Is an LMS the best tool for learning and teaching?
Would teachers create more innovative online environments if they had more flexible and modular tools they could integrate and shape into environments suitable to the particular needs and interests of their students? Would this be too inconsistent and confusing for students? It would certainly test teachers' skills (both technical and pedagogical) and would also increase their workload.
It is fair to say that the largest LMSs, such as Blackboard, could be described as Web 1.0 dinosaurs, even when their more recent releases do integrate some of the collaborative Web 2.0 technologies (such as wikis or blogs). It seems to be the way the large LMSs are evolving, however the pace of Web 2.0 innovations is such that large LMSs may always stay a few years behind (Barbaux, 2005).
(Norman, 2005)
References Blackall, L. (2005)
Small Pieces in elearning, Available:
http://teachandlearnonline.blogspot.com/2005/05/small-pieces-in-elearning.htmlDalsgaard, C. (2006)
Social software: E-learning beyond learning management systems Available
: http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2006/Christian_Dalsgaard.htmNorman, D. (2005)
Small pieces Available:
http://edcommunity.apple.com/adc/tools/wp-content/smallpieces.pngWilson, D. (2007)
Is LMS a corporate competency, Learning reflections Available:
http://elearnity.blogspot.com/atom.xmlBarbaux, M. (2006)
Is an LMS the best tool for learning and teaching? Available:
http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/ecommunication/2006/08/is_an_lms_the_best_tool_for_le.html
Introduction
Galileo once said, "You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him find it within himself."
As an educator, I believe the mission of education is to provide all students with an educational enviornment. Technology is a great way to teach students and to reinforce what they have already learnt. I believe that technology can be useful to both educators and students, by providing millions of resources at our fingertips.
I have decided to a create a blog, because I believe blogs are designed to cater for everyone and in addition serve people in different ways. It has a structure which is flexible, you are able to communicate, share images, add a personal profile and promote ideas. I think it is a good management tool to be able to manage my thoughts.
What do you think of blogs? Would you use it as a management tool? Would you use it to communicate? Please share your thoughts.
4 comments:
I think these are interesting and good points for analysis but if you can reference them to where you found them that adds more weight to them as they are then a referenced comment and it is always a stronger statement when it is referenced - this might seem difficult to argue with images too but the same applies to images if you can remember the address and find the citation details
I agree that the larger LMS are way behind in trying to integrate some of the features of Web2.0.
We only have to look at the environment here at the uni and we just upgraded our version of Blackboard and still no wiki or blogs although they are talked about and an add on or plugin for a blog based on an open surce software environment is being used called Wordpress i think.
But no matter how had they peddle the big players are really behind the 8 ball in these now read write environments that are catering for the general community but are so useful in the online education sector.
I am not sure that we can totally rid ourselves of LMSs but they are are clearly old technology. Do otehr people think that it might be possible to run subjects online without using a LMS - I suppose I am asking for all the effort ( time and money) that is requred to set up and service a LMS at a particular educational institution or site what does am LMS really add?
Thank you, very insightful comments Ted.
I have referenced the comments and image by Darcy Norman whom speaks about the use of 'small tools' instead of an LMS tool set. This is specifically for learning and teaching. It interests me, the use of an image to illustrate this (http://en.gnomz.com/) you can create your own to represent this reflection.
I also agree on your points Ted and ponder about running subjects online without using LMS and integrating the use of Web 2.0 technologies instead. Would this require time and effort?
Majority of these social softwares & web 2.0 are free of use. Would using these technologies opposed to LMS benefit us more in applying 'small pieces' in the use of ICT in curriculums and distance education?
What do others think?
Hi Raghda
Love your articles on LMS...They are very helpful and cause for discussion for the work Jenny and I are doing in Assignment 2...Comic strip was good too.
Plenty of food for thought.
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