The computing power is growing exponentially resulting in massive purchase of digital devices for home use, school use, office use, etc. Due to the influx of such devices there is a dramatic increase in the adoption of technology-driven activities to enhance students’ experience inside the classroom. The paper will take readers for a long journey to understand the importance of transformative and engaging instructions. The plea is to buckle up and enjoy the motivational and engaging instructional design principles. We will look at the different motivations and their role in a technology-driven classroom. Keller and Litchfield (2007) addressed three levels of motivation: motivation to learn, motivation to work, and self-motivation. In order to understand motivation one needs to have “knowledge of motivational principles”, “methods for analyzing learner motivation,” and “methods for designing relevant motivational tactics.”
The new technology applications like facebook, wikis, twitter, virtual environments and other collaborative softwares demand innovative ways to engage learners who have had influence of the digital wave. It is important for educators to understand how the electronic communication, Web and gaming technology have changed the way learners learn and socialize. Today, learners are more content with text messaging, emailing and instant messaging, they use these platforms intensely. Educators have the duty to influence their teaching styles with this electronic media in order to keep learners interested. It is imperative for them to understand some of the classroom organizational dynamics that makes a class boring and less engaging. Once educators have that understanding and have their teaching methods in-line with students’ way of doing things then they could give them the most coveted and elusive educational experience. Just because educators are digital immigrants, that does not mean they have to stay out of touch with the current trends in the application of technology-driven instructions. Even though time and other resources are scarce, following some of the “first instructional principles” there is no way to get around them, they are as important. Good instructional activities can transform students’ way of thinking and understanding of abstract concepts and theories presented to them. Some of the measures of motivational instructional activities are engagement, and the creation of social communities, through collaborative learning.
New generation tent to socialize on virtual environments, which can have negative effects on their personal growth. Teachers should be innovative in their quest to help students develop skills and construct knowledge. The availability of social media and interactive technology open up innovative ways of engaging students in the classroom by creating a transformative classroom environment. The face-to-face interaction and digital devices inside the classroom enable learners to collaboratively work together to solve problems and promote human interaction. Thus it is important for educators to find the balance between the classroom and all the technology-driven media. Before any design of instructional activity designers should analyze the instructional theories and models available to them, to extract the first principle, identify the cognitive processes associated with each principle and then identify the empirical support for the principle (Merrill, 2002)
As we continue on this journey to effective instructional design activities, we need to find ways to measure how the activities motivate and improve learners’ performance. In order for motivation to be in effect, the classroom should challenge learners’ curiosity, invention and creativity. According to Marc Prensky (2002) reason game players say they enjoy playing games is because of the following: challenging (79 %), relieve stress (55 %), entertainment (49 %) and social activity (38 %). Looking at the numbers and thinking about the population that plays games, definitely educators have a big challenge of educating this game playing generation. Learners should be engaged in their educational experience. Engagement can be described as attracting and occupying the attention of a person or involving someone’s interest or attention. Merrill (2002) suggests that we investigate the following areas: cognition and mental models, knowledge objects and instructional design models. In Merrill’s first principle of instruction, states that learning is facilitated when learner is engaged in solving real-world problems, new knowledge built on learner existing knowledge, knowledge application by the learner, and the integration of new knowledge to learner’s world.
For an instruction to be motivational, learners should feel a sense of connectedness: friendships, cohesion, interdependence among other learners, and have confidence (Alfred, 2002). The state of flow is another factor towards motivation. Mihaly (1990) defined it as a mental state of intense concentration and accomplishment of goals with great deal of pleasure. The classroom activities should fully support students’ engagement. Some of the important factors in a flow state in reference to games are Mihaly (1990):
• Enormous reward when player is doing well
• Not making things too hard to frustrate the player
• Not making things too easy
• Achieve something unexpectedly
The same thing applies with instructional design we have to design instructions that reward students for their hard work, incorporate memorable characters, make learners understand the goal of the activity and then make it challenging to achieve it. If such has been incorporated not only they will facilitate learning, but will also reinforce theories and concepts learned. In our class we could also incorporate the principles of good gaming (Prensky, 2002) which are as follows: motivation, flow, social groups, ego gratification, enjoyment, intense passionate and involvement. As Keller and Litchfield (2007) assert we should not equate motivation with entertainment and fun. There should still be rules imposed to limit learners from just playing for pleasure without achieving the goal of the instruction. Throughout the instruction learners should receive feedback and demonstrate results that they understand the goals of the instruction and achieving them. There should be consequences of every move positive or negative, as feedback is known to promote continuous learning. The instruction should also promote interaction among the learners and facilitators.
Motivational instructions should transform learners’ perception about the classroom, as a place to torture them with information. It should spark a great word of mouth and encourage them to reflect on what they have learned. Marc Prensky (2002) provide seven factors of engaging games:
• They give players intense and passionate involvement
• They spark players creativity
• They give players enjoyment and pleasure
• They give players flow
• They give players motivation
• They give players structure
• They give players adrenaline
Motivation is one of them and the same factors should apply inside the classroom full of learners that are technologically stimulated. The classroom should be a place to empower and transform learners view. In order to successfully understand the importance of motivation some assessment should be performed before, during, and after the instructional activity.
Reference:
Alfred, R. P. (2002). Development of an instrument to measure classroom community.
The Internet and higher education, Vol. 5, Issue 33, 197-211, Elsevier Science.
Alfred, R. P. (2002). International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning.
ISSN: 1492-3831. (3)1.
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research
and Development, 50(3), 43-59.
