Assessment 1, Synopsis

The learning benefits of 21st century interactive teaching techniques are easily recognised when thought of in a comparative context to more obsolete teaching practices such as text books and directly dictating from the chalk board. Some advantages include ease of learning and an increased interest in the subject matter for students. The interactive properties of modern day teaching tools far outweigh the standardised format of text of the yesteryear. The obsolete nature of such standard techniques used in today's technological society would greatly diminish the students’ prospects in terms of career and social progression. As technology has evolved, so has the younger generations need to utilise such technology in all aspects of life, including their learning environments. Easy access tools such as Wikipedia, Google earth and image capture programs have taken the place of Encyclopedias, Atlases and Photo Albums. These new learning tools allow the modern day student to defer attention away from the strenuous nature of acquiring information from older style texts. Two hours of searching through an encyclopedia for information can now take two minutes of typing and mouse clicking. This obviously increases the productivity of the student and allows better time management and decreased stress levels, and a less likely probability of procrastination. So in theory tomorrows breed of student should be better educated and better versed in technology.

E-Learning is commonly used in terms of distance education because of its ease of access across the globe. However, the interactive properties of E-Learning have gained popularity in the educational environment because of its attractive format to the younger generation. Tools such as the voki avatars and Google earth add a sense of entertainment that can be incorporated into the education process. To be able to offer the students a relative means to learn in a technological medium that they are familiar with and stimulated by, shows the evolution of learning over the last few decades.

In my personal opinion, the Voki Avatars would offer the most positive benefits of blended learning, by mixing interactive learning practices with the more standardised forms of learning such as text books and direct dictation. Blended Learning is a blending of different learning methods, techniques and resources and applying them in an interactively meaningful learning environment (C.R Graham, 2005). These blended learning practices allow all the positive aspects of both standard and new age techniques to be incorporated into the same educational processes. Voki Avatars allow the students to select an animated character based on appearance and voice tone, in order to project any form of information necessary. Their customizable format is entertaining and allows a certain personalization with the learning experience which is important for student development as well as the learning progression.

It could probably also be said that of the interactive techniques discussed on my blog the image file and storage (Flickr, Image Manipulation, File Storage) may offer the least benefit in terms of educational progression. These image filing systems allow a more public viewing booth for images, which can be manipulated to project a certain purpose or outline. I can’t see many situations where it would be a necessity for a student to use such a tool. Eliminating unnecessary steps in education is also important because simplicity gains time and interest from students.

In conclusion, the techniques of interactive learning need direct application into classrooms now!!!! The benefits can be seen plainly when theoretically adapted to this modern technological age. E-learning’s impact has been seen throughout the modern world already, and harbours the likelihood of taking over the educational world if financially viable. E-Learning pioneer Bernard Luskin argues that the "E" must be understood to have broad meaning if e-Learning is to be effective. Luskin says that the "e" should be interpreted to mean exciting, energetic, enthusiastic, emotional, extended, excellent, and educational in addition to "electronic" that is a traditional national interpretation (Bernard Luskin , Casting the Net Over Global Learning, 2002).



REFERENCES:

Graham, C. R. (2005). "Blended learning systems: Definition, current trends, and future
directions.".
Nichols, M. (2008). E-Learning in context.
Bernard Luskin , Casting the Net Over Global Learning, 2002.
http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf