Technology has made a huge impact on learning and classroom activities. Teachers can now be in direct contact with their students twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week. Teachers can send e-mails to their students to let them know when class is cancelled, as well as to send them homework or a PowerPoint assignment. This is true for my Spanish class both this semester, as well as last semester. My teachers would make a PowerPoint for whatever chapter we were studying and then send us an attachment of that document. This allows students to study the materials that were taught in class earlier that day or week. Assignments can also be sent via e-mail, which allows students to make up work that they missed, or to send out an assignment that should be done over the weekend.
WebCT is also a tool that has changed learning. WebCT makes it almost unnecessary for a class to meet because everything can be done via WebCT. Students can ask questions to other students and their professor, and get an answer within that hour or even half hour. Students can also submit assignments online, which eliminates all the paper that is used at universities. Using WebCT is like having a classroom at home. Students can log on at any time, from anywhere and proceed with assignments, questions and even e-mail. Professors can oversee WebCT and respond to e-mails, as well as discussion questions/postings.
This week I have learned how to really use WebCT. When I was at Palomar College we used something similar, Blackboard. It is essentially the same thing, just set up a bit different and with a different name. This is my first semester where three of my five teachers/professors are on WebCT and use it on a daily/weekly basis. This has forced me to explore WebCT and what it has to offer. Now that I have gotten to know it a little bit more, I think it is an essential tool for classroom use. Students are able to get a hold of one another without have to ask for phone numbers or e-mail addresses. We can log onto WebCT and get another student's e-mail address and send them a question, asking for homework or notes from a class that was missed. Students are also able to contact the teacher/professor (as long as the teacher/professor checks WebCt on a daily basis). In the dicussion section, we can post a general question for an assignment or task. This allows us to get feedback from our classmates, as well as the teacher/professor. I am amazed at how much can be accomplished using WebCT and I would encourage every teacher/professor to make it a part of their classroom.
