As a degree candidate in instructional technology, most of my classes have been online. My preference is Blackboard over ClassWeb, although I have experience with both. It seems to me that discussions can become rather unwieldy in ClassWeb, and the format is a bit harder to navigate.
Last Summer, I took an instructional design class that met using Adobe Connect once a week. This was probably my favorite online platform, as it afforded the "real-time" element of interaction with my classmates and the instructor.
Having never used Moodle as a learning platform, I am looking ahead to further discovery!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Your post made me realize that online platforms are not enough. The effectiveness of online classes also depends on the instructor, the student, the content and many other factors. I also just took a course using Adobe Connect simultaneously but did not have the same positive experience as you. For me, the class seemed to didactic in nature and did not utilize the platform well. I would also be interested in your view of Moodle as compared to classweb. In my experience, there are pluses and minuses to all 3 however I do find Blackboard the most user-friendly discussion platform over ClassWeb or Moodle.
ReplyDeleteThis is so critical, as you suggest:
ReplyDelete"The effectiveness of online classes also depends on the instructor, the student, the content and many other factors"
Interesting to see views that we are all sharing. I do not really enjoy BB so much, so this is interesting as well, and am glad to hear people like it.
Yes, I agree that online classes should include various modes of communication and not just writing. Having conference call and virtual meeting are certainly other means of connecting and learning from one another. Having podcast or vodcast may add some fun too!
ReplyDeleteNot hard selling here (btw, I do not run sales in my job), but I really do find Live Meeting a powerful conference tool (not free though, but you can download to try it out). I love using Live Meeting to meet with others from around the world. I had ever tried using it to host virtual congress at conferences.
ops.. forgot the URL for Live Meeting: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/HA102026531033.aspx
ReplyDelete