Technology has provided us with some truly remarkable tools for education. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished through computers. Programs allow us not only to connect with others, but also really interact and even collaborate with one another.Last week one of my instructors decided we were going to have class online using the Live tool in eCollege, our online portal for classes. Even though I am very familiar with eCollege, I had never used this feature before. I thought that it was just for chat. While it does have a section for chat, it also has a ClassLive tool.
When it came time for class, our instructor opened a session. I just needed to make sure I had the latest version of Java, and I was able to participate from my home computer. When we all leave the session, it is archived so students that missed class can still view the session in its entirety later. It’s also good for the students who need to look back at something that was discussed during class.
The program has a “whiteboard” where the instructor can pull up PowerPoint presentations, websites, documents, or anything else that can be displayed on the computer screen. The instructor has the option of letting the students post things on the whiteboard. We were able to write on it with the pen tool and highlight tool. In our session we proofread a document and highlighted areas that were incorrect.
