Author Introduction: Zhang Haiqing, Qingdao Chengyang District Vocational Secondary School, Level 1 Teacher, Master’s Degree, Research Direction in Information Technology Teaching Design (266108).
Paper Published In: China Educational Technology Equipment, 2018,05
1 Introduction
With the increasing application of new technologies such as cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things, and mobile computing, the revolutionary impact of information technology on education is becoming increasingly evident, leading to changes in classroom teaching. Exploring computer network basic theory classroom teaching that aligns with the context of the information age is an important measure to address the current disconnection between technology and application, theory and practice among vocational students. In teaching practice, the author attempts to improve classroom teaching by combining the Lanmo Cloud Class platform with traditional classrooms using a hybrid teaching method, achieving good teaching results.
2 Overview of Hybrid Teaching Based on Lanmo Cloud Class
Lanmo Cloud Class is a mobile teaching assistant app launched by Lanmo Technology, which is a cloud service platform for conducting instant feedback interactive teaching inside and outside the classroom using mobile smart devices in a mobile network environment. The platform is based on the class space created by teachers in the cloud, providing students with services such as course subscription, message push, assignments, courseware, videos, and materials on mobile devices. The platform is easy to operate on mobile phones, is free for teachers and students, and is not limited by time or location, which helps improve the interaction efficiency between teachers and students, stimulates students’ interest in learning, and achieves effective resource utilization, thus gaining significant promotion among teachers and students.
Hybrid Learning combines face-to-face classroom learning and online learning (E-learning). Scholars at home and abroad believe that hybrid learning can not only increase interaction between students and teachers and personalized learning time but also represents a new way of learning and teaching philosophy. Under the guidance of hybrid learning theory and other information-based teaching, the classroom teaching model will undergo significant changes. This teaching reform emphasizes online learning, virtual learning, and other forms of online learning throughout the course, as well as face-to-face learning in the classroom, which is a combination of traditional classroom teaching and E-learning. This learning model aims to leverage the advantages of traditional classrooms and online learning, provide personalized learning for learners, stimulate learners’ interest in learning, build learners’ confidence, and improve learning efficiency.
3 Analysis of TCP/IP Protocol Teaching in Vocational Schools
Textbook Analysis: The “TCP/IP Protocol” is the content of the fifth part of Chapter 3 in the third edition of the “Computer Network Technology” published by Higher Education Press. As the most mature and widely used network interconnection technology in today’s computer networks, the TCP/IP protocol is relatively abstract and profound, yet it is fundamental to networking content. As one of the two major reference models in the entire textbook, it is more widely used than the OSI model, making it relatively easier for students to grasp. Therefore, this lesson integrates the textbook content, combining the layered architecture of the OSI model from Section 2 of the textbook with the TCP/IP protocol, to understand the layered structure of networks through the discussion of the four-layer protocol model, clarifying the process of network data transmission, thus laying the foundation for students to better understand various network services and learning planning and design in the future.
Student Situation Analysis: The target audience for this lesson is second-year students majoring in computer networks at Qingdao Chengyang District Vocational Secondary School in Shandong Province. With the continuous development and expansion of the Internet’s application scope, today’s students are quite proficient in various service applications provided by the Internet. Students enjoy online games, like chatting on WeChat, are accustomed to sending emails, and are familiar with online shopping and watching videos, but very few can truly understand network interconnection and the principles of network data communication. While vocational school teachers focus on improving the practical skills of vocational students, they must also avoid the disconnection between technology and application, theory and practice, and achieve the guiding role of theory in practice.
Goal Setting: Based on the teaching syllabus for computer network technology courses and according to the actual situation of students, teaching goals are determined.
1) Knowledge Goal: Understand the basic ideas of layered architecture, be familiar with the functions of each layer of the TCP/IP protocol model, and clarify the basic flow of network information.
2) Ability Goal: Be able to apply the idea of layering to solve network problems in a certain logical order and arrange flexibly according to actual situations.
3) Moral Education Goal: Guide students to pay attention to the important role of basic theory in the entire network learning process, so that students can feel the core value of communication technology in network interconnection, experience the wisdom exhibited by humanity in solving problems, and enhance professional quality.
Teaching Key Points and Difficulties: Teaching Focus: TCP/IP protocol layered model. Teaching Difficulty: Basic flow of network information.
4 TCP/IP Protocol Teaching Process Design
The teaching process is designed in three stages: pre-class autonomous learning, in-class knowledge internalization, and post-class extension.
Pre-Class Preparation and Autonomous Learning: The pre-class preparation mainly includes preparations from both teachers and students.
1) Teachers create a class cloud class on mobile devices (computer or phone), automatically generating an invitation code; students download the Lanmo Cloud Class app and enter the invitation code to join the cloud class.
