LAMS

Lams

I really like that LAMs take on a lot of the principles of constructivist theory by not being solely teacher directed but providing opportunities for student choice in learning as well as collaboration, this is achieved as it is an open-source platform for designing online learning sequences (LAMS International, 2009). LAMS provide a great tool for teachers to design learning activities which follow pedagogically sound sequences which are easy for students to navigate as they are visually structured and organised. I think Dalziel (2003) puts it well when he says that LAMS have the potential to ‘revolutionise e-learning by capturing the process of education, rather than simply content.’ (p.1). We want learners to interact with each other and with us as teachers rather than just with content alone. This supports what Gilbert and Moore (1998) state in that online learning should provide opportunities for interaction between learners and teachers, learners and content and learners and their peers – LAMS achieve all of these interactions in an accessible, structured learning environment. One way that LAMS is able to provide this is that it offers a platform for both single learner content (e.g. learning objects) and more collaborative tools such as discussion forums and chat.

Planning a learning sequence through LAMS does seem a little bit overwhelming which is why I think the UBD template could be quite a helpful way of working out the organisation of the lesson. Taking into account the ‘big idea’ and keeping this in mind throughout the creation of a LAMS would be very helpful in ensuring that the prescribed learning activities align with the focus of the lesson and the lesson’s aims.  The ability to link to websites also provides students with an effective structure to navigate their lessons where they do not have to waste time looking for links or content but are able to directly access the resources they need. This also promotes web safety as students do not accidentally stumble across inappropriate content in their search.

I think the LAMS tools for chat, Q and A would be really helpful for students in persuasive writing as they can gather ideas from others for their particular point of view and use this to enhance their arguments. I think students in Stage 2 or younger would have some difficulties with the practical side of LAMS as many of them would not have the typing skills to make the technology as beneficial as it would be with older grades. However, I think this is where tools such as voting and multiple choice tests could be helpful for students as they could still work through learning activities and gauge the opinions of their peers. The additional resource of the LAMS community is a great benefit as it provides teachers with opportunities to collaborate and ask questions regarding the LAMS as well as share their resources and ideas.

References:

·         Dalziel, J. (2003). Implementing Learning Design: The Learning Activitiy Management System (LAMS). Retrieved from http://www.lamsinternational.com/documents/ASCILITE2003.Dalziel.Final.pdf

·         Gilbert, L., & Moore, D.R. (1998). Building interactivity into Web courses: Tools for social and instructional interaction. Educational Technology, 38(3), 29-35.