Reflection on relevant literature

After sifting through heaps of literature, I found the following two papers extremely useful and relevant to my area of research:

·       “Using Wimba live Class room for Student Engagement at a Distance” author Larry Moore, Columbus State University; published in Perspectives in Learning: A Journal of the College of Education & Health Professions Columbus State University, Volume 11, Number 1, Spring 2010

·       “Pedagogical Usage of Wimba” author Joanna ( Xuan) Zhang; published in DEORACLE@UMUC, An Online Learning Magazine for UMUC Faculty, Centre for Support of Instruction, March-April 2009

What experiences have others had with similar technology?

Almost all the experiences have been favorable. Guest speakers and lecturers from anywhere in the world can be invited into your Wimba Class session bringing students exposure to expert content specialists. Many learners who participate less in traditional settings participate more in the virtual world of synchronous online interactions. Many instructors who have used Wimba live recommend a gradual phased approach of incorporating the various tools into the virtual experience. The technique of progressively incorporating new Wimba tools into the live class sessions will prevent students and teachers from being overwhelmed by all of the technology (Rich, Cowan, Herring & Wilkes, 2009)

What about the pedagogical approach?

Overall, the Wimba classroom has a variety of pedagogical uses. The most important one, access to sessions both synchronously and asynchronously to enhance learning at a distance. My pedagogical approach is of blended learning and developing a hybrid learning program where both traditional face-to-face sessions and Wimba classroom sessions are combined to facilitate learning and ensure student success.

Did you get new ideas from discussion in Moodle?

Discussion on Moodle was stimulating but it was not specific to any single technology. Some of the suggestions were useful and I had already incorporated them in my lesson plan.

What questions remain open?

Few questions still remain open and will continue to surface as we I continue to use Wimba classroom and try new tools each time. Currently, my biggest question is how to improve the legibility of stylus in Wimba Live?

What new questions arise?

I am comparing theoretically heavy sessions with numerical problem solving sessions on Wimba Live. Sessions which are number intensive, can they be facilitated just as effectively as the ones which are not?

What are you planning to do next?

Although the first session gave the option to students to speak and participate but the WhiteBboarding option was not utilized. I used the stylus and text typing extensively though alongside Wimba Voice tools. In the next wimba classroom session, I am planning to give students more access to use White Boarding and Wimba Voice Tools both.

What kind of support do you need to proceed?

Mainly, I need technical assistance from my Ed Technology Department. Before introducing some new features, I would like to run a mock session with the Ed tech help. This will ensure a smooth delivery of my next Wimba Classroom synchronous session.