2) Teachers create a personal situation survey and publish it on the cloud class, using the “notification” function to remind students to fill it out, and then reasonably group students based on the collected and organized data.
3) Teachers upload relevant teaching resources for the course in the resource library, such as pre-class learning task sheets, micro-videos, courseware, teaching plans, lesson plans, micro-test questions, and related web links, images, videos, etc. Students conduct autonomous learning before class based on the learning task sheet and perform online tests to check their learning status.
Class Interaction and Knowledge Internalization: Before the formal class begins, teachers first guide students to use the cloud class sign-in function to check in for class and view student attendance. Compared to traditional roll call methods, one-click sign-in or gesture sign-in is quick and convenient, which can quickly mobilize students’ enthusiasm and increase the fun of the class.
1) Test Feedback and Clarifying Key Points: Teachers use PPT to display the learning and testing data collected from students through the cloud class platform, checking students’ learning attitudes through the time and frequency of resource learning; understanding students’ mastery of knowledge points through test scores; identifying problems in students’ autonomous learning, guiding students to pay attention to learning methods, and clarifying the direction and key points for subsequent learning.
2) Situational Analysis and Introduction to Class: Students watch the video “My Double Eleven Stockpiling – Anta Sports Shoes” and think about the question: How many stages can the process of online shopping delivery be divided into? How do the online store sellers, courier companies, and transportation departments coordinate with each other in this online shopping? Summarize: The delivery process of online shopping can be divided into three stages: packaging, receiving and sending, and transportation, corresponding to the user subsystem, courier subsystem, and transportation subsystem, respectively.
The reason why Anta sports shoes successfully arrived is that effective coordination occurred between various subsystems, and there are various “agreements” between them, including agreements between online store sellers (such as product descriptions must be true, prices must be reasonable, and delivery must be timely), agreements between sellers and courier companies (such as filling in the recipient’s and sender’s addresses and phone numbers according to regulations, packaging and paying according to regulations), agreements between courier companies and transportation departments (such as checking the dispatched packages and filling in the receipt), and agreements between the transportation department and the destination transportation department (such as loading goods into containers, arranging vehicles, and contacting to handle transportation matters). After the courier is delivered to the destination, the reverse process occurs: the transportation company hands over the package to the courier company, which then delivers the package to the buyer.
[Design Intent] Starting from a case that students are relatively familiar with, such as online shopping for sports shoes on Taobao, watching videos stimulates students’ interest in learning and prompts thinking, thus highlighting the important role of agreements in the delivery process of online shopping.
3) Model Abstraction and Concept Analogy: Teachers use the cloud class platform to publish group discussion activities: students are asked to summarize the process of online shopping and abstract an online shopping process model, and express it in words and arrows.
Students discuss in groups, drawing a schematic diagram of the online shopping process, with each group selecting a representative work to upload to the cloud class platform; teachers display the schematic diagrams from each group on a large screen, analyze them together with students, pointing out the problems in the flowcharts; each group member logs into the cloud class platform to evaluate the works of other groups; teachers display the standardized online shopping flowchart, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Online Shopping Delivery Process Diagram
Students discuss and conclude: The package delivery process is U-shaped, following the ideas of “layering” and “agreement” to ensure accurate delivery of the package.
Teachers propose that complex network data communication also requires various specifications and agreements to ensure accurate data transmission. To effectively transmit information in networks, computer networks adopt a hierarchical structural model, such as the TCP/IP protocol model. Teachers use the online shopping delivery flowchart to explain the basic concepts of layered architecture, such as peer layers, protocols, interfaces, services, etc., and emphasize the importance of the layered structure.
[Design Intent] Through group cooperation, abstracting the online shopping process model enhances students’ system analysis and collaborative inquiry abilities; through analogy explanation, it reduces the difficulty of knowledge, allowing students to better understand technical terms such as layering, protocols, services; conducting group evaluations on the cloud class stimulates students’ enthusiasm, effectively implementing process evaluation.
4) Model Comparison and Exploration of New Knowledge: Data transmission in networks has certain similarities with online shopping activities, where the courier is analogous to the data transmitted in the network, and the entire courier system is analogous to the computer network. The secure and reliable transmission of data depends on agreements between various layers. Teachers guide students to analyze the functions of each layer of the TCP/IP protocol.
Application Layer: Students log into Taobao using the familiar HTTP protocol, where the buyer places an order, and the seller views the order, understanding the meaning of the application layer.
Transport Layer: Using the example of the transportation process, it is analogous to the correct transfer of data; and through the familiar real-life example of making a phone call, the connection-oriented process of the TCP protocol is explained.
