Regarding the experiences with ICT tools for academic tutoring, we would like to point out our experience with the use of graphic tablets based on our experience in virtual as well as face-to-face environments.
A graphic tablet, composed by a pen and multi-touch input, provides a new way to work with a computer. Due to its features, in our institution, it has been proven to be a useful complement for other technological systems that can be found in most lecture rooms such as desktop computers, video projectors, etc. During lectures, it increases students’ motivation and interest, and fosters active participation. Besides, graphics tablets also are another way for helping students with the use of multimedia materials, educational software, and Web 2.0 (Weber & Rech, 2010) resources during lectures (not necessarily in laboratory sessions). The tablet can replace more powerful hardware such as tablet PC, but its main advantage is its low cost.
Graphics tablets are also used to support the tutorship of on-line technological and scientific courses such as mathematics. In many cases, on-line tutorship for mathematics arises many challenges, for instance the writing of mathematical formulae in the content of messages in an agile way. Moreover, in LCMS of the ADD, graphics tablets can simplify the assessments, as academics can correct the exercises in the device, marking the documents directly in the touch-screen, and they also optimize the use of digital boards of LCMS. During the current course (2010-2011), we have also enriched virtual classrooms with new functionalities for the accomplishment of a complete video conference though the Web. In particular, we have used Wimba Classroom which will be updated to Blackboard Collaborate soon. This tool increases the possibilities for tutoring as it allows us to deliver content, communicate, collaborate, share and interact with on-line participants in real-time by means of text, chat, audio and video. In fact, the tools of Classroom provide students with webcast model or lived broadcast where they have access to professors, course contents, practices, laboratories, etc. beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom.
In addition to audio and video tools, Wimba Classroom also allows users to use whiteboards to show documents, presentations, images, etc. Moreover, it is also possible to share applications, the desktop, or a particular URL, etc. It also allows users to ask questions to the members in a session and to receive their answers, and to perform surveys and process their answers by displaying statistics. Another interesting option is to record a session to make it available later in our courses in the virtual campus (ADD), or by any other means (MP4 players, iPod, iPhone, etc. ). Thus, tutoring sessions can be reused by other students who have the same kind of doubts.
The first experiences with Wimba Classroom for tutorships have shown that it is possible to perform a power online tutoring for all areas of knowledge and that this tools facilitates the establishment of a non-face-to-face tutoring timetable in virtual classrooms. Moreover, it also facilitates collaborative work as for example its “breakout rooms" can be used to divide students into virtual working groups in a classroom.
Another interesting application available on our virtual campus is Wimba Pronto. With this tool, online tutoring can be done by means of an instant messaging platform fully integrated with Blackboard 9.1. The administrative staff creates an account in this tool for each student and professor automacatically when they are admitted in our university, so that they can collaborate among themselves. Moreover, in this way, professors are not in charge of managing contacts (adding and removing their students). The next release of Wimba (Blackboard Collaborate) integrates this functionality with the virtual classroom of Blackboard 9.1 and it will be installed in a short period of time in our university.
In our institution, we have also already tested other instant messaging platforms, such as Microsoft Messenger, but it is difficult to integrate those tools with our virtual campus platforms, because each user has to manage all her/his contacts explicitly. In any case, whatever the tool used, students must be familiarized with the tutorships and tools available to perform them as soon as possible in the courses.
These tools -and in general tools that enable e-Learning tutoring- are considered to foster the involvement and the motivation of the students in the processes of teaching-learning. Moreover, they also promote to receive feedback, and they can be used as a vehicle for teaching-learning activities. Therefore, it is important to establish a set of the best practices for use them in this context.
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