Reflection Blog (Module 4)

There was much focus on learning tools in this week’s readings. I was both enlightened and enthralled to read about all of the different software available. I see different technologies utilized at the higher education level, such as Camtasia, Articulate, and interactive publisher products, but I was unaware of how vast the products truly are. Our department has implemented an imitative to increase interactivity in our online courses over the next two years. As such, we have seen demos for drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, and gaming products. Yet, we have not made a dent in the surface. 

In fact, I think many of the products (like MyMathLabs or Connect) in the current courses are more in line with the drill and practice applications that are used for basic knowledge acquisition and do not cater to higher level thinking skills. The students are able to see a demo and model it to complete assignments. They do not engage with the material in a constructive or synthetic manner. We have looked into the idea of implementing simulation software in the business courses (i.e., Globus), but we have been unable to obtain approval from the school’s administration. I truly believe that if implemented the success would be worth the risks and cost. Technology is becoming integrated more and more into students’ everyday lives and should be incorporated into their learning experience as well. If the future holds technological tools, we are setting them up for failure in their future positions by not exposing them to the tools and training them to master them earlier.