Mihaly, C. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper and
Row. ISBN 0-06-092043-2.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Game-Based Learning. McGraw-Hill.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Transcending the Walls of the Classroom
The power of informal learning has been overlooked for a long time by yester-years educators who are eager to teach and turn students into information databases. Like Winston Churchill said, “Personally, I am always ready to learn, but I do not always like being taught.” This essay will research the importance of informal learning and bring to readers attention about the misleading term “knowledge management” instead of information management. I am a champion of informal learning, which is in line with the constructivism theorem, and the fact that knowledge can be constructed internally depending on individual experiences. Rossett and Hoffman (2007, p. 167) provide the characteristics of informal learning: authentic, happening beyond the control of facilitators, outside the limits of the classroom, or training facilities. Education has evolved over the years from being an institution that would bring a certain degree of social leveling, social justice, and social cohesion (Borg & Mayo, 2006). Today, we are dealing with schools and educational institution’s ability to empower, democratize knowledge, and create a genuinely “meritocratic” society.
Informal learning supports the notion of lifelong learning as it underlines the aspects of learning and pedagogy that occur outside the domains of formal learning institutions. Sociological interpretations refute the structural-functionalist view of schooling; this is due to the emergence of various schools of thought (Gumport, 2007). The homogenization of learning is one of the tragedies created by traditional educators over the years, which is flawed and not inline with reality. I believe informal learning is a bridge to knowledge construction and acquirement. Education goal is to empower and improve the mobility of human capital, not to build moving silos of information. For institutions to successfully empower learners should “create bridges and articulate between various learning pathways” to avoid the possibility of giving learners passes instead of empowering them with applicable skills and help them construct knowledge. The application “taylor-made” learning approach for learners in their own environment is long overdue. The rise of bureaucratic principles and values paved a way for formal education, instead of transformational and entrepreneurial type of education.
The growing of various schools of thoughts promotes “threaded discourse” which encourages reflection. I concur with Brown and Campione (1996) that discourse is central to knowledge advancement. Also the availability of Internet enables learners to conduct their own research in pursuit of their own inquiries. The only concern with the Internet is when authors start referring to information as knowledge. I have a lot of reservation on Rosenberg (2007) referring to information management system as knowledge management system, or interchange the two. Turban et al. (2002) define knowledge as “the understanding, awareness, or familiarity acquired through education or experience.” My concern is how do you manage knowledge, when in my world knowledge construction is a “reflective process that is fundamentally dialogic” (Bereiter, 2008). Let me just congratulate our transformative professor for introducing a democratic environment where students enter into learning contracts, which means students are taking charge of their learning or advancement of their personal knowledge and the classroom community. Brown and Campione (1996) describe the turning over to students’ part of their educational process as metacognitive.
Hannum and McCombs (2008) from the learner-centered psychological principles (LCPs), “ they understand learning and motivation as natural processes that occur when conditions and context of learning are supportive of individual learner needs, capacities, experience and interests.” During the informal learning boundaries are limited only by imagination and need for access to expertise. Normal experts have specific knowledge and experience in an area. The notion of managing knowledge using management systems is far from being realistic in capturing knowledge. The knowledge acquired by experts is through experience and is situational, thus in my understanding it is not feasible to manage knowledge, but information and data can be managed for later use. There has been a lot development of expert system to mimic human experts, but they are still based on the experience of the experts. System cannot construct knowledge but can use information provide in the form of Artificial Intelligence to support its decision-making process. Turban et al. (2002) provide four activities of transferring expertise from an expert to a computer and then to the user: knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, knowledge inferencing, and knowledge transfer to the user. Again what is acquired is information and skills from experts or documented sources.
The limitations of Expert Systems by Turban et al. (2002):
• Knowledge to be captured is not always readily available
• Expertise is hard to extract from humans
• Expert Systems work only within narrowly defined subject areas such as diagnosing a malfunction in a machines
Even if it was possible to manage knowledge it would still be subjected to perceptual and judgmental biases. The most important thing is to integrate learning and motivational strategies in order to help learners become self-directed learners. As Hannum and McCombs (2008) the key to informal learning is to find strategies that respond to individual differences and diversity of learner needs, abilities, and interests. Technology is key to the informal learning process as it further promotes learners connections and help them build learning communities. The availability of networked, three-dimensional virtual environment has transformed the ability to work in groups on classroom and real-world projects across time and space. Transformational instructional designers would agree that instructional design is moderately structured and heuristic, as learning is non-linear. Kelton (2007) approximated that 200 colleges in the United States and other countries have presence in virtual environments. Even public and private enterprises such Dell, BP, IBM, Intel, NASA, Library of Congress, Microsoft, etc have presence in virtual environments to facilitate meetings, training, and projects design and development work. There are still education administrators and faculty who still do not believe that virtual environments technology have academic relevance.
The exchange and sharing of different experience add value to learners experience and enhances their educational experience, as they become participants in their education. Just like the idea of open-source communities where information and knowledge about different technological advancements is shared. Those who are still novice in the field can be empowered by going through different forums and learning from the shakers and movers in the technology field. The amount of information available for free cannot be purchased, but the effect it has on different communities is unbelievable. The traditional approaches to education are failing to appreciate innovation, peer-to-peer learning, information exchange, and knowledge sharing. Formal education sometimes focuses on meeting key subject standards dictated by state and federal legislation, of which sometimes fails to address students learning needs. Everything is about test scores outcomes instead of making sure learners are prepared for the next curriculum level. There is tangible evidence by the federal government pumping millions of dollars in higher education to empower those underprepared students.
