Module 2

Learning with Technology - Module 2  

Triggering Event: How can students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others?

            Article: Ertmer, P. A., Newby, T. J., Yu, J. H., Liu, W., Tomory, A., Lee, Y. M., et al. (2011).

Facilitating students' global perspectives: Collaborating with international partners using Web 2.0 technologies (Links to an external site.). The Internet and Higher Education, 14(4), 251–261.

My Triggering Question: Can the use of video chat /video calling with other dancers around the world help to give students a better perspective of dance from a global view?

            My Article: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-06-23-five-ways-teachers-can-use-video-chat-in-the-classroom

          New Article: http://www.ingrammicroadvisor.com/unified-communications-and-collaboration/six-advantages-of-video-conferencing-for-education

 (Links to an external site.)

Reflection:

           Technology in my subject area is growing but has yet come to a point where information and research have reached a secondary academic level. Taking a step outside of my interest in dance and fitness, and focusing on the greater idea gave me a much more favorable article search, the idea of students making connections via video chat to give students a global view is rapidly growing in schools around the world. In the article "Six advantages of video conferencing in education" the writers at Ingram Micro Advisor (a blog) provides someone like myself who is not tech savvy to see the essential yet beneficial attributes of video communication. The six benefits are:

• Virtual field trips
• Visits from experts
• Leave no students out
• Save conversations and Materials
• Parent Teacher Conference
• Allow students to travel the wold.

Do I feel I have found answers to justify my triggering question? Yes and no. I was able to find various articles on y topic but none that provided greater thinking past listing what most teachers are using it for. I am do not have computers in my classroom the way other teachers do, but I am now more interested in reserving the computer lab for my students to take part in learning through video chat.