Creating accessible e-learning design is the same as creating good e-learning design. All students should be able to access it easily. Just because someone is color-blind, has a hearing impairment or needs a wheelchair to move around, it doesn’t mean that they are unable to learn or can’t achieve stellar academic results. Small accessibility adjustments can make a huge impact.
Blended learning is the use of technology and face-to-face instruction in a seamless, blended way that nonetheless introduces both students and teachers to the benefits of technology in the classroom without the shock of going “full online.” What follows is a list of some simple ways teachers can overcome their reluctance to using technology and begin blending their classrooms.
Lauded as the 21st century’s “critical skills”, communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity have become buzzwords among educators, and it is quite easy to see why. Educators have turned their focus not only to imparting facts to their students, but also to developing the critical intellectual skills that denote and also inspire deeper more productive learning, self-motivation and other such values.
Plenty of students live with some form of disability, and they need not be excluded from online learning. Course creators should keep in mind some guidelines and law requirements when designing online learning materials. Accessible e-learning design is simply good design. Healthy students won’t even notice it, while those with a disability or another will be happy to be able to access your courses without major problems.
The PROs and CONs of competency-based education is pretty balanced. Making the transition to this kind of approach to education raises quite some challenges to all major stakeholders. But the advantages that promise to come along are also luring. While some are afraid of the many things that can go wrong, others are convinced that competency-based education will eventually become the norm.
An incorrect seated posture can quickly lead to fatigue, neck and back strains and consequently a decline in focus and comfort. Students of all ages should move more and sit less, but the school program requires quite a lot of seating time. Educators should pay attention to student posture while learning, no matter if they use a computer or not.
While VR has yet to be incorporated into advanced educational LMSs, there are a number of encouraging developments that are interesting to explore. Teachers can consider using VR in the classroom through Google Cardboard or Second Life, and these are only two examples.
Going to college and getting a degree seems almost impossible for students who also have work and family commitments. Competency-based education puts more control in these students’ hands by moving away from the time-to-class standard measurement of learning, focusing on the actual mastery of new skills and allowing an incredible degree of flexibility.
What can educators everywhere do to prevent cyberbullying as much as possible and ensure online safety in schools? From teaching students about digital citizenship and monitoring school computers, these issues can be tackled head-on.
While there are plenty of concerns regarding the success of a flipped classroom (how to ensure all students have access to the lectures at any time, how to create the best lectures, and even trust students to come prepared to class), its benefits outnumber its shortcomings. The flipped classroom seems to create a win-win situation for both students and teachers. Once they try it, they no longer want to go back.
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