Initially, I honestly felt as though the AT approach is simply a discouragement to both instructors and learners. The idea of using this model seems highly time consuming in setup and organization. While this would be an area where some would find the verbal communication sufficient, I feel the lack of personalization and interactivity would hinder learning rather than help. I do feel as though the idea of using tools such as Youtube or podcasting could guide students through what they need to accomplish, I feel this could also become a blended concept within a PSI model. For instructors who are able to adapt and set this up successfully, I could see how this could potentially help students work ahead and be able to have access to a lecture, especially if absent from class. From the student perspective, I could understand how this could help in note-taking and the idea working ahead without the presence of a teacher.
I would not elect to use this model as presented with the group in which I currently teach. While I do feel as though a portion of the concepts would be appealing as mentioned previously, I do not see this being an approach that I could fully indulge in. Students could greatly benefit with guided notes and screencaptures, however this should not be the main source of presentation or learning. I would have to seriously blend both the PSI and AT approaches together to see benefits for students, however the lack of interaction would seriously decrease the satisfaction rate amongst students (in my opinion.)
To couple the AT approach with Web-based learning, I feel it would be necessary to mimic the presentation of the ECI517 course. By providing audio-guided notes, I feel as though students would be able to understand lectures and have a thorough explanation that may not be available for each class/section. I feel that this would need to be supported with a strong knowledge of how to progress through the course and a pacing guide that descriptively provides each step a student must take to complete each module/unit.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteDo you think the A-T method is discouraging to all learners? It would be for me because I learn visually, but there are probably some people out there who would really like it.
Heather,
ReplyDeleteI agree that certain aspects of the AT model are beneficial for learners and could be used in a traditional classroom. You made an interesting point that this model would help students with note taking and screen capturers. The blend between the PSI and the AT model would serve a broad population of students and address the need for immediate feedback and audio/visual learners. The interaction with the AT model will help students feel connected to their classmates and instructor.
I see that Karen also questioned whether the AT model would be discouraging to ALL learners. I worked with high school students last year offering academic support. I worked with several girls that were strong auditory learners. I am such a visual learner and it was fascinating (and challenging) to help meet their needs when their learning style was so different than mine. I think that the audio component could be very beneficial to some. (Julie Jones)
ReplyDeleteYou mention the lack of interaction in A-T would be problematic. I assume you mean student-student interaction or student-teacher interaction. Do you think if the self-study materials were "interactive" in nature and provided for a lot of programmed feedback (i.e., content interaction), that would make up for the shortcomings in interacting with other persons? Probably not entirely, but I think one could design good self-study materials that were engaging with a lot of interactivity. The learning gizmos come to mind as something that an individual student could be led to use/apply, but would remain highly engaging... http://www.explorelearning.com/
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