Robin Kay - Impact of web-based learning tools, trends in e-learning

Dr. Robin Kay's research interests include video podcasts and how they contribute to learning, web-based learning tools used by teachers and students to convey concepts, e-learning (in-person and by distance), classroom response systems, and how web technologies contribute to learning in the classroom.

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My name is Robyn Kay and I work in the
Faculty of Education at UOIT
and I work in main areas - the Bachelor
Education program
where I teach math methods and I work in
the Masters of Education program where I teach
a variety of
graduate programs. My main areas
research are video podcasts
and how they contribute to learning,
web-based learning tools,
small applets that are used by
teachers and students in the classroom
to convey certain concepts,
e-learning which I would divide into asynchronous learning
where you're not meeting face to face in
synchronous learning. So I'm looking at both
those areas.
I'm also looking at classroom response
systems or
clickers and their use in the classroom
in and
then sort of an overall thing is I'm
interested in the use of
any technology, probably mostly that's
available on the web
and those contributions to education. It's an
exciting world that's rapidly changing,
probably changing too fast for me - it's
hard to keep up with the range of tools available.
It's remarkable
and really really good tools that are
freely available.
That's really exciting to explore those
just in and of themselves but also to
match that with teaching which
I truly love. I find it also a creative
process so that I can
come up with different ideas about
how things might be used based on also
what's been
going on in the literature and add, make a
contribution to that
and I think the third thing is having
an impact on teachers in the classroom
because they don't
think they get - and I've taught in the
classroom at the high school level -
I don't think they get a lot of support
research wise
or they just don't have time to look at it and
so if I can find circuitous routes
through conferences to have an influence
for example the Ontario Association of
Math Educators Conference,
I just presented something there looking at math technology for busy
teachers and it was really really well
attended.
Teachers are very excited by it,
so I can do the research to support the
ideas
and they can test it. In terms of
content wise I guess my biggest impact
will be
ideas on e-learning and web-based
learning tools so it's how those
tools are used in the classroom

and in online learning, synchronous
classrooms as well.
And I suspect that my work will probably
shift more to synchronous and online
learning
and something called MOOCs - Massive Open Online Courses
because I think we are the model of
education
which has been outdated for a long time
but I
believe that the model is, there's every
evidence to suggest that it is shifting
towards an online environment
more and more and that school is
actually becoming someone irrelevant to
students. They can learn a lot
what is currently being taught on their
own at that. That's ideal
but it's something that they could do
and and so I believe new models have
to be developed and I think that's where my future
contributions will be