June 2008 — eLearning
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One-Stop Shopping With Learning Management Systems
Smith, a former math teacher, says he saw firsthand the system's benefits. "It was a way for me to share information without having to run to 20 different machines." It was also a way for him to motivate his students.
"In a typical algebra classroom," he explains, "if you ask a question you may get one or two hands. By using a discussion board or chat feature associated with this application, you may get 100 hits within 15 minutes. It's student-to-student learning. You become the facilitator and not the person who has all the knowledge. If you use this technology in the way students are accustomed to, you get the desired outcome."
The Virtual Classroom
The Gwinnett County Online Campus-- part of Gwinnett County Public Schools in Suwanee, GA-- offers roughly 100 courses. According to the virtual school's director, Matthew Waymack, some 4,500 mostly high school students in the district took at least one class online in 2007.
Making the online education program possible is the LMS from eCollege. The system enables teachers to post course content and lecture notes, exchange e-mail with students, and administer tests and quizzes, among its many options. Waymack goes on about the features: "There's a place where documents can be uploaded and shared. There are discussion boards. There's an area called a 'drop box' where students can submit work in an organized fashion rather than e-mail it to the teacher and plug up the teacher's inbox."
In addition to the asynchronous functions the system can perform, housed among its suite of tools is ClassLive Pro, a real-time virtual classroom environment that is equipped with voice and video capabilities so students can see and hear their instructor-- and even respond if they wish. Waymack says using a webcam keeps his students engaged. "Kids think it's kind of cool, and it makes them pay attention a little better," he says. "If they get sick of looking at me, they can close it."
Every online session is archived as a downloadable podcast in the event students are unable to "attend" class. Beginning this summer, Waymack says that the system will have the added functionality of converting class sessions into video files for students to view at their convenience.
Taking learning management systems well beyond the online classroom, the community at Red Bank Catholic High School in New Jersey employs Naviance's Course Manager in several ways. Parents use the system to do college searches, and students can take career and personality assessments. "It's not too early for anyone to look at anything," says Fran Swift, the school's guidance director, "so freshmen have the same level of ability to look at things as seniors."
