Aleks
I have had the opportunity to
personally work with this software. One of the features in Aleks is that
problems are given to students based on the skills that they already have. When
the students begin to use the software they are given an initial assessment
that will be used to guide the type of instruction they will receive. Based on
student responses the program builds on skills that students have mastered and
begins to introduce new skills gradually so that students can learn new ones.
How this software
will help students in the classroom:
Factors that
influence learning
A student's
prior knowledge about a particular subject or concepts can help students grasp
topics that build upon what they already know.
Role(s) that technology /media can
play in learning and instruction
The Alek's
program's strength is that it builds on student's prior knowledge of math
concepts and it gradually introduces new concepts built upon what they already
know.
Principles relevant to the design of
computer-enhanced instruction
In this case,
I would say that the personalization principle can be applied since it is
taking information that is already known to them, so in a sense, it personalizes
their learning experience.
The way that instruction should be
structured
Instruction should be structured
by taking into account what students already know and building upon this or
knowledge.
The way that learning should be
evaluated
Learning should be evaluated by
assessing the new skills and concepts that have been learned. This assessment
may include their growth in specific concepts that they have been exposed to.
The way that feedback should be given
Feedback can be given through
charts and graphs that demonstrate mastery and areas of growth of the student.
The way that transfer of learning occurs:
Transfer of learning here occurs by building on what
students already know, this accomplishes two things: engaging students since topic
is something familiar to them and secondly, building upon what is known in
order to introduce new ideals that are unknown but related.
Blackboard collaborate
As a student in CSU Long Beach, I
had the chance using blackboard as a supplement tool for my graduate class
study. It provides students and instructors an environment to discuss
with each other, post their idea on blackboard. Students could share their
points of view on the topic with their peers. For example, I can easily contact
my classmates from the class list and start a
discussion with them to exchange our information. Besides, instructors
could create an online classroom for students in order to participant in the
study. As an instructor, it is easy to create a quiz on the blackboard collaborate
and evaluate the score of his students.
How this software
will help students in their study:
Factors that
influence learning
Students would be influenced when they want to get a better
score on the course or desire to get feedback from peers and instructor.
Moreover, a space for them to discuss, argue, share their ideas would be
another motivation for students.
Role(s) that
technology /media can play in learning and instruction
Provides a platform for students to post their thoughts and
to share them with other people. The system could record the information
students’ need such as the lecture from the instructor so they can download or
read online.
Principles relevant
to the design of computer-enhanced instruction
Students can easily understand each button in the page.
Under content, students can review all the information from one class. It also
provides relevant resources to learners, and set feedback for students.
The way that
instruction should be structured
Instructor should provide a topic for learners to discuss
and ask learners answer the question and reply to others’ work. It is a good way
of understanding the topic. Instructor could also provide reading materials for
learners to read.
The way that learning
should be evaluated
Learning should be evaluated according to the following
points: students’ reflection on the discussion topic, their score on the exam
or the assignments, and their activities during the online instruction.
The way that feedback
should be given
Students could post on discussion board in order to give
feed back to instructor. They could also send message to instructors via
blackboard (referring to Beachboard email system).
Introduction of how to use Aleks
Blackboard collaborate
http://www.blackboard.com
Introduction of how to use Blackboard Collaborate
