TLC Conference

The Virtual Classroom for the 21st Century - is a innovative collaborative instructional model that promotes multiple means of interaction among digital natives (students) and the professor. The new wave of digital natives, Neo-millennials, are in your class and driving today’s online movement. Their learning style demands to be part of the learning and teaching process – my model is co-designed by my students and me yet personalized to individual preferences. Today’s students are digital natives that see teachers as catalysts and facilitators that function seamlessly. They are fluent in multiple media and empowered by technology. Whether F2F, online, or hybrid, neo-millennials want active learning based on a collective seeking, sieving and synthesizing experience. They want expression through non-linear associations – webs of representations, as well as linear media, e.g., simulation as apposed to writing a paper. Unfortunately, typical online, hybrid and F2F courses offer students little opportunity for such collaborative high impact interactions. 

My presentation will focus on providing participants with ideas on ‘how to’ transform traditional courses, especially online, to a more 21st century high-impact technology driven but student-centered interactive practice that will grab the imagination of the neo-millennials, activate critical thinking, and promote collaboration among all students. By combining the virtual technology of Blackboard Collaborate and Group tools with other Blackboard features such as blogs, web quests, wikis, games, surveys, discussions, journals, twitter feed, mashups, videos, quizzlets, and webinars, educators will learn how to convert their courses into a virtual world where empirically based instruction is presented in real time and provides authentic experiences for all learners – service learning, problem based learning, team based learning, web quests, and web presentations. Benefits for students and educators will be discussed.