The system should help students find their passion and joy attached to their journey to construct knowledge that will add value to their lives. De Castell & Jenson (2004) acknowledge that learners are increasingly demanding greater accommodation to their learning needs and preferences. But the current formal pedagogy is failing to understand the diversity of learners and their needs for success. Informal learning allow “learners the freedom to be protagonists in an adventure they themselves navigate” (Wilson et al., 2008, p. 40) and “instructors as guide or supportive character in the unfolding narrative of the project, rather than just teacher” (Parrish, in press).
The five elements of expanded scheme for instructional outcomes (Wilson et al., 2008, p. 43):
• Effective instruction – meets the targeted goals of knowledge, skill, and attitude.
• Efficient instruction – does so in a cost-effective and timely way.
• Engaging instruction – challenges learners to respond through meaningful activity.
• Good instruction – leads learner to valued ends while minimizing any negative impacts.
• Transformational instruction – encourages deeply engaging experiences that can potentially transform identities and practices.
The above elements subscribe or almost subscribe to the notion of informal learning, which normal engages learners on a subject and learn from their peers or learning/social communities. Informal learning avoid memory overload and enable students to develop longlife knowledge and skills. Sometimes in my arguments about the adoption of constructivism principles in the classroom a lot of people get lost and I respectful understand, because of their up bringing in an inactive and conservative environment. Before, most educators can fully appreciate the uniqueness of their students transformation will not take place. Wilson et al. (2008) provide readers or researchers with three-paradigm change for FutureMinds Initiative (p. 46):
• Paradigm shift 1: Teaching and learning must be transformed and customized to meet individual learner’s needs.
• Paradigm shift 2: The school system’s social infrastructure must be transformed from a command-and-control organization design to a participatory organization design.
• Paradigm shift 3: Transform the isolative relationship of school system from its systematic environment to collaborative and proactive one.
In conclusion informal learning should be recognized because of its ability to bring like minds or people who share same interest to further research, exchange and share information on the subject of their interest. Learning has evolved, but outdated teaching methods are still in place to detach learners from the reality.
Reference:
Brown, A. L., & Campione, J. C. (1996). Psychological theory and the design of
innovative learning environments: On procedures, principles, and systems. In L. Schauble & R. Glaser (Eds.), Innovation in learning: New environments for education (pp. 289-325). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
De Castell, S. & Jenson, J. (2004). Paying attention to attention: New economies for
learning. Educational Theory, 54(4), 382-397
Gumport, P. J. (2007). Sociology of Higher Education: An Evolving Field. In P. J.
Gumport (Ed.), Sociology of Higher Education (pp. 17-52). Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
Hannum, W. H. & McCombs, B. L. (2008). Enhancing distance learning for today’s
youth with learner-centered principles. Educational Technology 48(3) May-June
Kelton, A. J. (2007). Second Life: Reaching into the virtual world for real-world learning.
ECAR Research Bulletin. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ecar_so/erb/ERB0717.pdf
Parrish, P. (in press). Aesthetic principles for instructional design. Educational
Technology Research and Development.
Rosenberg, M. J. (2007). Knowledge Management and Learning: Perfect Together. In R.
A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 156-165). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Rossett, A. & Robert, H. (2007). Informal Learning. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey
(Eds.), Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 166-172). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C. (2008). Pedagogical Biases in Educational Technologies.
Educational Technology: the Magazine for Managers of Change in Education, 48(3), 3-11.
Turban, E., McLean, E., & Wetherbe, J. (2002). Information Technology for
Management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wilson, B. G., Parrish P., & Veletsianos, G. (2008). Raising the Bar for Instructional
Outcomes: Toward transformative learning experiences. Educational Technology: the Magazine for Managers of Change in Education, 48(3), 39-44.
Informal learning supports the notion of lifelong learning as it underlines the aspects of learning and pedagogy that occur outside the domains of formal learning institutions. Sociological interpretations refute the structural-functionalist view of schooling; this is due to the emergence of various schools of thought (Gumport, 2007). The homogenization of learning is one of the tragedies created by traditional educators over the years, which is flawed and not inline with reality. I believe informal learning is a bridge to knowledge construction and acquirement. Education goal is to empower and improve the mobility of human capital, not to build moving silos of information. For institutions to successfully empower learners should “create bridges and articulate between various learning pathways” to avoid the possibility of giving learners passes instead of empowering them with applicable skills and help them construct knowledge. The application “taylor-made” learning approach for learners in their own environment is long overdue. The rise of bureaucratic principles and values paved a way for formal education, instead of transformational and entrepreneurial type of education.
The growing of various schools of thoughts promotes “threaded discourse” which encourages reflection. I concur with Brown and Campione (1996) that discourse is central to knowledge advancement. Also the availability of Internet enables learners to conduct their own research in pursuit of their own inquiries. The only concern with the Internet is when authors start referring to information as knowledge. I have a lot of reservation on Rosenberg (2007) referring to information management system as knowledge management system, or interchange the two. Turban et al. (2002) define knowledge as “the understanding, awareness, or familiarity acquired through education or experience.” My concern is how do you manage knowledge, when in my world knowledge construction is a “reflective process that is fundamentally dialogic” (Bereiter, 2008). Let me just congratulate our transformative professor for introducing a democratic environment where students enter into learning contracts, which means students are taking charge of their learning or advancement of their personal knowledge and the classroom community. Brown and Campione (1996) describe the turning over to students’ part of their educational process as metacognitive.
