Virtual Learning Environments ICT in your subject VLEs

Virtual Learning Environments ICT in your subject

VLEs • The concept of VLEs is that the classroom becomes extended so that instead of filling 3 hours per week and having a physical classroom with a white board and display boards; the time continuum is extended to a realtime 24/7 and the displays become Web 2. 0 based or, as it is frequently referred to in research, VLE 2. 0 • The 2. 0 refers to moving from mode 1 – a repository – to mode 2: interactive elements

24/7 online discussion forum managed by students and updated hourly Virtual Classroom Collaborative online wiki managed by students updated daily Bridging the divide Physical Classroom Class discussion – 50 minutes total a week, on fixed topics managed by the teacher 2 dimensional display board – updated every few weeks

Mode 1 • Mode 1 practitioners see the VLE like a filing cabinet or a display board where they can pin work • They put homework on the board, some resource sheets and other files • They use email to communicate with students and send work back and forth

This resource is unavailable on the internet – no matter how much they Google! Mode 2 • Mode 2 practitioners don’t try to create resources that already exist on the internet – they provide links to such provision • If they upload a resource, it is a specialist resource only accessible from the VLE – this can be from the subject teacher’s specialist knowledge or simply a copyright protected source (the VLE comes within copyright rules for a school’s physical space as there is a formal log in)

Mode 2 • Mode 2 practitioners do not try to be solely responsible for the content of the VLE • Using Web 2. 0 components such as discussion forums, wikis, online peer assessment and revision they try to generate as much student led content and learning as possible • This replicates the push in physical classrooms from teacher led to student led learning

Mode 2 • Within the VLE, mode 2 teachers embrace the collaborative nature of social networking and create ‘spaces’ or ‘projects’ which require a team of people to collaborate together to produce an end product • The teacher sets up the process and supports the students in differentiating the tasks so that each student works to their strength • The teacher often allows physical class time on such online projects allowing students to write drafts, discuss physically plan and research so that they can function efficiently once away from the physical classroom

Mode 2 – discussion forums • Many models exist for the efficient management of discussion forums, but a summary of best practice is as follows: • Introduce the students to the forum and the technology for the forum in a physical room and encourage them to post en mass within a physical lesson at the start of their course • The teacher should be highly involved at the start, but withdraw exponentially to facilitate independent discussion • Students should be allocated as ‘moderators’ – they initiate discussions and ‘protect’ the forum from offensive posts - this role should be rotated so that there is a ‘weekly’ role • Discussions in the classroom – clearly waymarked on SOWs – should be replicated in the VLE – as different students give more measured and interactive answers in contrast to how they sometimes perform in the physical classroom

Mode 2 - wikis • Wikis are spaces where students can collaborate to create, upload and modify • You can see it rather like a 3 d display board that can contain files, pictures, texts and videos • Or you can see it as a webpage that is created and reshaped by the collaboration of the class or group • Like all blank spaces, it needs structure and a strong teacher will plan the wiki in the classroom with the students (often a small group (3 or 4)) before the students collaborate to create their wikis around key subject knowledge themes • Af. L should always be built in – peer review and assessment is a vital part of VLE work • Wikis need not be part of the internal VLE – they can be built, as secure communities, using sites such as www. wikispaces. com

Mode 2 - Blogs • Students who are stronger at maintaining an online presence can be a great source of knowledge to the rest of the class • A blog is like a daily/weekly webpage that is frequently updated by the student – it can contain text, images, video and other moving graphics • Students can collate these sources alongside a narrative to show their personal journey of knowledge and understanding • It can be an excellent way to stretch a G&T and enable them to drive peer learning • The blog does not necessarily need to exist within the VLE – it can be outsourced to an free online provider

Embedding the VLE • Teachers should be embedding the VLE into their teaching. Thus, for each unit of work there should be a ‘space’ on the VLE which is ready to be populated by the class • The teacher should ‘train’ the class in the technology behind their particular VLE and encourage them through actual group/pair/individual work in the classroom to create content within the class that can be viewed on the VLE • Homework, for example, instead of being ‘collected’ or ‘submitted’ (even online), could be to add content to the area so that the work can be seen by the teacher virtually

