In Summary:
Philip Williams (PW) and Duncan O'Harra (DO) discuss the impact the Wimba Voice Tools might have on teach and learning at Massey University:
Solving the problem of dissatisfaction among students:
PW: Extramural students tend to feel more isolated than on-campus students. There's often a domination of text-based media, compared with the learning experiences of internal students.
DO: Yes, students often study in isolation - they're not always connected with other people studying in their region. Many extramural students like the dynamic of being able to interact with other students and rather than just text based interaction, these tools take communication to a new level. It makes the experience more real.
Adopting internet-appropriate technology:
PW: "When our language technology assessment group looked at the tools we found them easy to use... so many of the other tools like phone conferencing looked like breaking the budget... compared to some of the VOIP systems on the market, I found Voice Direct simpler to use"
PW: "the thing for us was that after sorting out the set up and getting Java installed, the tools tend to work straight off - it's almost a relief - technology has the ability to fail so often - it's a really good feeling when it works as it should".
