Teaching in an online environment should be multi-modal, and involve the
use of a variety of channels. The flash move below (Warning the movie is
6 megs so will take a while to load) may be helpful in understanding how
a variety of technologies and modes of interaction may be combined to provide
a programme of learning online. From a pedagogical point of view, one of
the major advantages of moving to the e-learning environment is the capacity
for sharing the locus of control within the educational endeavour. In the
e-learning paradigm educational 'delivery' will be a thing of the past –
instead, the focus must be on participation, negotiation, and provision
of appropriate resources and learning experiences to meet identified learner
needs.
Core/base resources
In traditional correspondence education the core resources have been
paper-based with the use of sets and study guides. In conventional classroom-based
education the provision of core resources comes in the form of a variety
of texts, library books, curriculum supplements, teacher-produced handouts,
etc. In more recent times paper-based resources have been supplemented
by a variety of others, including audio and videotapes, CD-ROM material
and web resources. These resources may be regarded as 'static' in the
sense that they:
are subject to an intensive instructional design and development approach
are subject to a rigorous quality assurance process
involve a lengthy (and costly) development phase with a view to developing
a quality resource that will be available for a period of time
are designed for a generic audience (e.g. level two science)
are designed to be re-used.
Synchronous interaction
At the other end of the continuum from core resources is the face-to-face
teaching that occurs in classrooms and, for distance students, at residential
schools, camps, etc. In recent times this has been supplemented with mediated
opportunities through the use of video and audio-conferencing, internet
relay chat, electronic whiteboards (web-boards), etc. A key feature of this
level of the educational transaction is that it is 'dynamic', that is, change
can be made easily, and opportunities exist for spontaneous interactions
and exchanges.
Asynchronous interaction
This area of learning focuses primarily on the use of technologies
that facilitate the distribution of resources and the discourse that exists
in the educational transaction. Current examples of these technologies
are learning management systems such as Blackboard, WebCT or First Class,
although these will need to develop significantly in the future to realize
the full potential of work in this area. This level of the educational
transaction is also 'dynamic', but the interaction does not happen in
'real time' (unlike those facilitated by synchronous technologies). The
resources developed and provided in this level are likely to be teacher-created
or referenced, and provided to address a particular need or illustrate
a particular teaching point that has emerged in the discourse.