Resource Creation and Evaluation: Interactive Blackboards - Essay Example

? Resource Creation and Evaluation Masters in Physics and Year: Last Semester Learning Area: Electrical Resistance URL: https://lms.curtin.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp Table of Contents Introduction 3 Needs Assessment 3 Interactive learning via online Blackboard 4 A brief lesson plan 5 How online Blackboard will achieve the learning outcomes 6 How online Blackboard is linked to Australian curriculum 7 Justification and evaluation of the online Blackboard 7 Online Blackboard effectiveness 7 Conclusion 11 Introduction Many technological dawns have been witnessed in the past thirty years. The internet and desktop computers have been developed and enthusiasts continue to announce more transformations. The use of technology has transformed the way Physics is taught and learnt. Various researchers continue investigating the challenges faced by students when learning Physics. Increased use of internet provides an opportunity for interactive learning environment. In this vein, innovations such as Blackboard, Angel and WebCT have been found to support interactive learning environment (Samaras et al., 2006). Such innovations are used when chatting between students and their instructors, to receive assignments, view grades and remain connected to the learning institution. In addition, they have allowed teachers an opportunity to teach in an interactive learning environment. The development of such new technologies and increased research has transformed the way people think. Further, emergence of interactive teaching platforms has led educators to transform the ways in which they teach their students. This study will focuses on the use of online Blackboard to teach Physics to second year high school students. Needs Assessment With recent technological advances, the educational systems continue to adjust in order to meet the present societal needs. The fact that knowledge users are required to incorporate technology to befit present societal demands has brought additional responsibilities to producers of such knowledge. A decade ago, a glance at the Australian curricula revealed an inward looking system of education that was limited to classroom environment where a teacher and a group of students held discussions (Wieman & Perkins, 2005).. However, this mode of learning has proved ineffective particularly for science subjects that involve concepts. This notion has affirmed the traditional system of education inadequate and the existing educational materials hardly enough to meet the present education demands. To fill the existing gap, curriculum developers have come up with various online platforms that allow students to use the search engine to access diverse learning materials interact with instructors’ online, book and sit their examinations, make enquiries through chatting with fellow students and instructors among many others. Interactive learning via online Blackboard Evidently, use of online blackboard has greatly enhanced teaching Physics in high school. This is because it creates an opportunity of having visual illustrations that are critical for mastering the subject. Such online illustrations not only enables students to understand, but also allows them visual identification of diagrams hence ability to preserve them than they could have done in verbal descriptions. Further, such demonstrations highlight physics concepts leaving students to give physical explanations. Interestingly, this mode of learning commands attentiveness from the audience. In teaching Physics, the online Blackboard can be used in numerous ways. For instance, it has been used in Physics laboratory curricula since it provides real-time access to data required for the experiment. Unlike the traditional methods, a student can watch a real event as it is performed experimentally. Further, the Blackboard has also proved helpful during interactive lectures. The online Blackboard enables teachers to plan and teach Physics as well as instructing students using integrated technology. On the other hand, students are needed to demonstrate and construct knowledge while collaborating with peers to expound on such knowledge (Shelton and Saltsman, 2005). In planning phase, the teacher formats the Blackboard to enhance cognitive knowledge expansion. Further, the teacher is able to embrace technology to construct knowledge and demonstrate such knowledge to students through interactive Blackboard. The Blackboard has been instrumental in knowledge construction. This is achieved through discourse as students engage in class discussions. Therefore, this new teaching approach is expected to enhance student interaction with content hence playing a key role for interactive participation. However, the Blackboard is not void of lectures as it also involves active demonstrations. A brief lesson plan The topic under study concerns electrical resistance and the effect of temperature. The lesson plan is based on the concept of electrical resistance which is designed for high school second year students’. For this lesson, students will learn about voltage and current resistance in a basic electrical circuit using both digital and analogue multi-meter to record information. Students’ exposure to voltage components and sources is critical for developing sound understanding of how electrical instruments work. Upon going through the instructions provided in the online Blackboard, the students will be required to arrange and interpreted data collected in order to determine the ensuing relationship between the qualities learnt in this topic. Since the experiment will be about electrical resistance, cables and other materials and cross-sectional data will be involved. Upon completion of the experiment, students will be expected to provide online explanations on resistance as shown by energy saving bulbs and light bulbs as well as the observed variation between light bulbs and other conductors involved in this experiment. The online Blackboard provides that electrical resistance varies