Research: Week 11

The three articles that I chose for this week’s readings were very diverse but yet oddly the same. During the next few pages, I will provide a brief synopsis of each article and then provide suggestions on how the articles’ main ideas could be implemented in classrooms.

First Article: Learn to use and use to learn: Technology in virtual collaboration experience by Elena Karpova, Ana P. Correia, & Evrim Baran.

Summary of the article.This article weighed the pros and cons of using collaborative online efforts to create a finished product from students from around the world. The participants of the study listed in the article were eleven graduate students from two universities. These eleven students were placed into three groups. One university was located in Denmark and the other was located in the U.S.The rationale for the article was based upon the fact that in order to become excellent teamplayers in the workforce, students would and should have to learn how to work together in the class. What better way to foster this learning experience than by utilizing technology to connect students around the world to work on one learning project. The authors suggested, “Learning while working together is becoming mandatory to meet workplace performance requirements, and it is important for students to have authentic experiences while earning a degree” (Karpova, Correia, Baran (2008). One other plus listed in the article was the ability of technology to bring people from diverse cultures and perspectives together. “Another benefit of using virtual collaboration as a strategy to teach

and learn is the ability to bring together heterogeneous participants and expose students to a diversity of cultures, opinions, and communication styles.”

While the authors praised the use of virtual collaboration in the classroom, they were also quick to point out the challenges. One of the major challenges the authors reported was time. “Time difference and lack of nonverbal cues were identified as challenges the global teams faced.” Using Skype, WebCT, and other collaborative inventions, each group member experienced positive and negative aspects of each innovation.

Specific ways to use virtual collaboration. There are many ways that virtual collaboration can be utilized in the classroom. In agreement with the authors, virtual collaboration could be used to connect various people from diverse cultures, opinions, and communication styles. One way to do this would be to create a geography lesson where students from the U.S. and students from  London, England could collaborate on how to assist students in Japan following the tragedy. Skype, Google Docs, and email could be utilized to create this project.

Second Article: Using Virtual Reality with and without Gaming Attributes for Academic Achievement by Jennifer Vogel, Adams Greenwood-Ericksen, Jan Bowers, & Clint Bowers
Summary of the article. “ This article discussed CAI “any program that augments, teaches, or simulates the learning environment used in the traditional classroom” (Quyanga 1993 as cited in  Vogel, Eriksen, Bowers & Bowers).There were two purposes for the study. “First, to identify whether the use of a virtual reality learning game based on traditional linear teaching methodologies can increase learning beyond the level of improvement expected from the use of a CAI format, and second, to determine whether hearing and deaf children benefit equally from the use of such technologies” (Vogel et. al).

The participants of the study included children forty-four children ages 7-12 from a public school in Florida who were hearing impaired and children who were not. The study examined whether or not using virtual reality increased the learning potential of these children. While the results indicated no noticeable improvement in language arts, there was a remarkable difference between the two groups in the acquisition of math skills. “Researchers observed significant improvement in the overall population for math skills in the non-game CAI control condition, but not in the game-based experimental condition. The study found no meaningful, significant differences in language arts skills in any of the conditions.”

Specific ways to use CAI in the classroom. Because the U.S. ranks 25th in the world in mathematics, the creation of more computer assisted instruction could be incorporated into the math curriculum. The study revealed that CAI did improve the performance of the hearing impaired and the other children. Computer assisted instruction games could be created and used to focus on our students’ weak spots and utilized in order to prepare them for not only standardized tests but life in general.

Third Article: Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration by Yoany Beldarrain
Summary of the article. Basically, this article highlighted the awareness of distance learning educators to upgrade and incorporate new technological experiences in order to provide optimal learning experiences for students. “The rapid growth of online distance education worldwide has prompted the need to revise delivery structures and re-think pedagogical practices that were once appropriate” (Beldarrain, 2006).
It also highlighted several technologies currently used in classrooms in order to assist in student learning.

Blogs/Weblogs.For example, the article  discussed web blogs or vlogs (video blogs) and how they engaged students in the learning process. “Blogs or Weblogs are best used as student portfolios that keep record of an individual’s progress, accomplishments, as well as reflections” (Weller, Pegler, & Mason 2005 as cited in Beldarrain). One specific way that blogs can be used to strengthen students writing ability while they are simultaneously learning about other subjects. For example, students could blog about a Math assignment and exchange not answers but different methods on how to arrive at the desired answer. This would not only allow them to exchange ideas with others, but they would also have the opportunity to strengthen their writing skills while working on mathematical concepts with peers. Over the year, students and teachers could observe through bloggings how students have developed mathematically.

Wiki pages.  Beldarrain’s article also discussed Wiki pages and innovative ways students and instructors utilized them in the learning process. “Wikis can successfully promote collaboration among instructors, staff, and students, as reflected in the wiki project supported by the Auburn University School of Architecture (USA) (2006). Other institutions, such as Deakin University (Australia), have implemented wikis for building relationships

among learners. Called the “collaborative icebreaker” Deakin University’s wiki was
created to promote student interaction, its goal was to give the students a chance to
socialize and get acquainted virtually (Augar, Raitman, & Zhou, 2004).”
Because our students rank 21st in Science, Wiki pages could be used to heighten students performance in the areas where they are weak. This would allow for the exchange of different perspectives and strengthen knowledge of critical concepts embedded in the sciences.