Providing Enrichment and Acceleration in the Electronic Classroom: A Case Study of Audiographic Conferencing

Abstract

Audiographic conferencing technology is currently used by the Education Department of Western Australia (EDWA) to provide enrichment programs for talented and gifted students living in rural and isolated areas of Western Australia. In addition to increasing the access and participation of isolated students to a special curriculum designed to extend and enrich their learning, current policy also aims to improve and develop the applications of technology for special education needs. For the particular students involved in the study, the goal of higher-order thinking was sought as a learning outcome. Based on observations and research on the actual classrooms where audiographic conferencing was used to mediate learning, this paper suggests that higher-order thinking (HOT) among gifted students can be fostered by utilizing audiographic conferencing to create a classroom milieu of peer discourse, investigation and visual display of ideas. When teachers are encouraged to adopt a process-based approach and to foster the skills of negotiation, verbal elaboration and peer revision of ideas they also begin to utilize the two-way audio and video elements of the technology to maximize learning. The initial evaluation of the project for gifted and talented students indicated that the interactive features of the technology provided the possibilities for task-related collaboration and gave students the opportunity to share, discuss and evaluate concepts, thereby leading to higher-order thinking.

Gifted Adolescents' Talent Development through Distance Learning

“…Distance learning transcends the constraints of time and space by using such media as computer-or Internet-based programs, which allow educators and learners to interact, but not necessarily in face-to-face situations (Accessing Distance Learning, 1995;Hofmeister, 1994;Washington, 1997). Researchers and educators emphasize that distance-learning programs may not replace existing classrooms and schools, but can be used to compensate for educational deficits and lack of advanced active participants and collaborators (McLoughlin, 1999) who actively construct their own knowledge (Hull, Bull, Montgomery, May, & Overton, 2000). Hull et al contend that distance education, such as online courses, is based on authentic problem solving, which assumes the learners' own capabilities to transform given information into knowledge.…”

Distance Education: Where it Started and Where it Stands for Gifted Children and Their Educators

“…By posting discussions or participating in real-time class discussions online, students can actively engage with others. Contrary to many people's beliefs that distance education is passive, distance education programs are based on the premise that students are active participants and collaborators (McLoughlin, 1999) who construct their own knowledge (Hull, Bull, Montgomery, May, & Overton, 2000), reflecting a studentcentered learning approach in which the learner takes responsibility for her learning. Teachers assist learners by serving as an "educational resource" and encouraging students to engage in learning activities (Wilson et al, 1997(Wilson et al, /1998.…”

“…• greater independence on the part of students regarding their learning and the development of close relationships with peers for rural gifted students who took advanced high school mathematics courses in a telelearning program (Lewis, 1989); • enhanced independent study and thinking skills, new means of communication, academic challenge and growth, and a more realistic assessment of how one's abilities compared to others among high-school-aged students from multiple schools who participated in a distance education program through a state-supported residential school (Wilson et al, 1997(Wilson et al, /1998); • increases in students' collaboration skills and higher order thinking skills such as logical explanation, critical inquiry, interpretation, and reflection as a result of participation in a program that augmented teaching with audiographic conference technology for secondary students (McLoughlin, 1999); • increases in students' problemsolving abilities, logical thinking skills, and collaborative learning skills, motivation, task commitment, leadership ability, and responsibility for learning in a program that connected elementary and secondary gifted students from multiple schools (Ewing, Dowling, & Coutts, 1997); and • higher interest in the subject studied, increased confidence in one's academic abilities, and improved study and organizational skills for fourth through sixth graders who took enrichment classes via a distance education program (Dershewitz et al, 2006).…”