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“E-Learning for Rural School Teachers in Informatics”

Vyacheslav Shitikov Jurijs Lavendels

Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia

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VIRTUAL COLLABORATION

• advanced high and medium level management

• save up time and money for journeys

• ordinary inhabitants of rural areas

• teachers of secondary schools

• once a 3 year - special training courses

• 36 contact hours

• in Riga 5-6 days

• to spend around a week out of home

• uncomfortable due to their style of life and daily duties

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Approved by the Ministry of Education and Science course A2-9014142254 “E-course for practical computer using in teaching of programming and creating multimedia materials”

• 1-day seminar in Riga (35 applicants)

• Working via Internet

• 35 – 7 + 1 – 3 – 8

• 7 missing (not appear at all); 1 new

• 3 had interrupt after first attempt

• 8 have not reached the end

• 1-day seminar in Riga (18 certificates)

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SELECTION OF PRESENTATION TOOL

• core platform for Internet-based collaboration

• Blackboard

• tool for presentation development

• “as alive as possible”

• record from the screen

• sound

• no special client software

• the fist appropriate found

• ScreenFlash

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KICK-OFF MEETING

• to go through the formalities

• application forms

• understand local conditions

• Internet facilities

• administrative rights

• access to Internet from home

• previous experience in forums

• to show tools for further work

• ScreenFlash clip demo

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PREPARATION OF PRESENTATION

• optimal duration of one movie

• 5 MB

• 15 min

• The most convenient to lecturer

WORKING VIA INTERNET

• E-mail

• Blackboard

• Discussion board

• On-line

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LECTURES AND PRACTICAL EXERCISES

• simulate presence

• presentations written by hand

• synchronous actions

• new portion

• confirmation of acquisition

• next portion

• claims from the most advanced

• rest in asynchronous mode

• fulfilled task by e-mail

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Discussions

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FINAL MEETING

• to introduce participants

• virtual images of participants

• communicate now "in alive"

• to realize troubles and mistakes

• hereto to verify authorship of the work

• to go through the formalities

• issue of certification

• to evaluate SWOTs

• content, used platform and applied methods

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GENERAL RESULT

• teachers on Informatics have real training in IT in real collaboration media

• teachers on Informatics in particular are the most appropriate audience for approbation of eLearning methods.

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PROBLEM

• wee loss our excellent audience for approbation of eLearning methods after first experiment

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Thank you for attention!