In my opinion there is no correct way to answer this question. Depending on what a teacher would like to teach resp. what kind of task he stets up, computer assisted learning can be performed individually as well as in collaboration.

Lets consider some examples:

Computer learning programs are typical for an individual work process. The computer raises a question which has to be answered by the student. In my opinion this kind of task does not require any teamwork. Similar I think about if a student, for example, has to prepare for a presentation he is suppose to conduct in class. The student might need to use the internet in order to receive information. For a task like that there is no need for any team work. On the other side, if the presentation has to be performed in a group, the computer can be used as communication tool and therefore it becomes a collaborative character. Once a task requires communication between the students I think we can talk of teamwork. This refers especially to Web2.0 tools. Communication on twitter, shared mind-maps, or the management of a class blog certainly requires collaborative work.

Consequently I should alter my headline into:

“Computer assisted learning:  individual work and teamwork“

In this week I will bend my thoughts on this question and try to answer it in my closing blog.

„Vita 1.0“ & „Vita 2.0“ (= „Discussion1.0“ & „Discussion2.0“)

Discussions according to the „vita 1.0“ are face-to-face interactions between people (e.g. interaction between students). For the „vita 2.0“ discussions can be performed by the use of web2.0 tools. The usage of web2.0 tools can be helpful because the discussions and thoughts are documented online. This facilitates the teachers job because he can see which person created a specific content. Therefore the teacher can rate the performance of a student even beyond the classroom. Regarding to the „vita 1.0“ the teacher has not this opportunity. Another advantage of the „vita 2.0“ is that it supports the collaboration between students as well as the visual presentation of knowledge.

The requirements for the “vita1.0” and “vita2.0” are similar: logic, moral, intellect, and openness.

“Projektmódszer1.0” & “Projektmódszer2.0”

The project method has several characteristics. Students are confronted with a complex problem which they are suppose to solve in cooperation with the other students. Therefore the student is in the center of this educational method.

Both, the “Projektmódszer1.0” and “Projektmódszer2.0”, has a similar line of proceeding:

• choosing a topic
• planing
• execution/realization
• evaluation

For this method it is important that the students know the purpose of their study because on this way the students gain further motivation to accomplish their task.

Note:

I had some trouble with understanding the “Mindmaster” map. Therefore I would be pleased about comments and corrections.  Thank you!

my didactic model1

The society defines the learning objectives. The teachers job is to teach this predefined skills. To reach his goal, he develops an educational strategy. The teacher will use various kind of methods and media to fulfill his assignment. The web 2.0 can be considered as one type of media. By the use of the Web 2.0 the teacher can prepare himself for his assignment, exchange ideas with his colleagues, or publish, for example, the definition of a task on a network available for each student in a class. There are many possibilities to use the Web 2.0 in class. Students using the Web 2.0 can create an interactive way of education. On this way students can learn actively, what can increase their motivations as well as the success of learning. The teacher even can find out the reaction of the students referring to his educational strategy. The students, for example, can give feedback online. This enables an early control of the learning success which can be performed even before the actual assessment of the training success (e.g. exams). The out coming “actual state” can now be compared to the “target state” and the teacher can optimize the educational process.

In this model you can see three (four) dark blue arrows. This arrows are representation of the interaction between a specific actor and the school 2.0/ classroom 2.0. Every actor in this model can interact with the school 2.0/ classroom 2.0 and therefore can get in contact with the other two actor groups. For example, parts of society who want to know how the students are picking up the predefined learning objectives, could visit a Weblog of a class, make a remark, get in contact with the publisher and additionally create an opinion towards the learning process.

In our last class we learned about four different types of didactic models.

• Felix von Cube, the originator of the cybernetic-information theory, created the model of a planed learn-situation in order to reach a predetermined educational goal.

• Carroll’s crucial variables are refereeing to the time:

Learning success = spent time/needed time

(more time means more learning)

5 elements:

1. Aptitude (student)
2. Ability to understand the instructions (student & teacher)
3. Perseverance (student & teacher)
4. Opportunity to learn (teacher)
5. Quality of education (teacher)

• Nagy Sándor:

• Báthory Zoltán created basic approaches in order to change the curriculum’s diction. He differentiated the content of the curriculum between obligatory subject matter and complementary subject matter.

