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.
