Technology use in students
Virtual educational model for remote communities in Chocу, Colombia
Oscar Buitrango Sanabria
Universidad Autonoma de Bucaramanga, Colombia
Marнa Pintor Chavez and Marcela Gуmez Zermeсo
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
ABSTRACT
This research seeks to analyse and propose a solution to support classroom-based teaching in the Department of Chocу, Colombia, which is located in a rural area and has been the subject of many social projects for the development of its people. Due to the disparities in different regions of the country, the education sector is forced to look for new working environments that are suitable for rural communities who were left out in the development. For this reason, a Virtual Learning Community is proposed in the to improve the educational conditions and relate how the use of technology and Open Educational Resources could contribute to it. The participants of this study were the teachers and students of the school. Results show that teacher training is essential so that they can act as leaders in their community
Keywords:Virtual learning environments; open educational resources; isolated communities;community education.
INTRODUCTION
Education in rural and remote contexts has been the subject of study and concern for Human Rights Organizations around the world. Colombia is a country with over 48 million people; in the year 2014, 28.5% of the population lived in poverty, and 8.1% in extreme poverty (El Universal, 2015). The Colombian Finance Minister in the Leadership Summit (Semana, 2015) mentioned that fulfilling the goals of education in the country requires taking actions and planing solutions based on solidarity and engagement of the society. Additionally, authorities must envision effective programs and assign resources to achieve the established goals.
The advancement in technology relates to education and its accessibility (Ramнrez, 2015). In the international arena, there have been several proposals that promote open access to education through information and communication technologies and internet resources. OpenCourse Ware, MERLOT, and OpenLearn from United Kingdom University are examples of programs that aim to connect education and students and provide open digital resources.
The term Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a broad concept that comprises the use of a virtual space for promoting social interaction and achieve educational goals (Dillenbourg, Schneider & Synteta, 2002). VLEs are no exclusively for distance learning, as they can also be a convenient resource for classroom activities. VLEs offer efficient services since their virtual characteristics do not demand the presence of students and professors in a physical environment. With the development of internet and the arrival of new technological tools, distance training through VLEs becomes an alternate mode of teaching. The internet has helped effectively and efficiently to improve the educational processes, as shown in several proposals and projects based on information and communication technology (De Haro, 2005).
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The model of distance education has found an ally in Open Educational Resources (OER) and VLEs. The term OER was defined in 2004 as a collection of learning objects and contents which can be shared in learning communities. The integration of OER into the educational process could benefit as a strategy to support the teachers’ responsibilities and to improve the quality of education (Johnstone, 2005). In contrast, VLEs are defined as a set of systems where individuals can interact synchronously and asynchronously; the environment is based on the curriculum in which teaching takes place. The use of this kind of networks has grown, especially due to their advantages of data processing speed and storage capacity (Garcia, 2003). In distance education, many alternatives have been proposed to promote changes in teaching towards the recovering and rebuilding of the confidence in the student’s learning. However, technological innovations cannot be isolated from teaching; on the contrary, they must help transform the educational system. As Leуn (2002, p. 4) states: "we must study and promote new ways to communicate and manage knowledge, based on new technologies, aiming to improve the quality of academic work; it is the challenge that higher education faces to maintain high competitiveness and future development."
A belief about distance education is that it is not completely effective for all kinds of people, since they come from different cultures and countries (Assan and Thomas, 2012). However, learning can be received in a practical and functional way, even with students from different backgrounds (Lуpez, 2006). As a strategy to achieve effective learning, the modules and units in an online course must be structured and accessible for their use and understanding. Another held belief is that the distance education is of low quality, due to the lack of reviewers that assure the appropriateness of the materials. In this regard, Salazar (2000) points out the need to consolidate an academic community for the validation and authenticity of the distance education modality.
In the context of isolated communities with low employment opportunities, it is important to consider the quality and equity benefits that can arise with the implementation of a distance education model. Achieving high-quality distance learning can be challenging, but it is relevant for quality. Rogers (2003) warns that when including innovative elements in a classroom, there must be special care to avoid imbalances in the scenarios where they are developed.
