What is Web-learning?
Web-learning is an education model that utilizes the web to provide competency-based learning in a format that is self-paced and adapted to the needs of each student.
Web-learning has created innovative teaching modalities and pathways for the delivery of curriculum in the 21st century classroom. Following the appeal of online, distance, virtual, e-learning, computer-based, technology-based, and blended learning programs led to the emergence, inordinate growth, and application of web-learning.
The growth and expansion of web-learning is in direct proportion to the development and advancement of state-of-the-art technology. Web-based instruction is an instructional delivery mode that has progressed from traditional instructional delivery environments and many online materials have been derived from traditional instructional textbooks.
Challenges of Web-learning
Unfortunately, converting textbooks to web pages can result in digital versions of textbooks that provide no incremental benefit for learners. Successful organizations develop and design course content to produce a rich individualized web-learning experience for all K-12 learners. Special details have been made in terms of content design, the activities necessary to support and reinforce student learning, developing ancillary learning materials and resources, and utilizing web-learning resources.
Web-based education provides learners with limitless information resources. Expecting students to find and integrate them in a meaningful way may not be realistic. Effective web-learning designers pay attention to developing subject specific course objectives and are aligned to course standards that are accessible and appropriate to each studentâs individual academic level.
A challenge of web-learning is overcoming the geographical separation of instructors from learners, and learners from other learners. There is evidence where classrooms engage with higher levels of student interaction also have higher levels of achievement with more positive student attitudes toward learning.
Web-learning developers pay attention to the content and the delivery features of communication technologies. They provide participants with a variety of explicit and implicit participatory methodologies to help students avoid feelings of isolation and constructively participate in the web-learning environment.
Web-learning Course Design
The advancement of technology remains the main driving force for the innovation of delivery methods using web-learning curriculum. Pedagogical changes also have contributed to the advancement of web-learning education. The fundamental pedagogical assumption, adopted in web-learning instruction, is in terms of emphasizing transmission of knowledge. The role of the teacher, in the web-learning classrooms emphasizing knowledge as a key to learning, has emerged with disaggregated roles to address curriculum design, teachers in front of the camera, classroom administrative duties, and student help. Teacher created web-learning materials present learning objectives at the beginning of each lesson together with concepts, definitions, examples, and steps to support mastery those course standards based objectives.
Web-learning Organizations
The development of web-learning is a growing phenomenon in education that addresses the growing demand of students, parents, communities, and teachers. Web-learning provides students, parents, teachers, and school district leaders an alternative to answer the student demand for more mobility, increased curricula, and flexible schedules. Schools have found that web-learning provides resources to meet the differentiated individualized needs of the college prepared and career ready student. Web-based learning using advanced technologies meet the educational system shift for the 21st century learner.
Training for Schools Implementing Web-learning
WGNA provides member schools with training and support on implementing web-learning according to research and best practices. Member schools collaborate through authentic conversations about their success and lessons learned from experience.