Geography Teacher Approach to Using Virtual Learning Environment in Education of Geography

Abstract

XX–XXI century technological breakthrough created a new ideology and philosophy of education that influenced all education system: new teaching and learning measures have created new teaching methods. Education of nowadays is associated with the use of information and communication tools.
 We often mentioned the words “virtual learning”, “distance learning” or “e-learning”. In general, these terms can be regarded as synonymous, because they generally mean a distance learning. Predicting the perspective of distance learning for this type of education has been established a special software that provides the proper functioning of various e-measures. This program is called open source virtual environments development software (usually just a “virtual learning environment” or in short VLE). In the period of 1996–2000 virtual learning environment has been created for distance education.
 In Lithuania the use of the virtual learning environment is growing. Almost all high schools have their own virtual environment. The interesting of VLE is growing and in the secondary schools. That is why it is important to find out what motivates teachers to use or not to use VLE. This article aims to analyze the geography teachers‘ attitudes towards education by using a VLE. The survey revealed that most of teachers, which are working with the VLE, indicates that virtual learning environment is useful, unlike teachers, who do not use VLE. They guess that virtual learning environment is useful only partly. Many teachers began using VLE to improve their classification and to make their traditional way of teaching more interesting. Teachers indicate that the VLE is improving learning process and its results, because teaching becomes interactive and therefore more interesting, resulting in increased motivation for learning.