Hilee Draehn

COMM 5350a

Lesson 13

1. Ideas from Glavac's, The Busy Educators Guide to the World Wide Web:

I found this book to be an easy read, teacher resource packed with a plethora of educational web-sites, tips, and strategies for the educator wanting to integrate technology into the curriculum. I have used the following web-sites already for both classroom assignments and personal growth:

a. Enchanted Learning www.EnchantedLearning.com

An awesome database of teacher lesson plans, printables, puzzles, and information.

b. About.com http://about.com

A collection of sites related to different topics in education.

c. A to Z Teacher Stuff http://atoZTeacherStuff.com

Great teacher resource created by a teacher.

d. Weekly Reader Galaxy www.weeklyreader.com

This is my daughter's favorite site to read the online magazine and play games.

2. Ideas from Pallof and Pratt's, Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies fo the On-Line Classroom:

This book focused on the shift from all course work being offered in a traditional class room environment to the explosion of web-based courses while discussing the challenges, benefits, and concerns involved with computer-mediated distance education. A central theme that kept calling to me was the whole of idea of the need to build learning communities-allowing growth and development of all learners. The sample course syllabus at the end of the book was meant to showcase a positive online learning environment. It was interesting to note similarities in courses that I have taken that I have felt were challenging, positive learning experiences for me.

Some web-sites that I found addressing strategies for creating good web-based instruction:

Web-Based Instruction and Learning: Analysis and Needs Assessment Summary

http://ibm.nsysu.edu.tw/INET98/4c/4c_1.htm#BESTPRACTICES

Distance Education Clearinghouse (A WoW! Collection of sites aimed at helping an instructor in the design process of a web-based course)

http://www.uwex.edu/disted/webdevel.htm

3. What is the future?

In the near future, I see accredited Internet Universities and Schools becoming more evident as learning communities form partnerships with businesses and/or other schools.

Straight out of a science fiction movie, I envision that soon we will be able to project interactive hologram type images of a teacher into classrooms in an effort to counteract overcrowding issues, lack of qualified teacher issues or other staff considerations, or school violence problems. Computers will be worn as tiny headsets controlled by voice (in fact, I read somewhere that the keyboard is becoming obsolete).

However, I worry though that we are almost obliterating the human factor by becoming somewhat of an isolationist society deriving contact via chat sessions and interactive video.