For achieving a solid educational structure based on innovative models, two important aspects must be taken into account: first, education can be developed in different forms and scenarios because not all contexts have the same requirements; second, education can be carried out through various modalities, according to the needs of the students. The model of online education in virtual learning environments and the use of open educational resources enables students to develop additional skills to those from traditional schools. In this manner, students acquire the ability to plan and allocate time for their activities; they can organize and measure the importance of their learning; they become architects of their training and development programs necessary for the success of their studies.
The human resources in charge of accompanying the students in these models (teachers) are as valuable as the users (customers/students). Training is an ongoing process, and teachers require spaces to strengthen and develop their knowledge; continuous teacher training goes hand in hand with curriculum models offered in the educational institutions where they work. The incorporation of communications technology does not instantly solve the problems of information access in remote or isolated communities; however, as people start to use them properly, technologies become a beneficial tool for the development of the population. The use of these tools contribute to generating distance education changes that are needed to reduce the digital gaps and differences of opportunities in remote communities.
Virtual Learning Environments could become a strategic union to fill the absence or shortage of work items in the classroom. The massive use of information and communication technology has
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become a potential tool for many countries worldwide, however, it is also a reason for global imbalance and causes the digital divide. The term digital divide has been referred to as one of the negative impacts of technology in the different areas of society (Suбrez, Gargallo, Torrecilla, Marнn, Morant & Dнaz, 2015). There is a difference between those who access and use ICTs productively, and those who cannot access these. Ojeda (2005) shows how several communities have been excluded from the emergence of new technologies, or have been separated and isolated due to multiple factors, such as political and social conditions.
Several public educational institutions of Latin American countries do not have enough facilities with optimal infrastructure to allow the construction of quality teaching. Numerous school buildings that are located in marginal, remote or rural areas are in precarious situations, these institutions will probabbly not be benefited with special investment projects and would cost much to remedy the deterioration they have suffered.
In Colombia, the majority of educational institutions of higher education have integrated ICT experiences to their work plans for academic development. Nonetheless, it is not the same case for basic and middle schools, which lack this kind of proposals for the pedagogic models supported by technology. Sбnchez (2002) explains that the merging of ICT in institutional projects of each school gives priority to the training and learning of students. In the Department of Chocу, there are 93 official schools from preschool to middle school from which 65% are located in the urban area while 35% in the rural area. Also, there are 13 private institutions in the urban area of the Department. The students of basic education are divided in preschool, primary school, and middle school, in the percentage of 7%, 74%, and 19%, respectively. The number of enrolled students diminishes drastically in middle school, denoting high rates of desertion. The reasons for desertion are poor grades, low self-esteem, school quality and the availability to work, (Jordan, Kostandini and Mykerezi, 2012). The authors point out a significant difference between dropout rates in rural and urban communities. Moreover, the Department of Chocу highlighted that most of the population does not have access to the internet and some areas lack of the electricity service.
Additionally, one of the main concerns in this area is the high levels of illiteracy in the population; the rate is equivalent to 20.90% of habitants, which is above the average in other regions of the country, for example Nariсo with 11.06 %. Cauca with 10.38 and Valle with 5.22 %.
Another emerging aspect was the analysis of poverty rates in Chocу, compared to other departments in Colombia. Although there is economic richness from the mining activities, water and forests, and the biodiversity of the region, the statistics show that in the year 2002, poverty in Chocу went from 64% to 78% in three years. This information contrasts to the national numbers where the poverty rates have decreased (El Universal, 2015). Figure 1 shows the comparison between poverty in Chocу and at the national level in the years 2011-2012.
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Poverty rates in Chocу and at national level
2011 
2012
64.00% 68.00%
34.10% 32.70%
Chocу National level
Figure 1: Poverty rates in Chocу and Colombia
This research aimed to analyze the context of an educational institution that meets the characteristics of a school located in an isolated community, with low academic performance and poor infrastructure. In the past years, the Colombian Institute for the Evaluation of Education has assessed the students from the 3rd, 5 th and 9 th grade at the national level, in which the school has obtained low scores. The selected school comprises elementary to high school level. The organization has tried to implement mechanisms of academic improvement to upgrade the performance of their students, but their efforts have not been favorable. One reason is the low interest of pupils in improving their scores and apathy of parents in their children's homework. As for the teachers working at the school, they do not have knowledge of VLE nor have handled OER, which requires technological appropriation for its pedagogical use.