The assignment due next week:

For each model the class is suppose to create in collaboration a Wikipedia article. The use of Twitter as communication tool should facilitate the exchange of information, which is necessary to accomplish the group’s task.

Additionally each student has to create a map (using MindMester) of a didactic model regarding to the topics “school2.0” and “classroom2.0”.

Personal thoughts, opinion, and attitude toward this assignment should be posted in the students individual blog.

School of everything:

• School of everything is a social learning network that connects people who can teach with people who want to learn. Learners can search for teachers in their area for all subjects, and, teachers can search for learners. This can facilitate the learning process beyond the educational institutions.

TeacherTube:

• TeacherTube is a video sharing website similar to YouTube created for teachers, students and home learners. On this site teachers are able to share educational resources in video format (e.g. classroom teaching resources, teacher’s trainings etc.) from which students as well as other teachers can learn new concepts and skills.

Livemocha:

• Livemocha is a social network service where the user can learn a new language through audio-visual lessons and peer lecturing. Teamwork and self-paced lessons are suppose to facilitate the learning process.

Moodle:

• This is a tool to create interactive websites where teachers and students can communicate and collaborate in educational ways. With this web application teachers, for example, can create an online learning site which his students can work with at any time.

Classroom2.0:

• This site is about the use of emerging internet technologies in the classroom. It offers a good insight into the uses of Web2.0 technologies in the field of education. On this page, teachers for instance, can discuss with other teachers about the best way of integrating Web2.0 tools into their classrooms.

DaddyPoll:

• This tool allows the creation and administration of surveys and polls completely online for someone’s website, blog and social network. This can be useful for the accomplishment and sharing, for example, of a research work, or the evaluation of a teacher’s performance.

Virtual/online whiteboard:

• With this Web application the user can write, draw, brainstorm or create graphics on a virtual whiteboard and share this information with others.

The use of computers and the internet becomes increasingly important in today’s educational institutions. The Web2.0 provides nearly endless opportunities for interactive communication.

But how can we use Web2.0 tools in our classrooms to support the learning process of the students? And what are the chances and the risks of this new innovation?

Lets consider common Web2.0 tools:

Social networking websites (e.g. Facebook):

Using social networks is an easy and fast way of communication. Not only for students among themselves but also for the communication between the students and their teacher. If the students have a question they could directly pose it to the teacher’s account. You can communicate, share ideas, and get instant feedback. Within Facebook, as an example, it is also possible to create groups which only defined people, like the members of a school class, can join. In this way the students would be able to discuss different topics which each other even beyond the classrooms.

Twitter:

Twitter is also a helpful communication tool. For example, a teacher respectively a student could create a new group for his class where he can post the newest information, his opinion, or helpful links according to a topic. As a disadvantage I consider the limited number of character (140). Therefore I think Twitter is more useful for links and ideas than rather having a serious discussion about a topic.

Blogs:

Blogs, for instance, can be used for the documentation of a state of research/project of a student. Even moderate progresses in the students work can be easily observed by outsiders. Blogs also can be a helpful instrument in improving a students writing skills. Teachers could use blogs ,for example, to create a online school magazine together with their students.

Wikipedia:

This tool is great for receiving information or definitions about almost any topic you could think of. This can be useful for teachers as well as for students if they are, for example, preparing for a presentation. But you can not only receive information, you also can spread them. The possibility for everybody being able to spread information about any topic can also be risky. There is no guaranty that the content which you find on Wiki’s is correct.

SlideShare:

With this tool, teachers as well as students, can upload and share PowerPoint presentations. A teacher who uses PowerPoint in class could upload his presentation afterwords online so his students can repeat the subject matter again from at home. On the other side, students could upload their PPP a few days before their presentation in school, so the teacher can verify it in advance.

Youtube:

Sharing video clips on Youtube can also be helpful for education because videos can support the visual type of learning. Almost every subject can benefit from such a video portal. The documentation of an experiment in biology or chemistry class, English language pronunciation tutorials, or the documentation of a training session in physical education, are just a few examples how Youtube can be integrated into the classroom.

MindMester:

With MindMester it is easy to create online mind maps. On this way it is possible to present a general view of even widespread topics. It is conceivable that a teacher/student could create such a mind map for every topic they discussed in class. This could help students to keep track of the all the topics.