No running out of time

For some of us in the Educational Technology mas

As wonderful as the CMS or LMS may seem, learners and instructors are reaching out for something more.

Authoring Tools in Online Learning Environments

3D virtual world that garners excitement online (Second Life, 2009). It makes going online more like a computer game because instead of surfing web pages, you create an animated character, an avatar, which you use to explore three-dimensional lands, from seaside towns to industrial Goth discos. Everything "in-world" is created by you and your fellow Second Life residents using built-in tools. The result is a place to wander, socialize, build, shop, and screw.     Second life is not all about games, though. It can be used for distributed learning (Appel, 2006), which offers a range of new and exciting possibilities for educators and their students. Although there is distance between participants, the education is flexible. The Learning Management System (LMS) for Second Life is Sloodle, an open source project, which aims to bring together the features of web-based LMSs and virtual world environments such as Second Life. Participants can have synchronous or asynchronous discussions or give presentations live in world. One other communication tool that can be used is the The Blogger's Hut. This is a monthly community vote which highlights educational blogs using an in-world polling station. In addition to these communication tools, Second Life also offers learning tools like Historical Recreations, Multimedia and Games Design, and Language Learning practice.

 Teachers and technology should work together to provide challenging learning opportunities for their students.Technology can serve as an additional tool to enhance comprehension skills, problem-solving skills, and many more. Educators should prepare learners with competent digital literacy. Technology leaders should continue to encourage pioneers to continue to be aware of the new technologies in today’s changing society. Striving for technology leadership to encourage other staff members should also be emphasized when mentoring pioneers. Keeping up with best practices changes and new strategies is critical for the advancement of education. Additionally, continued respect and motivation for those individuals that wish to homestead is critical.  Providing ideas and strategies that will bring educational success to their schools is imperative for their continued knowledge and motivation. Having the support of administration and the department staff and faculty will facilitate everyone’s leaning and reduce stress and frustration in a classroom that practices with technology for the improvement of education.

Characteristics of the typical online instructor include a person who is more of a facilitator than a teacher who needs to be in control

In addition to the learning benefits of web-based instruction, students and instructors both enjoy it when there is a strong degree of student-instructor interaction a

Overall, as distance learning moves out of its infancy, the collaborative tools of Web 2.0 are developing concurrently. What has emerged is a distinctive practice of learning that has learners engaging with each other, examining authentic problems to facilitate learning, and gaining a more current education in our rapidly changing world.

Distributed learning or learning that includes face

 Distributed learning or learning that includes face-to-face a