as temperature changes. Through this online platform, the teacher will provide a list of material to be used in this experiment and instructions to be followed. The teacher will begin by introducing the topic under review, “electrical resistance”. The teacher will go further to provide a brief review of the topic under study. This concerns the different conductors being studied including coppers and light bulbs to analyze the aspect of resistance. This is meant to elicit questions amongst students on heat conductors and what would happen on heat transmission. Students will engage their instructors online in discussing their ideas and any question that may arise in the process of conducting the experiment. On completion of the experiment, students will be expected to send their results and explanations via blackboard to their teacher which will be marked and the grades posted online. How online Blackboard will achieve the learning outcomes Blackboard can promote students mastery of Physics subject. According to Bull and Bull (2005), numerous traditional teaching methods have made students to be passive rather than active learners. Similarly, DiSessa (2000) argued that these traditional teaching methods have been inadequate in terms of promoting detailed learning in a way to apply different concepts to real world situations. In this light, educators have developed a number of teaching strategies that accommodates students’ needs better by incorporating both problem solving and other conceptual needs. According to research conducted by McDermott and Schaffer (2002), teaching students using online Blackboard supports the social aspect of learning as opposed to the independent style. This study further established that online learning enables instructors to identify students’ areas of competence as opposed to traditional modes of learning. Cepni, Tas and Kose (2006) found that the online Blackboard would enhance knowledge construction and students ability to apply knowledge to solve real life problems. How online Blackboard is linked to Australian curriculum The Australian government has been advocating for a paradigm shift from the traditional methods of learning. According to Shelton and Saltsman (2005), traditional teaching and learning methods no longer serve the needs of students in the 21st century. The current teaching methods must be all inclusive in order to allow students to participate in the learning process. This goes contrary with the traditional teaching methods that are passive and therefore makes the student to memorize the knowledge impacted by their instructors without devising new ways of developing knowledge base. To solve this problem, scientists in collaboration with curriculum developers have come up with interactive platforms that digitalize the modern learning platforms. This is in line with the Australian government and national curriculum which has since switched to technology-wise mode of learning. The online Blackboard is connected to various sites that are rich in modern learning materials. This facility makes is highly compatible with Australian curriculum which no longer relies on print texts, but instead encourages students and teachers to focus on online learning materials. Justification and evaluation of the online Blackboard Online Blackboard effectiveness Students are expected to embrace critical thinking from early stages of learning. In the recent times, there have been increased efforts towards constructive modes of teaching and learning. Use of online sources such as the Blackboard has been found to assist students in developing critical skills. Teachers across the globe are starting to appreciate the necessity of adopting interactive methods of teaching particularly for science subjects. Vygotsky (1978) observed those technologically adept students’ needs to be taught in technologically enhanced environments. Embracing technology in learning has proved beneficial since it enables students gain skills that can be applied in real life situations. In this regard, many Australian learning institutions are currently using Blackboard as part of student learning experience. Many researchers observed that Physics students recorded subject mastery when taught through interactive learning methods. Other numerous practitioners in the field of Physics have supported the need of teaching the subject using learning styles that serves the needs of students. This was echoed by McDermott and Shaffer (1992) who lamented that use of online Blackboard has gained momentum in both laboratories and classrooms. This is because the Blackboard does not require students to be physically present particularly in classrooms. Papert and Harel (1991) have observed that Blackboard has grown to become a norm for many students. Reportedly, instructors are more willing to explore diverse online learning options to enable student’s master different subjects. How the resource fulfills students learning needs The online Blackboard is characterized by learning from the day a student logs in to the system. During this time, a teacher expects students to engage in detailed online discussions with fellow students. Moreover, the teacher designs the learning materials in such a way to trigger student’s concentration and also ensures that such concentration is maintained along the learning and teaching process. McDermott and Shaffer (1992) argue that teachers find it challenging to identify students’ capacity of comprehending Physics when they lack the appropriate teaching facilities. Further, the author asserts that assessing individual students is vital in both learning and teaching processes. A research conducted by Sokoloff and Thornton (1998), indicated that students taught using interactive learning setting are eager to learn new and challenging concepts. How the users perceive the resource Through online Blackboard, assignments are marked and the grades transferred to Blackboard grade book. Blackboard provides different forms of questions through which students can be evaluated. In addition, there are self tests