Hannum and McCombs (2008) from the learner-centered psychological principles (LCPs), “ they understand learning and motivation as natural processes that occur when conditions and context of learning are supportive of individual learner needs, capacities, experience and interests.” During the informal learning boundaries are limited only by imagination and need for access to expertise. Normal experts have specific knowledge and experience in an area. The notion of managing knowledge using management systems is far from being realistic in capturing knowledge. The knowledge acquired by experts is through experience and is situational, thus in my understanding it is not feasible to manage knowledge, but information and data can be managed for later use. There has been a lot development of expert system to mimic human experts, but they are still based on the experience of the experts. System cannot construct knowledge but can use information provide in the form of Artificial Intelligence to support its decision-making process. Turban et al. (2002) provide four activities of transferring expertise from an expert to a computer and then to the user: knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, knowledge inferencing, and knowledge transfer to the user. Again what is acquired is information and skills from experts or documented sources.
The limitations of Expert Systems by Turban et al. (2002):
• Knowledge to be captured is not always readily available
• Expertise is hard to extract from humans
• Expert Systems work only within narrowly defined subject areas such as diagnosing a malfunction in a machines
Even if it was possible to manage knowledge it would still be subjected to perceptual and judgmental biases. The most important thing is to integrate learning and motivational strategies in order to help learners become self-directed learners. As Hannum and McCombs (2008) the key to informal learning is to find strategies that respond to individual differences and diversity of learner needs, abilities, and interests. Technology is key to the informal learning process as it further promotes learners connections and help them build learning communities. The availability of networked, three-dimensional virtual environment has transformed the ability to work in groups on classroom and real-world projects across time and space. Transformational instructional designers would agree that instructional design is moderately structured and heuristic, as learning is non-linear. Kelton (2007) approximated that 200 colleges in the United States and other countries have presence in virtual environments. Even public and private enterprises such Dell, BP, IBM, Intel, NASA, Library of Congress, Microsoft, etc have presence in virtual environments to facilitate meetings, training, and projects design and development work. There are still education administrators and faculty who still do not believe that virtual environments technology have academic relevance.
The exchange and sharing of different experience add value to learners experience and enhances their educational experience, as they become participants in their education. Just like the idea of open-source communities where information and knowledge about different technological advancements is shared. Those who are still novice in the field can be empowered by going through different forums and learning from the shakers and movers in the technology field. The amount of information available for free cannot be purchased, but the effect it has on different communities is unbelievable. The traditional approaches to education are failing to appreciate innovation, peer-to-peer learning, information exchange, and knowledge sharing. Formal education sometimes focuses on meeting key subject standards dictated by state and federal legislation, of which sometimes fails to address students learning needs. Everything is about test scores outcomes instead of making sure learners are prepared for the next curriculum level. There is tangible evidence by the federal government pumping millions of dollars in higher education to empower those underprepared students.
The system should help students find their passion and joy attached to their journey to construct knowledge that will add value to their lives. De Castell & Jenson (2004) acknowledge that learners are increasingly demanding greater accommodation to their learning needs and preferences. But the current formal pedagogy is failing to understand the diversity of learners and their needs for success. Informal learning allow “learners the freedom to be protagonists in an adventure they themselves navigate” (Wilson et al., 2008, p. 40) and “instructors as guide or supportive character in the unfolding narrative of the project, rather than just teacher” (Parrish, in press).
The five elements of expanded scheme for instructional outcomes (Wilson et al., 2008, p. 43):
• Effective instruction – meets the targeted goals of knowledge, skill, and attitude.
• Efficient instruction – does so in a cost-effective and timely way.
• Engaging instruction – challenges learners to respond through meaningful activity.
• Good instruction – leads learner to valued ends while minimizing any negative impacts.
• Transformational instruction – encourages deeply engaging experiences that can potentially transform identities and practices.
The above elements subscribe or almost subscribe to the notion of informal learning, which normal engages learners on a subject and learn from their peers or learning/social communities. Informal learning avoid memory overload and enable students to develop longlife knowledge and skills. Sometimes in my arguments about the adoption of constructivism principles in the classroom a lot of people get lost and I respectful understand, because of their up bringing in an inactive and conservative environment. Before, most educators can fully appreciate the uniqueness of their students transformation will not take place. Wilson et al. (2008) provide readers or researchers with three-paradigm change for FutureMinds Initiative (p. 46):
• Paradigm shift 1: Teaching and learning must be transformed and customized to meet individual learner’s needs.
• Paradigm shift 2: The school system’s social infrastructure must be transformed from a command-and-control organization design to a participatory organization design.
• Paradigm shift 3: Transform the isolative relationship of school system from its systematic environment to collaborative and proactive one.
In conclusion informal learning should be recognized because of its ability to bring like minds or people who share same interest to further research, exchange and share information on the subject of their interest. Learning has evolved, but outdated teaching methods are still in place to detach learners from the reality.
Reference:
Brown, A. L., & Campione, J. C. (1996). Psychological theory and the design of
innovative learning environments: On procedures, principles, and systems. In L. Schauble & R. Glaser (Eds.), Innovation in learning: New environments for education (pp. 289-325). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
De Castell, S. & Jenson, J. (2004). Paying attention to attention: New economies for
learning. Educational Theory, 54(4), 382-397
Gumport, P. J. (2007). Sociology of Higher Education: An Evolving Field. In P. J.
Gumport (Ed.), Sociology of Higher Education (pp. 17-52). Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press.
Hannum, W. H. & McCombs, B. L. (2008). Enhancing distance learning for today’s
youth with learner-centered principles. Educational Technology 48(3) May-June
Kelton, A. J. (2007). Second Life: Reaching into the virtual world for real-world learning.
ECAR Research Bulletin. http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ecar_so/erb/ERB0717.pdf
Parrish, P. (in press). Aesthetic principles for instructional design. Educational
Technology Research and Development.
Rosenberg, M. J. (2007). Knowledge Management and Learning: Perfect Together. In R.
