog focused on efforts to make life easier for teachers and students to extend the learning and teaching techniques. 

In addition, the Frog VLE also integrated with content partners and other powerful educational tools, including Google Apps for Education and the Khan Academy, to further develop teaching and learning techniques. 

Frog Asia, Frog VLE solutions provider, has also worked closely with local educators and educational organizations to provide world-class education system that is relevant to the Asian region. 

It is a web-based learning system that resembles the real world education by integrating the concept of conventional education. For example, teachers can give assignments, tests and virtual scores, while students can submit their homework and check the marks obtained using Frog VLE.

Parents are also able to communicate with teachers and school administrators can organize school calendar and display the notice on the Internet. Frog VLE can be accessed anywhere, any time with Internet connection.

Implementation of FROGVLE (FV)

In Malaysia most schools use different technology tools, however the Catholic High School (CHS) has adopted the FROGVLE to take students forward and assimilate traditional teaching methods to more modern ones.

FROGVLE is a web-based learning system that replicates real-world learning by integrating virtual equivalents of conventional concepts of education.

With the VLE, education does not have to be confined to a traditional classroom. Learning can take place anywhere, anytime.

The FROGVLE has been used in CHS for two years. Both teachers and students have been trained to use the FROGVLE (FV).

The implementation of smart and cluster schools in the Malaysian education system demand educational institutions to be fully equipped with new technological tools.

One such programme called BestariNet is used in many schools throughout Malaysia.

Through this project, FrogAsia is bringing the future of education to every student, teacher and parent in Malaysia.

It engages students in the new effective ways to effectively prepare them for the future.

To meet the needs of teaching and learning, FROGVLE is vital to create a world class learning platform besides providing the entire education community together on a specifically designed single converged network.

Thus, educators need to have the knowledge and skills to carry out this project to meet the demands of the 21st century learners

FROGVLE in Catholic High School, PJ

Introduction to FROGVLE Teachers and students are given adequate training in this new toolEnhance and motivate teachers and students on the importance of this tool Integrates the concept of conventional education with virtual methods.Students are given online assignments and then assessed by the respective teachers.

Main Features in FROGVLE

AssignmentsCalendarBooking calendarCommunityDepartment sitesLesson ResourcesFrogstoreForums

The pondSchool documentsMy documentsSitesE-mailResource managerMy dashboardSchool dashboard

Current and Future trends

For years analysts have been predicting new and exciting developments in educational technology. The forecasts for 2013, though, appear to be more about which current strategies to embrace and enhance rather than new software or hardware.

Top trends for 2013 in Educational Technology:

Mobile First  Game-Based Learning  MOOCs Social Learning Cloud Computing

Cross-platform integration

Big data/Analytics Online learning Tablets and tablet/

Laptop Hybrids Security and Privacy

Conclusion

From teachers creating classroom blogs to students working on projects through online communities, social media is becoming an integral part of the learning process. Students will need ways to access these social media in and out of the classroom, and educators will need materials that incorporate social learning into the lessons.

Trends in the education world reflect broader movements in the consumer and home-user arenas. But even as students look for products that take advantage of the latest digital efficiencies, they still demand quality content that helps them achieve their learning goals.

References

blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/06/six-big-trends-in-education-to-follow/1.The use of learning management systems

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no1/hu_0311.htm

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol8no2/mabrito_0612.htm

http://jolt.merlot.org/vol7no2/simon_0611.htm

http://www.cprsouth.org/wp-content/uploads/drupal/C%20Jebakumar.pdf

http://www.frogasia.com/v3/1bestarinet/ https://www.google.com/search?gs_rn=1

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