which have automatic answers and students can use them for self evaluation. The ability of online Blackboard to provide a platform through which students can self-evaluate allows them to test their Physics mastery whenever they feel to do so since they can get immediate and detailed feedback. They can also repeat the tests endlessly without suffering any penalty until they gain confidence of the Physics subject. Unlike the traditional modes of learning, the online Blackboard has certainly proved superior in assessing students’ knowledge and subject comprehension (Kennewell, 2001). This study has established that both students and their teachers have expressed satisfaction in course delivery using online Blackboard platform. Nevertheless, while most findings suggest favorable experiences in the side of both students and their teachers, few areas were identified for improvement. For instance, teachers suggested improvement of Blackboard platform by integrating it to other devices such as mobile phones. This could be helpful since such gadgets can alert a teacher of any pending enquiries by the students when offline. How the resource compares to other similar resources The online blackboard stands out among other interactive learning platforms due to its ability to format quizzes that assesses students’ capacity to apply principles learnt. Other notable features include; the ability of students to hold online discussions among others. In comparison Moodle, the main competitor of Blackboard was found to lack these critical features. Blackboard is very versatile as it supports assessment through open ended questions and analysis type assignments. Unlike, traditional methods, students are only required to submit the completed assignment to the unit instructors’ drop box where they are marked and marks automatically transferred to the grade book for access by students. Online Blackboard has detoured plagiarism which has continued to pose a serious academic challenge to many students. This procedure is done using software called Turnitin that electronically identifies texts identity. The ease of using the resource The online Blackboard is one of the best online learning environments in present times. Overtime, it has proven reliable and easy to use. All that a user needs to have is a computer installed with Blackboard software and reliable accessible to internet. In addition, a user needs to have an account which should be created for every student and their teacher by the school information technology department. Every user is then issued with a password to use at the time of logging in. Moreover, every user with basic computer knowledge can use the resource since it is more like the search engine where one logs in search of learning materials. The nature of content provided by the resource Most of the learning materials are accessible through internet. However, students can only access materials that have been uploaded in Blackboard by the subject instructor. As such, the teachers can search for online materials which can then be uploaded in Blackboard platform for students to access. This will eliminate the need of purchasing text books as much of the reading materials and self assessment test can be readily available in the online platform. Hardware and software required for accessing the resource and its availability To access online Blackboard, a computer installed with Blackboard software is needed. The user should also have access to reliable internet. Blackboard requires secure connection (https). The cost of purchasing Blackboard software remains prohibitive, but Blackboard Inc has launched an enhanced version for small schools starting from $ 10,000 including training teachers and online hosting. Conclusion Technology has transformed the process of teaching and learning physics. This transformation has led to development of fundamentally new learning environments with the capacity of promoting interactivity. Most of the interactive tools available today have the capacity to provide more enhanced learning environment. While there are numerous interactive modes of teaching, the online Blackboard remains one of the most highly used tool for interactive teaching. By visually observing the subject under study, students are able to develop skills necessary for consolidating knowledge and linking what has been learnt to the real life situations. The online Blackboard has been found to provide a platform for applying knowledge gained in the process of learning to real world situations. In addition, it facilitates accumulation of more knowledge for in-depth subject mastery. As stated earlier, students do not acquire knowledge directly from their instructors when learning using the online Blackboard. Instead, they participate by restructuring the knowledge acquired themselves. In line with finding of Mazur (1997), interactive learning methods enhance students’ success in subject mastery. However, the interactive teaching and learning methods were found not to influence students’ attitudes. They were found to contribute in building students’ perceptions and therefore enabling them to link the concepts learnt to real life situations. Compared to traditional methods, interactive platforms can be credited with eliminating existing misconception about Physics. In this vein, such constructive learning methods should be encouraged and students supported by increasingly using technology to teach physics in order to enhance better quality of learning. References Bul1, G., & Bull, G. (2005). Looking at display technologies. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(6), 35-40. Cepni, S., Tas, E. and Kose, S. (2006). The Effects of Computer-assisted Material on Students‘ Cognitive Levels, Misconceptions and Attitudes towards Science. Computers and Education, 46(6), 192-205. Daniel, J.S. (1997). Mega universities and knowledge media: Technology strategies for higher education, London: Prentice Hall. DiSessa, A. A. (2000). Changing Minds: Computers, Learning, and Literacy. 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