A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 156-165). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Rossett, A. & Robert, H. (2007). Informal Learning. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey
(Eds.), Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (pp. 166-172). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C. (2008). Pedagogical Biases in Educational Technologies.
Educational Technology: the Magazine for Managers of Change in Education, 48(3), 3-11.
Turban, E., McLean, E., & Wetherbe, J. (2002). Information Technology for
Management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wilson, B. G., Parrish P., & Veletsianos, G. (2008). Raising the Bar for Instructional
Outcomes: Toward transformative learning experiences. Educational Technology: the Magazine for Managers of Change in Education, 48(3), 39-44.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
grant writing for educator workshop
in case anyone is interested zanesville campus is offering a workshop for grant writing for educators. click the link for more information.
Grant Writing workshop
Grant Writing workshop
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Digital Native, Ditital Immigrant
Digital natives, digital immigrants
In this article the author talked about today’s students think and process information different from their teachers. They grew up from playing and using digital tools and toys, like TV, computers, Videogames, cell phone, Internet….and so on. The author calls them “Digital Native” and for those old folk, like me, would use the above tools and toys, but is learned for work need or personal interests, and is still read from “paper” instead of computer screen, have to adjust myself to use the new technology for a while, or struggle a little bit – “Digital Immigrant.”
The main idea is about the difference between “Digital Native” and “Digital Immigrant”, and as the Digital Immigrant how do we change or should we change the way we think, process information to design our instructional plan in our teaching career.
I don’t know if you like this idea about “Digital Native” vs “Digital Immigrant”, one thing for sure is that, when we design our instructional plan, we always have to plan-well and think a lot about our “learners” no matter how old they are.
Sophia
Week 6 Reading
About this week’s reading, I like this article, “Research on multimedia.” According to this article, learning achievements from multimedia classroom and traditional classroom were no significant from this study. Actually, many of study in working on the comparison of traditional classroom with technology implementing classroom, did show no significant on the students’ achievements. This reminds us that we have to seek other factors which might affect or influence the learning performance except the way of delivery our instruction. Like this article mentioned that “motivation” which is one of very important factors. However, I think, we also have to pay attention on context, interaction between learners and teachers, and the way of using technology.
Sophia
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
My Chat Comments
Note to all: *Here is a copy of an email I sent Dr. Franklin b/c I was not able to join the chat (tech. difficulties)...Any feedback would be great. Thanks. I was disappointed I couldn't join...but here is what I was hoping to contribute...still not the same w/o feedback. :-) -Anna
Dr. Franklin:
I have tried some more and no results. I forgot to mention that I never received any Chat schedule and today when I got back from work reread a previous email (ref. to Grants info. and March 10th & 11th chat times). Several days before when I read that late one night I thought that meant this week's chats were cancelled (false presumption I realize now) but then checked and saw another email referencing last night's chat...slight panic.(but it was only around 6pm). So I thought I'd just join tonight's chat at 8...you know the rest of the situation.
Still, I would like to make some comments about some of the readings and perhaps reschedule a chat w/you (or other option??? - I'm open for suggestions). Here goes: (After completing my thoughts on what I was hoping to chat about, I will save & post them in the Blogs to see if I can get any comments/feedback.)
After reflecting on all of the articles, I found myself enjoying "Multimedia Paradox" and "Blue Ribbon Technology" the most. I found myself wondering if there are teachers out there who actually teach full time and conduct research grants as they study and report on the effects/benefits of technology in the classroom. Is it done? If so, this is something I would be interested in sometime in the future. I also found myself reflecting on how "understanding" is always the "preferred outcome" and then how that understanding leads to "knowledge". I can see how the fear and truth about "too many bells & whistles" leading to students who can become distracted.
This led me to thoughts that as much as technology in the world is speeding forward at a pace that is hard to keep up with, I would like to see the educators in the public school get "up to par" w/it all within the next 3-5 years ideally. However, somehow I see the benefits taking about 10 years of time in order for teachers to find practical ways of integrating technology into the classroom w/in a certain comfort level for both themselves and for their students.
I don't feel that there is an easy solution b/c there are still schools who are far behind in the resources of technology. Unless there is a national and federally funded technology mandate to actually get the technology tools in the schools, I can not foresee the teachers really getting the needed practice. Just like anything...one needs tools in order to build. How can a school build their way into the future of technology w/out the actual tools?
There are so many schools that fall between the cracks b/c of lack of federal funding and a lack of support of school levies. How can schools who have one or two Smart Boards in the entire building compete w/effectiveness in integrating technology on a daily basis compare to schools who have one in every classroom? I'm pretty sure there will be a growing digital divide in this respect - an equity issue that really needs to be addressed. Educators can only do so much w/the tools they are given. As an educator I would do my best to get grants, but how can a school dare to compete if they lag behind (each year the gap getting larger)?
Doing all the research online to locate info. for the variety of projects sheds light that there are some communities who are really making technology a priority. I'm sure each community will have it's growing pains of the bells & whistles but that needs to be expected in the whole process scheme.
On to my thoughts about the "Blue Ribbon Technology"...I love the use of multimedia in the classroom. I can see both the benefits and the pitfalls. I have heard both positive and negative comments. One teacher commented on how too much of it can be detrimental and take away from the social aspect if there is one child to one computer. I feel this can be remedied w/more Smart Boards, engaging more children w/in the large group setting...while still leaving some time for individual time per student. I have seen the benefits of computers w/children of special needs and feel that if monitored and w/proper guidance the multimedia tools w/in the classroom can be great motivators for children to learn content (often times w/out realizing they are even learning).
