Elearning - June/July 2008 - (Page 25) home state of Georgia along with students in distant countries. “Our current project, the Horizon Project, has 250 students from all over the world enrolled,” she notes. “Students love it because they’re using social (educational) networks and they make digital stories. “Anytime we plan a project like this, we have to have an asynchronous and a synchronous environment because of time differences around the world, and they’re a nightmare. We have to be flexible, but we spend three to six months beforehand planning the project heavily.” FLEXIBLE PARAMETERS Most virtual classroom platforms offer a variety of tools to simulate a real classroom environment. Some virtual classroom technologies can even add a sense of touch to training applications, to simulate the “feel” of orthopedic devices during surgery, for instance. A company called SensAble Technologies makes virtual touch (haptic) devices that help medical and dental professionals learn new procedures. Trainees hold a touch-enabled device instead of a computer mouse — giving them combination of visual, audio and touch technology for a highly realistic training experience. A few problems remain, besides the obvious lack of eye contact between instructor and students/learners. “We represent ourselves differently in different spaces, so when learners are in these environments, there’s a reorientation of social and teacher-presence cues that occur,” observes Manitoba’s Siemens. “The educator has to move between a variety of roles, one of which is traditional — presenting content — to a more pronounced online role of fostering interaction because you’re missing some of the traditional cues. There’s a different skill set, but the principles of good teaching or good learning don’t change because the environment changes. They’re just enacted slightly differently in different mediums.” USING IT NOW Dublin offers a primer on how to upgrade your learning organization to virtual classroom technology. “It is really challenging for a trainer/leader to be a coordinator/producer,” he says, “but sometimes it’s necessary.” During his presentation for Elearning!, he offered these tips: >> Preparation - Have you chosen the right application that is the best fit for you and your organization? Is it preinstalled, tested and running? Have you established a strong Internet connection? Have you orchestrated a custom interface? Have you set defaults and test, test, tested? Do you have Plan B in case the core application breaks down? Expect the unexpected. >> Content and Design - Virtual worlds are fairly structured in design. You have to be a bit more prepared. Think about the differences between a real classroom and a virtual classroom. You have think through how you adapt/convert classroom content. How do you make the content rich using virtual environment? You aren’t going to have your body language, so you have to plan interactivity. Create polls and interactions, create visuals, plan for time for log-in and orientation. And, again, have a Plan B. >> Trainer/Leader - A good trainer has to process a lot of information in very little time, so you need to practice, practice, practice. It’s almost like a performance art. What worked well in the classroom doesn’t necessarily work well in a virtual classroom. So focus on your voice. It’s easy when you’re not getting virtual cues to run on and on and on and talk faster and faster and faster, so pace yourself. If possible, log in with two computers. >> Learner/Participants - Offer how-to sessions for the participants, giving them time to play and practice. Provide support and tell them how. Establish ground rules and follow them. ENGAGING EXPERIENCES Dublin has five more tips for presenters to create engaging virtual classroom experiences. To wit: Slice and dice the content into 10minute sections maximum. “Some peo- 1 Elearning! June/July 2008 25
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