WBC Blog

This week in our ICT class we had a very informative presentation about Web Based Courses (or WBC's) and were introduced to a program called Blackboard Learn (which we have access to through the Manitoba Curriculum website). I personally have never experienced a WBC or any type of distance learning, although I did know a number of other students who had to take courses through IITV and ISO while I was still a young high school student. I guess I got a sampling of the courses just by being a typical high school student and surveying the courses instead of being in my own classroom, but that's beside the point.

So with the IITV courses, they were still in trial runs when they were being offered for our school division, to see how feasible the idea of having students attending a class from a number of different schools actually was. The classes that I am thinking of were done in a synchronous fashion, with the teacher leading classes during the regular time slots, with there just being a video stream to other classrooms in addition to the one in which the teacher was actually in, with microphones and speakers as well so everyone was able to see and listen to what was going on. For rural schools who don't always have enough interested students to offer a course it was great, since it provided more opportunity for the students who actually were keen on taking those courses. The challenge for the teacher begins with keeping all of the students in their class accountable and following along, since they are not always present to manage their classroom with it being so spread out amongst different schools. Another challenge arises with how difficult it could be to offer a student help when they get stuck on a problem or question.

For ISO courses, the challenges and responsibilities shift from the teacher onto the students, as they need to ensure that they can keep themselves accountable as they work through the huge "textbook" they get mailed to them. They have the option of getting in touch with a tutor if they struggle, but it is in more of an asynchronous fashion if I remember correctly. I don't think that I would have been able to keep myself on task well enough to move through the entire course and complete it by the required finish date, even though I usually am pretty good at making sure I get things done when they need to be. A student needs to make sure that they are committed to taking the course if they begin it, to make sure that they follow through with finishing it instead of slacking off.

However with that all being said, WBC's in general are valuable resources for students to have available for them, since it helps to keep all of their options open. They aren't restricted by being in a smaller school or in a school that doesn't have a teacher who could teach a class they want to take, all thanks to the great technologies that are being used in the schools today.

Side Note: After reading other blogs about how good Blackboard Learn is, it makes me want try and play around with it even more, to see how I could actually make use of a resource like that in my classroom in the future.

Better side note: Since I am watching the Jets and Blackhawks game as I write this post, I felt like it was appropriate to share a highlight from a past game. Hence, here is the inebriated helmet snatcher. Infamous. Classic. Class act. Enjoy. (Sadly, he didn't get to keep his souvenir. BUT it is likely that him and his girlfriend both received lifetime bans from the United Center. Why she would dump her beer on the players is still beyond me -- Like who actually does that?)

(GIF found at: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/thank-letter-chicago-blackhawks-told-gifs )