Week 1, Period 3

Literature list:

Topic1: virtual classrooms +blended learning
1. http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/nov/13/human-interaction-distance-learning
2. http://mashable.com/2011/01/03/virtual-classroom/
3. http://www.edutopia.org/highschool-com
4. http://www.informationweek.com/mobile/mobile-devices/blended-learning-improves-test-scores-study/d/d-id/1111129?
5. http://www.kippla.org/empower/Our-Technology-Model2.cfm
Problem: Teachers do not use virtual classrooms or avoid using it to its fullest potential. At Deltion there is a free 'virtual classroom' called Fiducia, which allows teachers to instruct the students via an online lesson that gets posted on N@T school. However, teachers are unfamiliar or do not use this set-up at all.
I will collect data from students through questionnaires, interview teachers about their experience or lack thereof with blended learning, and lastly conduct lessons based on this method.
The value of this research is that teachers can use the data to decide whether they want to use blended learning in their classes or not as well as for them to opt to use the examples from my lessons.

Goal: To see whether 'virtual classrooms' and blended learning improves the learning environment at a community college (MBO Deltion).

Research question: Does blended learning improve the learning environment at Deltion?


Topic2: virtual worlds
1. http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/educational-frontiers-learning-virtual-world
2. https://www.hetl.org/feature-articles/real-learning-in-a-virtual-world/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821584/
4. http://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality-education/virtual-worlds.html

Notes: Learning a language in a virtual world such as 'Second Life' would be something interesting and new to do my research on. It would be fascinating to create lessons where all my students are logged in and we're in the virtual world together learning about presentations, vocabulary, tenses, etc.
Problem: I wonder if this is doable for MBO students (time+ material constraints) and what my department would think about this concept.