Capturing class output • There should be a steady production line of ‘captured’ class output. At a basic level this is as simple as photographing a class brainstorm and uploading it to the VLE so that absentees can see it and others can add to it ideas they had at a later date – remember, those who contribute online are often different to those who contribute in the physical classroom: they are often more empowered and confident in a virtual space • At a complex level this means capturing class output using Flipcams, MP 3 recorders, still digicams and the IWB empowering students to upload and manage content collaboratively to show learning across a theme or area of subject knowledge

The class community • Creating a healthy online community has been proven to have a lot of positive outcomes: • Retention is improved (A level/BTECH/Post 16) • Absenteeism is reduced – linked to self esteem • Peer assessment and support is of a higher standard • End quality of learning is improved • Revision of materials is easier • Students are happier being part of an effective learning community • Having said all that, some students simply do NOT like to learn online and ‘forcing’ them is not the right approach – it can be seen rather like a learning style

Transferable Skills • Students and student teachers maintain online spaces all the time – Facebook, blogs, etc – and participate in online communities on a regular basis • Those transferable skills can be harnessed to maintain a learning community within the VLE • Assume students and student teachers are confident in uploading and revising material online • Assume that each VLE – Moodle, It’s Learning, Frog, Blackboard, etc, uses different methods and thus students will need to learn how to do this for their VLE in the physical classroom rather than through osmosis and playing online

Whole School Approach • As each VLE requires a different set of operating skills even though the method is the same, so schools are better off approaching VLEs from a whole school perspective • Subject staff need training in the technical skills of maintaining a virtual space • Students need to be trained by subject staff in how to access the online space and collaborate • If all subjects have virtual areas then students will have multiple spaces that they log into and work on • If they only use the skills for one teacher in one subject, they will not reinforce and develop those skills effectively • It’s like only writing in English lessons and no other subject – the students need more opportunities than that to practice their literacy in other subjects

Change Management • Schools have to progress from no usage, to mode 1 to mode 2 • This requires change management strategies for both students and staff • Basic change management strategies involve heavy use of student/teacher voice and consultations with clear outcomes • Classes should be consulted on how they are going to embed the VLE into their lessons – not told they ‘have’ to start populating a VLE that has been created

First Steps • Teachers need log-ins to learn the skills needed to maintain a virtual space • Teachers need to teach their students how to collaborate online using the school’s VLE platform • Teachers need to consult students ahead of a SOW or lesson to discuss what aspects of the VLE are going to be used (change management) • Teachers need to build physical opportunities within the regular classroom to work on resources and opportunities to capture student output to be uploaded and reshaped and reviewed on the VLE

Moodle videos and ideas • http: //nstoneit. com/? p=160 • http: //www. blip. tv/file/4016217 • http: //opensourceschools. org. uk/teachmeetmoodle. html-0 • http: //www. blip. tv/file/4019368 • http: //www. blip. tv/file/4082137 • http: //www. ict-register. net/lp-video. php? v=102 • http: //nstoneit. com/? p=102

Useful sites to get practical examples from • Glowing Of. STED Report http: //www. schoolportal. co. uk/Group. Render. Wiki. asp? Group. ID=859283&Resource. Id =3271207 • Resources and Examples • http: //www. vital. ac. uk/community/course/category. php? id=89 • http: //portal 2. lgfl. org. uk/lmle/Good. Practice/Pages/Home. aspx • http: //www. lgfl. info/information/news/Lists/News%20 Articles/Di sp. Form. aspx? ID=120 • http: //schools. becta. org. uk/index. php? section=pb&catcode=ss_pb _all_02&rid=17692 • http: //research. becta. org. uk/index. php? section=rh&catcode=_re_r p_be_03&rid=17900 • http: //schools. becta. org. uk/index. php? section=oe&catcode=ss_es_ lp_02

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