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D GOAL Discuss Changes Caused by Technology
Reading 🎧32 (Optional)
A MY WORLD In pairs, discuss how these technologies can be used for teaching and learning.
| Messaging applications (e.g. Zalo, Facebook Messenger) Video conferencing tools (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet) Learning management systems (e.g. Blackboard, Moodle) |
B Match the words with the correct definitions.
1. _________ innovative 4. _________ engagement
2. _________ interactive 5. _________ to adapt
3. _________ applications
a. involvement in something
b. to change to suit different situations or uses
c. involving communication between people
d. computer programs
e. new and original
C Read the article again. Circle T for true or F for false. Make the false statements true.
1. A correspondence course is a form of distance learning. T F
2. Students do not go to classrooms when they do distance learning. T F
3. In the past, distance learning was more interactive. T F
4. Distance learning is not flexible. T F
5. Many schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. T F
D Match the communication technologies with their uses in distance learning classrooms.
1. Zoom a. creating fun games
2. Kahoot! b. uploading materials
3. LMS c. organizing group discussions
✔️GOAL CHECK
Join another pair and discuss the questions.
1. Do you think the benefits of distance learning are greater than the benefits of face-to-face learning?
2. What are some drawbacks of distance learning?
3. Is distance learning suitable for you?
The Evolution of Distance Learning
Distance learning is not a new approach to instruction and learning. In fact, correspondence courses, which are the oldest form of distance learning, have been used for over 150 years. Thanks to the development of technology, distance no longer poses a problem to learning. Students can study anywhere they want without having to be present in the class at all times, which allows them to combine their studies with work or family life.
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Advances in digital technologies have provided innovative strategies for teaching from a distance. This has made distance learning more interactive. In the past, distance learning usually included no in-person interaction between teachers and students. However, digital forms of communication have changed the distance-learning environment.
Communication technologies such as messaging applications, video conferencing tools, discussion boards, and learning management systems (LMS) can increase learner engagement. Students can use break-out rooms on the Zoom platform, for example, to work in groups. They can also join interactive games on Kahoot!. Students can also get materials and projects from their school's LMS.
A key benefit of distance learning is flexibility. This helps students adapt learning to their personal schedules as well as location. When COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, a shift to distance learning became necessary due to school closures. Students did not need to commute from home to school. They could continue participating in class without being tied to a specific location. The availability of distance learning has added to its increasing popularity in education.
correspondence course (noun phrase) a course of study in which students study at home and receive and send off work by mail or email
flexibility (n) the ability to change or be changed easily
pandemic (n) a disease that affects many people across a whole country or the whole world
A teenage boy studying at home using a tablet
