2019 #DTA: #VWEDU: What do you do with class time in a digital campus? Surely not live lectures: You can replace those with polished videos. And so can your management

What do you do with class time in a digital campus?  
Surely not live lectures:
You can replace lectures with polished videos.
And so can your management

Modern education, new century education: The task is not tell students things, but to create conditions that cause them to learn.  And not just to learn to take tests, but to learn how to learn without a teacher telling them what to do.  In case they don't know everything when they get out of school. This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

ACRL Virtual World interest group

Class time versus homework time

• You have designated class hours. 
• You do not have to stand there and tell them things.  They can read.  
• They probably need practice in reading more than practice in listening.
• But they can read on homework time.  
• You don't need to show them videos. They can watch videos on homework time.
• You could have them in groups developing answers to questions on the reading.
• That gives them practice in working with others towards a goal.
• And practice in communicating.
• And practice in thinking about what they read.  
• You may want them to organize information into a coherent presentation.
• That is inquiry-based learning.
• That begins to take them toward learning how to learn.
• Why You Should Create a Collaborative Classroom This Year
• But what would you do? 

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What would you do?

• If you tell them things, you can be replaced by videos. 
• If you ask questions and evaluate answers, you can be replaced by a Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA). 
• You can give them tasks that only a human can do.
• You are needed to evaluate the products and to coach them on doing better.
• Because that is another task that only humans can do.

What tasks require a human?

• Planning, research, teamwork, collaborative learning

Projects, as in project-based learning. 

• Teamwork in a digital place. Online learning does not have to be lonely. They can't learn teamwork by themselves.
• Error based learning in writing. Combine project-based learning with test-based learning. And maybe get a useful product out of it.
• Agenda training for a project meeting by a self-managed group. Learning to plan in a group
• David Lee - Design Thinking in the Classroom: How-to for project-based learning
• Action-item practice for group meetings in project based learning. Effective meetings don't just happen, they are planned.
• Project-based education could produce useful results for the learner and for society
• Project-based learning with work-groups: Not just the content: project skills, team skills, self-confidence
• Seven major educational affordances from virtual worlds and how they can work together

Reports, as in inquiry-based learning

• Plan for a modern presentation in a digital world. For presenters and inquiry/project-based learning

Guest expert interviews

• Interviews.  Not by you, by the students.  
• Preparing an interview is a learning project.
• Students can research the topic on the internet.
• Students can prepare questions.
• Students can prepare a report on what they learned
• Another way to do inquiry-based learning
• Another opportunity for collaborative learning
• Another product for the student and class portfolios

Resources

• Virtual Visits
• Nepris Inc.
• Connecting learners with industry professionals (search)

The digital teaching assistant as a resource

• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary
• DTA can guide ideation sessions. Group ideation: "Brainstorming"
• Digicoach for project-management in self-managed teams: (Note: skills to be learned in doing these tasks)
• The DTA as search coach: How does that work? Especially for project-based learning

If you really want to give them lectures

• There are plenty of video lectures already available.  
• Free instructional lectures 
• Lectures on YouTube
• And you can make your own lectures--that is easy in a digital world.
• But they can watch videos on homework time.
• Effective listening requires remembering the essence of what was heard.
• And the DTA can ask them your questions that go to the important content points.
• Sure, you could have them in a class and you ask those questions.  
• One student would answer and the others might listen.  
• If you hand the task over to the DTA, every student has to answer.  
• When the answers are all in, the DTA can give students answers you have provided.

Practice thinking

• You want them to go beyond watching videos, of course.
• You want them to think about the content.  
• In class, you cause that by asking thought questions.
• That is where the Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) can help.  
• The DTA can ask those same questions.  And collect answers from each student.
• If you want them to think more deeply, you may want them to prepare group reports.
• That is what you need class time for.  

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Visit me on the web

• Drop by my web offices Weekdays: 12:-12:30 pm Central time (US)
• I am available for free consulting on any topic in this blog.
• Cybalounge and 3DWebWorldz (Orientation room)
• I will be in both places, so you may need to speak to get my attention.
• Web-worlds, 3D virtual worlds running in a browser. Summary
• And we can visit the Writer's Workshop on the Web
• Don't register -- enter as guest.  

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License

• Original text in this blog is CC By: unless specified public domain.
• Use as you please with attribution: link to the original.
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• Annotated screenshots made with Jing
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• Selby Evans in Kitely and Hypergrid, Thinkerer Melville in Second Life.