A Quick Look at Distance Education

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A Quick Look at Distance Education the
Multi-Level Classroom
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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

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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 isnt 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

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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.)

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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 featurediscussion boards are
  often searchable by student, making for easier
  grading

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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

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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

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Sample Assignment Using Modals to Give Advice
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