I planned to ask if anyone works at a school that utilizes the mentioned..."MovieWorks Deluxe". I am very interested to hear of any 1st hand experiences about this and also about "Map Detectives". Personally, I have United Streaming and feel it would benefit children in the schools. I hope to implement the source w/in my own classroom when I have my own classroom. I also recommend that the school try get a grant to pay for a school license in United Streaming (-I may be able to help too). Finally, I was hoping to get feedback from anyone who may have experienced the website mentioned in the "Blue Ribbon Technology" article -> www.learningthroughsports.com ??? It sounds like it would be great b/c so many students (both genders) enjoy sports. I have found that in my limited experiences that both girls and boys have enjoyed math games you can find at funbrain.com (math baseball) etc. I've also recommended math and reading interactive sites to students I've tutored in previous years to find that it boosted moral, self-esteem. I had students this year get so excited about their scores in math baseball that they requested I write down their scores so they could take them home and share w/their parents! I found this also motivating as an educator. It's always great to see that spark...a great foundation for learning and hope for the future! (O.K.-I've been writing this email for one hour now. I'll send it, then copy & paste it to the blog. All comments appreciated!!! :-) -Sincerely, Anna
Dr. Franklin:
I have tried some more and no results. I forgot to mention that I never received any Chat schedule and today when I got back from work reread a previous email (ref. to Grants info. and March 10th & 11th chat times). Several days before when I read that late one night I thought that meant this week's chats were cancelled (false presumption I realize now) but then checked and saw another email referencing last night's chat...slight panic.(but it was only around 6pm). So I thought I'd just join tonight's chat at 8...you know the rest of the situation.
Still, I would like to make some comments about some of the readings and perhaps reschedule a chat w/you (or other option??? - I'm open for suggestions). Here goes: (After completing my thoughts on what I was hoping to chat about, I will save & post them in the Blogs to see if I can get any comments/feedback.)
After reflecting on all of the articles, I found myself enjoying "Multimedia Paradox" and "Blue Ribbon Technology" the most. I found myself wondering if there are teachers out there who actually teach full time and conduct research grants as they study and report on the effects/benefits of technology in the classroom. Is it done? If so, this is something I would be interested in sometime in the future. I also found myself reflecting on how "understanding" is always the "preferred outcome" and then how that understanding leads to "knowledge". I can see how the fear and truth about "too many bells & whistles" leading to students who can become distracted.
This led me to thoughts that as much as technology in the world is speeding forward at a pace that is hard to keep up with, I would like to see the educators in the public school get "up to par" w/it all within the next 3-5 years ideally. However, somehow I see the benefits taking about 10 years of time in order for teachers to find practical ways of integrating technology into the classroom w/in a certain comfort level for both themselves and for their students.
I don't feel that there is an easy solution b/c there are still schools who are far behind in the resources of technology. Unless there is a national and federally funded technology mandate to actually get the technology tools in the schools, I can not foresee the teachers really getting the needed practice. Just like anything...one needs tools in order to build. How can a school build their way into the future of technology w/out the actual tools?
There are so many schools that fall between the cracks b/c of lack of federal funding and a lack of support of school levies. How can schools who have one or two Smart Boards in the entire building compete w/effectiveness in integrating technology on a daily basis compare to schools who have one in every classroom? I'm pretty sure there will be a growing digital divide in this respect - an equity issue that really needs to be addressed. Educators can only do so much w/the tools they are given. As an educator I would do my best to get grants, but how can a school dare to compete if they lag behind (each year the gap getting larger)?
Doing all the research online to locate info. for the variety of projects sheds light that there are some communities who are really making technology a priority. I'm sure each community will have it's growing pains of the bells & whistles but that needs to be expected in the whole process scheme.
On to my thoughts about the "Blue Ribbon Technology"...I love the use of multimedia in the classroom. I can see both the benefits and the pitfalls. I have heard both positive and negative comments. One teacher commented on how too much of it can be detrimental and take away from the social aspect if there is one child to one computer. I feel this can be remedied w/more Smart Boards, engaging more children w/in the large group setting...while still leaving some time for individual time per student. I have seen the benefits of computers w/children of special needs and feel that if monitored and w/proper guidance the multimedia tools w/in the classroom can be great motivators for children to learn content (often times w/out realizing they are even learning).
I planned to ask if anyone works at a school that utilizes the mentioned..."MovieWorks Deluxe". I am very interested to hear of any 1st hand experiences about this and also about "Map Detectives". Personally, I have United Streaming and feel it would benefit children in the schools. I hope to implement the source w/in my own classroom when I have my own classroom. I also recommend that the school try get a grant to pay for a school license in United Streaming (-I may be able to help too). Finally, I was hoping to get feedback from anyone who may have experienced the website mentioned in the "Blue Ribbon Technology" article -> www.learningthroughsports.com ??? It sounds like it would be great b/c so many students (both genders) enjoy sports. I have found that in my limited experiences that both girls and boys have enjoyed math games you can find at funbrain.com (math baseball) etc. I've also recommended math and reading interactive sites to students I've tutored in previous years to find that it boosted moral, self-esteem. I had students this year get so excited about their scores in math baseball that they requested I write down their scores so they could take them home and share w/their parents! I found this also motivating as an educator. It's always great to see that spark...a great foundation for learning and hope for the future! (O.K.-I've been writing this email for one hour now. I'll send it, then copy & paste it to the blog. All comments appreciated!!! :-) -Sincerely, Anna
Friday, February 22, 2008
MS Office Ultimate
Several weeks ago I found an intriguing website with a "you can't believe it" offer. It is an offer for MS Office Ultimate Edition 2007 for $59.95. I looked into it and then tried it. I got the setup DVDs in the mail a week or so later. The offer is only good for people with valid university email addresses. Also, it is only good until sometime in April, April 1 if I remember correctly. I know this full-blown version of MS Office retails for something over $600, so it is quite the deal.
