This semester I took a class entitled "Introduction to Technology for Educators". Not to toot my own horn, but I am pretty tech savvy, so I thought this course would be a breeze. As it turns out there are many applications that I have never encountered. I learned how to use these tools to make myself a more interesting, engaging, and relevant teacher.
The encouragement of the use of web web 2.0 tools in this blog were the greatest insight for me. I was able to learn first hand how to make fun and interesting graphics and online learning tools for students. Online classes are always challenging due to lack of interaction with other students and professors in real time and space. Discussions with classmates gave the online classroom a touch of reality as did the collaborative lesson plan.
If there is one gripe I had with the class is that there were some expired and broken links and the recommended bookmarking site was down for a large portion of the semester. I found this to be ironic. As this was a technology class, I did not expect those types of problems. Thankfully the professor addressed the errors and always quickly responded to questions and comments. Overall I enjoyed the class. The lessons learned will certainly carry on into future works. Thank you to my classmates and professor who have made this class so enjoyable.
Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Multimodal learning occurs when media is combined with spoken word or written text. Visuals including photo, video, or models may be used as well as audio or other media. This type of teaching appeals to a wider variety of learning styles than lecture alone. We all know that people learn in different ways, but the key is using that information to tailor a lesson to reach every student. Surely, each classroom is different and there is some trial and error involved, but utilizing different forms of media to supplement the curriculum is advantageous to all students.
Walk into any lecture on any campus anywhere in the United States and you will likely see a powerpoint presentation. I know, I just finished praising multimodal learning, but most powerpoint presentations make eyes glaze over and brains tune out. Media must not only exist, but it must be interesting and engaging. Using questions or comments for short answers can spur critical thinking. Powerpoint learning games are an fun and practical use of powerpoint. Finally, there are some other options. Next generation presentation tools such as Prezi, Glogster, and animoto allow for collaboration, digital posters, video creation and a different presentation experience, which is a quite a welcome change.
Capturing and editing digital photo and video is immersive and fun. Creativity can be unleashed and students can break out of their shell with their newly instilled confidence. When students use these tools to create content, they are teaching their peers, which requires a deeper understanding of their subject matter. Giving a student a camera enables the teacher to see the world through their eyes which creates a better teacher-student relationship. Cunha, S. (2006, July 3). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonycunha/ Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Selecting Multimodal Input in CLIL. (2015, July 28). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN79TNyFChM
Differentiated Instruction is an instructional approach in which students learn according to their individual learning style. Choice of preferred activity can empower and instill confidence in students. At the end of the learning cycle each of the groups will represent what they have learned. It is necessary for teachers to constantly make formative assessments in order to adapt to student needs.
Photo Credit: Private Prep Inc Universal Design for Learning, according to (Heir & Katzman, 2012), attempts to "create teaching and learning situations that serve the needs of the widest range of students without diminishing or reducing opportunities for anyone." Universal design encourages students to participate in not only their own learning style, but others as well. There is certainly overlap in learning styles and making every style available to every student is a sound practice. These approaches need not be independent of one another. In fact they are quite complimentary. Understanding differentiated instruction is necessary for creating a universal design. Likewise, in universal design, it is important to consider the students strengths. Used in concert, these approaches can be very effective.
Created by TS using Wordclouds.com HappyHalloween! Word clouds, like the one above, visually represent text in a way that is engaging. I love word clouds for their ability to cross boundaries of learning styles. It is a simple image that creates visual appeal, yet conveys the message. I find myself studying the images to find the text for understanding. Besides, they look pretty neat. Assistive Technology applies technological convergence to the ways that information technologies enable teachers to differentiate instruction and pursue universal design. Assistive technology makes it possible for students with disabilities to keep pace with their peers. Even though this technology is often developed to assist students with disabilities, all students may benefit from the technology in the classroom. Sources: Hehir, T., & Katzman, L. I. (2012). Effective inclusive schools: Designing successful schoolwide programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc
Problem based learning, or learning in which students solve real- life problems that are interesting and motivating drives critical thinking. Students are challenged to understand the issues as opposed to reciting material. The ability to memorize and recite, while valuable, is not the only measure of one's intelligence. I would argue that in today's workforce, which is driven by quickly evolving technology, the ability to think critically and problem solve is more valuable than any other skill. Being equipped with the tools to be a problem solver allows one to adapt and progress.
Recitation is impressive, but has little real world application
Gaming for learning is something that has been of great interest to me for some time. I am not a "gamer", but I do enjoy puzzles, trivia, and problem solving. I have at times found games based in these concepts to be not only engaging and even addicting, but beneficial to my mind. I started playing video games with second generation home systems such as Intellivision and Atari, but my real appreciation for video games came with Tetris on Nintendo. For some reason that puzzle game just sucked me in and never let go. Having suffered TBI, I find that puzzle and problem solving games keep my mind sharp. I believe in the ability of games to blur the lines between education and entertainment.
I am going to veer slightly off topic here for a moment as VR has been on my mind and I have questions one more enlightened may be able to answer for me. I have recently seen some upcoming VR games in which one is a role playing relationships with a computerized individual. Knowing that we have many online communities, are there yet any VR online communities? This seems to be the future of VR, an endless world in which two people across the world could have a cup of coffee on top of a mountain that overlooks the ocean at sunset or a couple sitting on the sofa in Alaska could tour the Louvre together. Certainly there will be advances, and as with most technology, it could be used to connect or disconnect. It will be interesting to see where this next incarnation of technology will take us.