Table 1 Task Settings and Requirements
Network Layer: Through setting tasks 1 and 2, help students understand network addressing and the process of data packet transmission.
Network Interface Layer: Also known as the Physical Link Layer, the role of this layer is understood through the settings of tasks 3 and the physical demonstration of twisted pair interfaces (RJ-45 module), as shown in Table 1.
Teachers use videos to show the process of transmitting online shopping orders, vividly demonstrating the layered transmission process of network data, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Online Shopping Order Transmission Process
Next, students refer to the learning plan and complete task 4: using Cisco Packet Tracer simulator to achieve interconnection of two machines and test the data packet transmission process to deepen their understanding of the network data transmission process.
[Design Intent] The functions of each layer of the TCP/IP protocol and the basic flow of information transmission are the key points and difficulties of this section. By referencing and comparing two models, it helps students deepen their understanding of the functions of each layer; the setting and completion of several practical tasks avoid emotional transfer caused by only teacher-led lectures, guiding students to actively participate; the video demonstration of the basic process of online shopping orders is vivid and lively, deepening students’ understanding of this abstract process.
5) Model Application and Guiding Practice: Teachers present a case:
Xiao Wang starts working at a new job and discovers that he cannot connect to the company’s FTP server using an unfamiliar computer.
How to solve this problem? In what manner and order should it be resolved? Teachers organize class Q&A/discussion activities through the cloud class platform, and students submit answers based on their understanding and engage in exchanges and discussions; teachers summarize the exchange activities, condense the answers, and present the guiding analysis role of the layered model on the case.
[Design Intent] By analyzing and summarizing practical work cases, it avoids the disconnection between theory and practice, enhancing the guiding role of theory in practice. The discussion and Q&A organized by the cloud class can continue after class for further communication and expansion.
6) Classroom Reflections and Extensions: Teachers ask, “What did you learn?” and let each student describe their gains from this lesson in one word or one sentence. Teachers connect the knowledge of this lesson through students’ responses: Network data communication needs to follow various protocols, the most widely used currently is the TCP/IP protocol; this protocol model is implemented through four layers: application layer, transport layer, network layer, and network interface layer, each layer adheres to relevant protocols, with the upper layer proposing requirements for the lower layer, and the lower layer fulfilling the requirements of the upper layer; the sender encapsulates information, and the receiver unpacks information.
Teachers assign homework: 1) Complete the “FTP File Transfer Process in TCP/IP Protocol” to continue consolidating the core content of the TCP/IP protocol; 2) Create a mind map of the TCP/IP protocol content to form a knowledge framework.
Classroom Extensions and Improvements
1) After class, students can continue to check relevant resources from the class; if there are any questions, they can continue to ask through the Q&A discussion area set by the teacher, overcoming limitations of time and space.
2) Through the voting questionnaire function, students fill out the information technology survey questionnaire released by the teacher in the class after class, evaluating and communicating the use of information technology methods such as micro-lessons, micro-tests, online discussions, and simulation experiences in class, providing timely feedback to help teachers improve classroom teaching.
3) Teachers review students’ learning experience values to understand each student’s learning situation; export classroom learning activity reports to provide data sources for subsequent mid-term and final evaluations.
4) Teachers use the discovery course circle of the cloud class to exchange experiences with teachers nationwide, sharing teaching skills, experiences, and cases, promoting teachers’ self-growth.
5 Reflection on Teaching Application Effects
This lesson involves the basic principles of network communication, which are relatively abstract and complex. The introduction of the Lanmo Cloud Class has sparked students’ curiosity about mobile terminal learning, pre-class resource push guiding autonomous learning, one-click sign-in is quick and convenient, various learning testing data analysis improves teachers’ work efficiency, group activity evaluations engage every student’s enthusiasm, and discussion Q&A, voting questionnaires enhance communication between teachers and students and among students; in face-to-face classroom teaching, situational analysis of online shopping, group cooperation for abstract models, concept analogy, video demonstrations, simulation experiences, and other teaching methods stimulate students’ interest in learning and increase classroom participation. After two rounds of teaching attempts, it has been found that the combination of online and offline hybrid learning achieves “visualization of abstract classrooms and liveliness of dull classrooms,” leading to a deeper understanding of the core content of this lesson among students, resulting in good teaching outcomes.
References
[1] Hao Lina. Application of Hybrid Teaching Model Based on Lanmo Cloud Class Platform in Higher Vocational Organic Chemistry Teaching [J]. Vocational Education, 2016 (14):149-150.
[2] Wang Yuanyi. Teaching Case of “Data Transmission Process” [J]. China Information Technology Education, 2015 (13):45-46, 61.
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