Thought I'd share this info with everyone else, enjoy!
http://www.theultimatesteal.com/home.asp
Thought I'd share this info with everyone else, enjoy!
http://www.theultimatesteal.com/home.asp
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Week 5
I did not see a week 5 page. I was under the impression that my responses to Renea's comments on projectors counted as my week 5 blog. So I have copied those comments under this heading.
Multimedia Journalism; A Classroom Tour
My Media Productions class is very much like the programs that are listed in the article “Multimedia Journalism; A Classroom Tour”. My program was until 4 years ago two separate programs. 1. Printed Media – producing the school newspaper; and Media Productions – Producing the school news program and learning the process of video productions. Our administration decided when the Media Productions instructor retired to combine the two classes into one program of study.
In some instances I am not 100% sure that this was the best for either class. The students that are interested in the printed media and have no desire to be on the school news struggle with learning the electronic process of utilizing the digital editor and being in front of the camera as new anchors. The students who have no desire or even sometimes no talent for writing articles for the “Morganna” struggle with this.
While they do learn entry-level skills in both areas I feel that they would be better served if they were able to develop further their talents and skills in their chosen area. They would be better served if there were an entry-level course in which they are exposed to a variety of journalism tracks then can choose their senior year the area that they are interested in.
In some instances I am not 100% sure that this was the best for either class. The students that are interested in the printed media and have no desire to be on the school news struggle with learning the electronic process of utilizing the digital editor and being in front of the camera as new anchors. The students who have no desire or even sometimes no talent for writing articles for the “Morganna” struggle with this.
While they do learn entry-level skills in both areas I feel that they would be better served if they were able to develop further their talents and skills in their chosen area. They would be better served if there were an entry-level course in which they are exposed to a variety of journalism tracks then can choose their senior year the area that they are interested in.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Multimedia Projectors: A Key Component in Classrooms of the Future
Multimedia Projectors: A Key Component in Classrooms of the Future
I have been using the projector in my classroom as a tool for about the last 6 years. I feel that the students have a greater recall when they not only hear the lecture but also see a presentation that contains visual data and demonstrations that enhance the lecture. This article reinforces my belief that this is true.
“When asked how multimedia projectors affected the teaching and learning experience, several areas of influence were identified, including visual aid, greater flexibility for alternative teaching methods, enhanced teacher demonstrations, heightened student awareness and customized curriculum applications.
Visual aid. Multimedia projectors allow teachers to provide diverse content to all students in the classroom at once, allowing students to have a visual and colorful learning experience during a given lesson.”
What I do find strange though is even though the teachers surveyed know that they need the technology of
Week 6 Readings
I loved the article on Multimedia Paradox. It is so typical in education to jump on the latest band wagon and end up with cool stuff that no one can use. the author talks about the research questions focusing on the technology rather than the education content being taught. We have done this kind of things with curriculum, standards and tests to the point that I feel sometimes the students are just being shoved from one novel idea to another. In the last year the education department of the college in which I work has made several technological advances one of which was the addition of a smart board in class. As far as I know only a couple of people in the department use it a little and no one is using it to its fullest capacity. As a matter of fact the IT department told us we had to have it because they got a grant and them gave us a 2 hour training on the piece. It is a great tool for those who have spent the time to use it but the students are still using it as a projector screen which in the end would have been a cheaper purchase if that is all it is being used for. I guess in the end I agree with this author we really need to look at the students first and tailor the tools to fit their needs and abilities in new and creative ways.
Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling
The link Photo Composition located at the URL: http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/tools/photo-composition.htm that can be accessed from http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/tools.htm which is a link on the page “Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling” http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/
Although it is used as a resource for the digital story telling will be a great link that I can use in my Yearbook class. Many times the students have a difficult time understanding what type of photos are needed when they are taking photos for the yearbook publication.
It gives helpful hints as to how to take a more effective photograph and the rule of thirds.
Resources that can be used to create a digital story - Tools for Digital Storytelling
http://www.coe.uh.edu/digital-storytelling/tools.htm#Royalty-Free – Includes resources that are uncopyrighted public domain websites. Includes sites that are from
Integrating Google Suite for Higher Education
I was very interested in the article as a link on the Evolving Technologies link located at http://www.educause.edu/EvolvingTechnologiesReports/869
Integrating Google Suite for Higher Education
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/DEC0703.pdf
Until last quarter I had not even heard of Google Suite. Although difficult to work with at times and its limitations in maintaining formatting when editing, I feel that Google Suite of applications would offer our students opportunities and experience with software utilizing in both communication and utility tools. Many of our students although they might have computers can not afford the expensive software programs of Microsoft Office. They however are not allowable at our schools. I am not sure if it is only not allowable by our tech coordinator or is this a state wide policy due to security issues. Does anyone else’s school districts allow Google applications access?
Technology Guides Site
The web site “Technology Guides” located on http://k-12.pisd.edu/techs/train.htm provides a wealth of information and tutorial guides that are available for several multimedia programs that can be used for creating and producing the projects. It also has a link to Audacity which a audio editing software that is open source. I wish I had found this before I started working on the “My Life Journey” video on movie maker.
It also has links to resources that can be utilized in teaching your students about efficient search techniques and safe internet surfing tactics. There is a page that on Internet safety that is geared to the parents. Although I do not have access to some of the programs that have manuals on this web site, it does have several on the same site. I love finding sites that saves me search time.