@. (2014). Simpsons World | Everything Simpsons. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from http://www.simpsonsworld.com/
ds
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Problem based learning, or learning in which students solve real- life problems that are interesting and motivating drives critical thinking. Students are challenged to understand the issues as opposed to reciting material. The ability to memorize and recite, while valuable, is not the only measure of one's intelligence. I would argue that in today's workforce, which is driven by quickly evolving technology, the ability to think critically and problem solve is more valuable than any other skill. Being equipped with the tools to be a problem solver allows one to adapt and progress.
Recitation is impressive, but has little real world application
Gaming for learning is something that has been of great interest to me for some time. I am not a "gamer", but I do enjoy puzzles, trivia, and problem solving. I have at times found games based in these concepts to be not only engaging and even addicting, but beneficial to my mind. I started playing video games with second generation home systems such as Intellivision and Atari, but my real appreciation for video games came with Tetris on Nintendo. For some reason that puzzle game just sucked me in and never let go. Having suffered TBI, I find that puzzle and problem solving games keep my mind sharp. I believe in the ability of games to blur the lines between education and entertainment.
I am going to veer slightly off topic here for a moment as VR has been on my mind and I have questions one more enlightened may be able to answer for me. I have recently seen some upcoming VR games in which one is a role playing relationships with a computerized individual. Knowing that we have many online communities, are there yet any VR online communities? This seems to be the future of VR, an endless world in which two people across the world could have a cup of coffee on top of a mountain that overlooks the ocean at sunset or a couple sitting on the sofa in Alaska could tour the Louvre together. Certainly there will be advances, and as with most technology, it could be used to connect or disconnect. It will be interesting to see where this next incarnation of technology will take us.
@. (2014). Simpsons World | Everything Simpsons. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from http://www.simpsonsworld.com/
ds
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
It may seem like a minor blip in the gigantic realm of the topic of the post, however electronic note-taking is one of the most important tools I use. Taking notes electronically is a game changer both in study and in life. One can manipulate and alter notes, add and remove content, rather than crossing out, scribbling, and squeezing in those last few words in writing so small they will be illegible in the morning. Hyperlinks can be imbedded in the text to cut down time and Most importantly, for myself anyway, is that electronic note-taking is organized. One can search a keyword and find the file which holds the information the student needs.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, while a literary genius, made notes such as these. I suppose only a mind such as his own could decipher such a jumble.
In every classroom it seems inevitable that the topic of Wikipedia comes up as an example of an unreliable source. Granted, I agree that Wikipedia should not be used as a resource for educational research, unless of course the site itself is the topic at hand, as it is here. However, a collection of information so vast should not be totally dismissed. Wikipedia pages list the sources for information which may be completely viable. When one searches for "Barack Obama", There are 430 notes, an additional six references, further reading, and external links. Wikipedia has brought all of this information together in one place, it would be foolish not to use this massive database, if only as a launch point for research of more reputable sources.
With great power comes great responsibility. The old adage hijacked by Uncle Ben, Spiderman's uncle, not the rice guy, but I digress. The internet gives us access to a virtually infinite world. Being able to access information from around the globe instantly is power. The responsibility part can be a bit more tricky. It is largely forgotten that students will not necessarily have the background information necessary to navigate the internet effectively, ethically, or safely. Educators must prepare students to be well versed in online etiquette before sending them out into the vast expanse created by Al Gore. (Factcheck that on Wikipedia)
Sources:
Barack Obama. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
Cobb, W. J. (n.d.). On Kent Haruf’s “Benediction,” Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov” and the Colorado Fires, Again. Retrieved September 28, 2016, from http://williamjcobb.com/blog/2013/06/14/on-fyodor-dostoyevskys-the-brothers-karamazov-and-the-colorado-fires-again/
Inventing the Internet. (2009). Retrieved September 28, 2016, from https://youtu.be/BnFJ8cHAlco
Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
@. (2015). True GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY. Retrieved September 29, 2016, from https://giphy.com/gifs/stop-serena-full-sWEZefiHEtdPW
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Learner centered instruction, that in which the students are active learners, appears to be the future of education. Long gone are the days of teachers talking at students and memorization and recitation as the method of assessment. While teaching style is shifting to develop critical thinking which prepares students for success in the real world, it seems that national and state standards are becoming more rigid. It seems that these two are at odds as the standardized tests have difficulty in assessing creativity and collaboration.
Critical thinking development via the use of online learning environments can develop skills in creativity, strategy, and problem solving. In order for an online environment or game to be effective, it must be immersive. As students are exposed to a variety of media, the more immersive, the more it seems to thrive. The same should be applied to educational media. One should feel as if solving the problem has meaning. The same principles that make games successful should be applied to educational tools.
Digital, media, and visual literacy are increasingly important as we shift teaching into the digital age. It is necessary for students to decipher and create visual learning materials. Furthermore, it is imperative that students can think critically and apply what they have learned into their own material. This type of learning along with the benefit of access to technology, promotes creativity.
