Designing Online Learning
Summary
The game I conceptualized, intended for elementary students and English language learners, contains task simulation and coach-me activities. I constructed the questions in a way that requires the learners to apply what they know about parts of speech but also use their knowledge to evaluate possible solutions to answer the question.
Artifact
Game/World Race – Parts of Speech
Process
Creating the game was a two-fold process, first beginning with identifying the learning objectives and how to evaluate the students’ comprehension. The second step was in the actual creation of the game. Developing the design of the game using a storyboard approach was helpful.
I used absorb activities and connect activities for this example of online learning. Students moved from one continent to another and read a brief description of a feature that can be found on the continent. Additionally, students were given the definition and examples of parts of speech used in the English language. The connect activity required the students to use there comprehension of the description of the feature with the definition and examples of parts of speech to answer questions in order to advance.
Reflection
As eLearning becomes more predominate in education the need to understand the development of online courses needs to deliver quality education that comply with instructional standards of the classroom. Designing Online Learning included the creation of lessons that demonstrate the use of knowledge construction, building models, knowledge transmission and community building with the use of collaborative projects in an online environment.
I discovered that the design of eLearning courses progress using the concepts of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning.
The “absorb activities” ask students to identify critical information through activities such as reading, listening and watching demonstrations or videos. Lower cognition levels of knowledge and comprehension are used to complete absorb activities.
Creating “do activities” are essential to transitioning this knowledge into information that they can use to apply and analyze in the same context as given in the absorb activity. These activities require the use of the higher cognition levels. Drill and practice are examples of do activities.
The do activities lead to “connect activities” in which the students use the information they have mastered in a new context. This, too uses the higher levels of analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Creating graphics, such as pictographs, is an example of a connect activity.
One of my favorite module in this course was learning about the use of gaming in online learning. Game are powerful in the acquisition of academic and life skills. Failure is a necessary part of not only playing games, but a way in which players learn to take risks, to regulate their learning and establish goals. The transition of these skills in life are some of greatest advantages to the use of game-based learning.