A Quick Look at Distance Education & the Multi-Level Classroom

1. A Quick Look at Distance Education & the Multi-Level Classroom

2. Some Pros of Distance Ed. for Multi-Level Classrooms • Students can work at their own pace (within reason), so lower-level learners can spend more time on the content without slowing down their higher-level classmates • Teacher can present scaffolded materials fairly easily (i.e. vocabulary support, transcripts, etc.) • Teachers can individualize lesson tracks by requiring a certain sequence of activities, making content selectively available, & releasing content only when an acceptable score is reached • Students can collaborate using both synchronous and asynchronous tools

3. Some Cons of Distance Ed. • Teacher may never meet the students face-to-face • It can take more time to get to know students and their needs • Students miss out on face-to-face communication with teacher and peers • If the course isn’t designed carefully, students can feel isolated • It can be difficult to coordinate exams & other projects done off-line • Some security or verification system must be in place to ensure students are doing their own work • Scheduling synchronous activities (or even due dates) can be tricky when different time zones come into play • Technology tends to go down at inopportune times

4. Common Features of an Online Course Tool • Password-protected space • Main page with announcements • Communications tools (email, discussion boards, chat rooms, whiteboards) • Student tools (gradebook, dropbox, calendar) • Content tools (a variety of methods to organize, control, & present course content) • Assessment tools (quizzes, surveys, gradebook, etc.)

5. Discussion Board • Asynchronous form of communication allows students to participate at their own speed • Lower-level learners can take the time they need to read and respond to other postings • Files can be attached for peer review, etc. • A different forum can be set up for each new topic • A forum can be locked once the due date has passed Useful teacher feature—discussion boards are often searchable by student, making for easier grading

7. Virtual Classroom/ Chat Room Pros • Provides synchronous communication • Allows students to collaborate in real time • Teacher can better assess students’ fluency in a spontaneous situation • Logs can be saved, searched, copied, & pasted for later reference • In some programs (such as Bb), teachers can give students a real-time tour of websites, the class, etc. Cons • Lower-level learners can be left behind • Scheduling can be tricky • Easy to get off-topic or lose track of conversation in a hurry

9. Suggestions for Using a Chat Room in a Multi-Level Class Give homework or background information (readings, vocabulary) on the topic to prepare students for the discussion Consider breaking the class into small groups by language ability (more work for the teacher, but less overwhelming for the lower-level students) Use the control features (if available) to manage the classroom effectively Allow students to practice in pairs to get the hang of it Use the chat room as an online office rather than a content-rich space

10. Sample Assignment: Using Modals to Give Advice