The objective of this research is to identify the initial conditions of a high school in an isolated community for building a virtual educational course for high school students. To integrate VLE in the educational institution, involving clear pedagogical guidelines in their construction, could encourage the high school students’ learning, where they can work at their speed of learning, including the form, time and space that the student’s chooses; these are characteristics of virtual learning, in order to give tools to teachers and students to achieve their academic performance and enhance the teaching and learning processes.
METHOD
An analysis was conducted during the school year 2014-2015, using the mixed methodology to review and interpret the results. The method was chosen in consideration of the problem of the isolated school, which allowed an inductive logical analysis (qualitative) and deductive logic (quantitative). A survey allowed to evaluate the perception of the students regarding learning through the internet. A survey for teachers was applied to determine the frequency of use of web resources.
The study sought to integrate members of the educational community in the project regarding the use and appropriation of a virtual learning community in an isolated community. The research was approved by the rector of the school for the application of instruments.
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The teachers of the institution answered two instruments. The first, an interview, comprised of 12 open questions, which generated information about the research problem; it was answered by five teachers and the school psychologist. The second instrument was a survey about the use and management of information and communications technologies, to learn their level of knowledge, acceptability or not in managing virtual environments for training and participation in the creation and implementation of new learning environments. It is acknowledged that research is a process that requires detailed and thorough analysis, which is heading the search for successes that allows to solve a problem, ensuring the generation of knowledge.
Given the number of subjects and levels on campus, it was decided to start with a population comprised of students from sixth and seventh grade; 50 students of the 6th and 7th grade were randomly selected. Also, 25 teachers from different subjects, as well as the director of the campus, voluntarily participated in the study. One representative of the parents committee and the psychologist of the school were also selected.
For the implementation of the study, the teachers were guided in the management of virtual learning environments and the use of the website Eduteka (http://www.eduteka.org/) which provides free open educational resources in Spanish. The site allows users to create digital books or classroom activities.
RESULTS
The following section comprises the results of the research process, presenting the description of the obtained data from the two instruments mentioned above, about the student’s and teacher’s opinion.
Technology use in students
The following tables show the results of the questions asked to the students: 1) Perception of the internet, 2) Frequency of the use of the internet, 3) Preferred sites to visit, 4) Purposes of internet use, 5) Internet as pedagogical support, 6) Means for reading.
Each of the following tables relates to the different questions on the instrument for students. It shows their perception regarding the use of the internet, the frequency and purpose of use, and other aspects concerning the benefits of the technological tools for reading and other pedagogical work.
| Table 1:Students’ perception of the internet. | ||||
| What does the internet mean to you? | Number of students | % | ||
| A mean for communication | 30% | |||
| Easy access to information | 10% | |||
| A mean for entertainment | 28% | |||
| Support for school homework | 12% | |||
| Other | 20 % |
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| Table 2:Frequency of the use of Internet | ||||||
| How often do you use the internet? | Number of students | % | ||||
| Everyday | 18% | |||||
| Two days a week | 48% | |||||
| Weekly | 18% | |||||
| Rarely | 16% | |||||
| Never | 0% | |||||
| Table 3:Preferred sites to visit | ||||||
| Which sites do you prefer to visit? | Number of students | % | ||||
| Entertainment | 30% | |||||
| Research | 10% | |||||
| Social network, chat, e-mail | 60% | |||||
| Health | 0% | |||||
| Newspapers | 0% | |||||
| Table 4:Purposes of internet use | ||||||
| The Internet can help us to improve: | Number of students | % | ||||
| Reading and text analysis | 22% | |||||
| Updating knowledge | 42% | |||||
| Better training | 16% | |||||
| To interact with other people | 20% | |||||
| Table 5:Internet as pedagogical support | ||||||
| Could the internet be a resourceful tool for | Number of students | % | ||||
| supporting teaching and knowledge diffusion? | ||||||
| Yes | 60% | |||||
| No | 20% | |||||
| Indecisive | 20% | |||||
| Table 6:Means for reading | ||||||
| Which mean do you use for reading? | Number of students | % | ||||
| Books | 80% | |||||
| Internet | 10% | |||||
| Magazines/journals | 10% |
The application of the instruments provided an overview of the current situation of the school. A group of 50 students took the survey to measure the use and control of the Internet.
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