Every semester I have a class that is conducted through Eluminate. I appreciate each Eluminate class for the experience, but I really do not like them. I find them very hard to maintain focused on the class lecture/discussion. There always seem to be many audio/video problems that come up and really disrupt the flow of the class. I have not participated in a class via Eluminate as the sole online participant but it seems that Josh has an easier time moderating single users to 10+. I just do not see myself opting to participate on Eluminate unless I had no option but to miss class. Also, as an instructor I would not choose to use Eluminate unless I had a TA who could dedicate their time to managing it. It would be impossible for Kim to facilitate the students in class as well as on Eluminate. Really, Eluminate has a long way to come in usability for me to see it as a truely usefull tool. It is a great start though.
One of my favorite peer blog phrases from this class was, "although I got a flavor for the lecture, I really did miss out on being a participant." I think that really captures my experience with Eluminate as an online user.
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2 comments:
I agree with you that the technology has not been good enough for us to truely experience the unique functions of a teleconference through Eluminate. Eluminate is actually kind of good in some other respects. For some individuals, it allows them to think in depth of what they are about to say prior to saying it.
Personally, I think that the social interaction that we see in a classroom does not mimic much of what we see in other arenas (courts, jails, DMV) because it is different.
I have had similarly dreary experiences using Breeze in classes. So much time is spent trying to fix the technology to do just what you want it to do, that I'm not sure it should even be considered a learning tool at that point. Learning tools should improve learning, not distract from it. If my blackboard fell off the wall every time I tried to write on it in class, I don't think I would use it very often either. Technological tools must acheive some real sense of stability and usability before their usefulness as learning tools is truly significant.
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