The scenario I chose to concentrate on this week is the high school history teacher on the west coast that wants her students to take an interactive “tour” of two prominent New York City museums. However, there is the problem of distance. I will attempt to “reduce” the amount of distance between learners, material resources, and teacher as espoused by Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012) via using interactive electronic communications multimedia software applications and tutorials on how to apply them in this context. I must create a virtual classroom to meet my obligation as an instructional designer by using a ( CMS) Course Management System that will address the particular constraint of this classroom teacher and that will satisfy her need to connect learners, material resources, and instructor into a high powered interactive collaborative learning environment that will not break the bank.
What is a (CMS) Course Management System?
In order to create a VL or virtual learning environment, I must first research a CMS or Course Management System that is affordable with all the tools needed for two-way communications with learning content. A CMS is essentially a telecommunications software application that allows teachers and students to “connect” with the material resources for interactive asynchronous learning experiences with links to the World Wide Web. Thus, my job as the instructional designer, according to (Simonson, et al., 2012), is to use technology to “increase” the access of the distant learner to the local classroom, to improve access of all learners to resources, and to make the experience of the remote student comparable with the experience of the local learner (p. 27).
The latter describes the functions of distance learning theory, better known as “equivalency theory” which is the process of electronically linking instructor and students at various locations. Keegan (1995), (as cited in Simonson, et al., 2012, p. 50), explain that to “electronically link instructor and students at various locations creates what is called a VL or virtual learning environment or classroom (p. 50). Inside the VL that is hosted by the CMS or Course Management System is where instruction, learning, and material resources all meet in the splendor of distance learning and education. Therefore, the VL is a classroom with learners. material resources, and where the distance educator is responsible for design, overdesign of learning events that provide experiences with equivalent value for learners. In other words, experiences of local learners and the distant learners should have “equivalent value even though these experiences might be quite different” (p. 51).
A Virtual Tour via Using Tech Tools.
As for the above task, a few methods could be used to accommodate this teacher’s constraints of time and distance involved in connecting material resources to where the students are able to access, engage, and interact with them. Nevertheless, the complexities of this project will depend largely upon the amount of time and money available. Tight budgets and time constraints will dictate the appropriate approach to use to accomplish the teaching/learning goals. Paintings are attained from The Virtual Tour of The National Gallery of Art exhibit of Pablo Picasso at the following URL http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/picassodrawingsinfo.shtm.
Creating Your Own Virtual Tour Using Tech Tools.
Alternately, this project can be approached by creating mock-up of desired museum 3D rooms using Google Sketch Up software. It could feature Picasso paintings placed on walls with arrows that direct movement to different areas around rooms from left to right or vice versa. Users can click onto a painting that opens another window enlarging the painting for better viewing with a history and description of each painting. To create 3D objects using Google Sketch Up, navigation tools built into the software system makes it simple and easy to create 3D rooms by clicking and scrolling with a mouse. Google Sketch Up software and tutorials are downloadable at the following URL http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/picassodrawingsinfo.shtm