Internet2
Internet2
Wow, how could this have existed since 1996 and I have not even heard even a whisper about it before this article? I found this article very interesting. Is this the future that would allow our students to connect to educational sites when they are completing research projects? Often the students are blocked out of valuable information at school when doing research projects such as abortion and other subjects that might be considered risky. Is this a possibility that we as educational institution could have access to this and not even know it.
From what I understand from this article, if you are part of a K-12 institution and are connected to the state’s educational networks it is a possibility that your school might be connected and not even realize it. I tried to run the applet to check and see if we are but either we are not or our tech coordinator has certain components blocked that will not allow me to run the applet on the school network. This is a good possibility.
Week Four Readings (for the late folks)
The first reading I found especially interesting was the article on Internet 2 and Libraries. My mother is a librarian in a K-12 institution and I figured she might have some more information on the subject so I called her and asked her. She said she vaguely remembers hearing of Internet2 but wanted more information. We chatted about what I had read and I sent her the link to the article. I was surprised when I did some additional research on Internet2 to find the expense. A higher education facility like Ohio University would have to pay $32,000 a year for the service. I understand what they are trying to do with it and keeping it so that the main use is for Education and research but I found that figure a little staggering.
When Internet2 isn't so new I hope that it becomes more financially feasible for public education to become a part of it so that students may access information for research and learning. I hope that it remains out of reach for individuals, not for research, so that the intent and purpose don't become skewed.
I also was unaware of the Horizon Report, that anything like this existed. I was so impressed with the information that was presented. I was a little excited to see that it was a newer project and that I haven't been missing this for years! I will now check each year to read their review .
Week Three Readings (for the late folks)
The reading that stuck out most in my mind for this week was the article about the Gen Y class. Being as young as I am I feel that this study could have been done with me. Every comment that the Gen Yer's made like "I like to experiment, and see what happens" to "look at what this mistake turned out to be" rang so true to me. I feel that along with the Gen Yer's that I grew up with technology and feel very comfortable with it. As far as using technology and asking for student assistance, I still feel a little uncomfortable, at times, asking for student assistance. I know as a young teacher I am not to far in age from my students at this point and sometimes find it daunting, especially with high school students, to get appropriate responses from students when I ask questions let alone ask for technology help. I think that as I grow older the technologies I grew up with have started to and will continue to change, and then I will need to rely more on my students.
I also wanted to comment on the technology guide webpage. I have spent way to much time looking at this website. I have found some really interesting software, I didn't even know was out there, and found some great tutorials. I can't wait to share this with my colleagues at school during their inservice.
Week Two Readings (for the late folks)
I have to be honest, when I first started looking at the titles for the readings, I couldn't help but laugh as I think of a large number of educators who think that an educational video is anything they throw in the video player to help in a time of need (for a substitute) or to keep students busy while they finish other work.
One saying I remember hearing from my undergraduate years was "Never show a video just to show a video, don't use the time to be off doing other tasks." If we want our students to get anything from a video we must first be engaged in the video ourselves.
I really like the table from the second reading "Media in the classroom". It is very good at describing where we should be going with how to use educational video's. I don't think that we should be substituting videos for traditional education but rather using them as a springboard for students to try and make a bigger connection to the material we are trying to teach. Personally I like to have students make presentations including videos on a specific topic and see how they run with the ideas. Speaking from experience, we must make sure to give them some guidelines though, so that they know the boundaries they need to stay within.
I also really enjoyed the Wiki Book about Blended Learning in K-12 environments. It was very informative in a historical way as well as new idea's like virtual field trips. My librarian was telling me about virtual field trips last year and I didn't have a clue what she was talking about but then as I started to research them I found how interesting and exciting they can be. I don't know that I have a medium for using them at the moment but I would love the opportunity to use them in the future.
Blog Week one (for the late folks)
I though I might get started making sure that I have a blog about the readings for each week. If you would like to join me please feel free.
Week 1- For me the readings about digital storytelling were compelling. I have made video's like this before for personal use but never thought anything of it. I enjoy editing family photos into short video's or special occasions for friends. I now know that we can use this form of expressino in an educational setting and make good use of the information provided.
As I have filled out many applications for employment for different school districts they all usually ask a question like: "What three things would you like to know about your students?" I always answer: "I want to know what they know and what they are interested in, some background information on their lives, and if they have any learning disabilities."
With the use of a digital story we could find out a lot about a student, their background, and better help them learn in our classrooms. I feel that if students are pointed in the right direction, yet given some freedom, they will tell us everything we ever wanted to know and more.
A quote from "Digital Tools Easier to Grasp" that stuck out in my mind was; "We need these stories like food" this comes from Mr. Joe Lambert a director for the Center for digital Storytelling. I can't agree with him more. Being a people person, I know I always enjoy conversing and learning about different lifestyles, cultures, and people's habits. Another quote that I have heard Dr. Franklin mention time and time again is "Use what you have" meaning to use anything and everything that you already have in terms of photos and video. Also you don't need the most expensive equipment to be able to tell your story.
My suggestion, as I sat through an inservice last friday this might actually help with some of the ideas for incoming students to the high school, is to have Freshman start a digital story and continue to update it once a year so on their graduation day, they might show a small clip of their trials and tribulations of their High School Careers.
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I feel like we've seen a recurring theme throughout many of the articles. Technology can enhance learning when used effectively. However technology alone does not improve learning. I think this fits with other posts I have made before. Since I have been in teaching a long time, I have seen this first hand. The latest greatest toy may not be the ticket to improved learning. However, how we use that toy can impact students. I like the way this was presented in the article. Although the reference to film strip projectors made me feel a bit old.