Showing posts with label ED 722. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ED 722. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Personal Online Case Study / Final Reflection on Distance Learning / ED 722
Jody Ceglarski
Distance Learning / ED 722
March 26, 2015
Personal Online Case Study
Three words come to mind to describe the qualities necessary to be a successful online learner and educator: ingenuity, patience, and persistence. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on developing all three. When I run into a technological snafu (which happens frequently), I find myself thinking of Albert Einstein’s quote after I have repeatedly failed to rectify an issue by doing the same thing “over and over again.” Too often I demonstrated a lack of ingenuity, impatience and little persistence. Now, whether something won’t upload onto YouTube, or I can’t figure out the timing on a Powtoon, I am learning to take a deep breath and try something different - ingenuity. I am also learning to be patient - some things take time. Finally, I am learning persistence - I rarely give up.
As a high school English teacher, I am not currently in a position to be an online educator. High school students need face to face interaction and a personal connection with the teacher. However, I have markedly increased my use of technology in the classroom, largely thanks to the IT&DML program at University of New Haven. I believe that this semester I have become much more comfortable with the new platforms and applications that I am now sharing with my students. The combination of classes in the IT&DML program this semester, Distance Learning and Global Literacy, proved to be perfect partners. I not only gained a lot of technological skill, I was exposed to many global resources that I was previously unaware of. In addition, the Distance Education class and readings helped me to see how to use Internet resources effectively with my students. I also began to see my role much more as a facilitator as I attempt to move my students from passive learners to active ones.
My shift towards blended learning has been fostered by my implementation of Google Classroom this year. I wasn’t sure how it would work, but I am very pleased with it so far. My school also has more Chromebooks available this year, which has enabled me to give my students much more time to research, read, and create online. As part of the Common Core, one of our goals in the English Department has been to increase the quantity of nonfiction that our students read. I have used Google Classroom to provide links to multiple articles on whatever topic is at hand. Students have been able to log on and choose the article they want to read and share with the class. By providing students with choices of multiple resources, not only has engagement grown, but class knowledge has expanded as students share their articles with one another.
I have also implemented a great deal of choice in assessments. The five paragraph essay is falling by the wayside (finally!) Kids still write essays, but frequently they choose to present their learning in a variety of mediums. A few of the platforms I have introduced my students to are Prezi, eMaze, Thinglink, Powtoon, Animoto, Piktochart, Pixton, and Storify (one of my favorites). Of course the old standbys on Google Docs are available, but students are becoming more adventurous. Students get excited about projects and I think it’s largely because they have a choice in topics and in format. With the experience that I am gaining in my classes at UNH, I am more comfortable helping kids when they have a technological problem. We try a different approach to fix the glitch instead of doing the same thing “over and over again!” I’m also not afraid to admit when I’m not sure how a site works; we look at it together and figure it out.
In addition to getting new ideas from the readings and classes, my colleagues have provided inspiration to me to explore new topics. I learn a lot by reading everyone’s responses to the prompts each week. It’s comforting to know that others struggle with the same issues (such as lack of homework completion or introduction of multiple initiatives at once), yet they find ways to work around it as I try to do. I enjoy seeing the technological tools that my colleagues choose to use. I’m not afraid to try new things on my own or with my students. Getting rid of that “fear of failure” is liberating.
The Distance Learning class has also exposed me to the value of social media in education. In particular, I see that there is a lot I can learn on Twitter. Completing the Storify each week gave me an opportunity to find additional resources and Twitter was a productive source. I still want to learn more about maximizing the use of social media and other open learning opportunities. There’s so much to learn and so little time.
At the end of this semester, I will be more than halfway through the Sixth Year Program. When I started the program I thought that I would learn what I had to and be finished. Now I see that I am just scratching the surface. As far as the program goes, my blog continues to grow, but I know I have a lot of work to do on my learning hub. My website definitely needs to be developed further. I also look forward to the remaining classes. I want to continue to expand the role of technology in my high school classes. Again, I stress my belief that creating a personal connection with my students is invaluable. However, I am excited by the prospects that the Internet has to offer. The resources that I can pass along to my students are endless. Twenty-first century skills are a requirement for students today. Kids need to be able to navigate the Web and synthesize a plethora of resources. They need to be creative problem-solvers and clear communicators. My classroom is definitely moving towards a blended learning environment as I hope to help my students achieve the skills they need to be productive members of society.
I’m so much more comfortable now with online and blended learning than I was at the start of the program. I feel that I now have the confidence to learn on my own. After all, there’s a YouTube tutorial on just about everything! My learning won’t be finished at the end of the summer. It’s really just the beginning. And when I get frustrated or discouraged, I just need to remember, “ingenuity, patience and persistence.”
Image credit (tumblr.com)
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Teach Like A Pirate / Distance Learning / Week 7
Please discuss the most potent points in the discussion this week. What instructional and pedagogical opportunities are out there to build student voice, choice, and agency? How will you create learning experiences for your unique learners?
Dave Burgess wrote the book, Teach Like A Pirate to share his philosophy of teaching. After listening to the video chats, his outlook on education is simple: “Don’t just teach a lesson, create an experience.” The participants in the first discussion talk about the “secrets of engagement.” Again, it’s simple - tie whatever you’re doing into something kids are already interested in.
Burgess divides teaching into three parts.
One of Burgess’ main points is that teachers learn about content, techniques and methods in school, but they rarely learn about presentation which is the key to delivering successful lessons.
I agree with a lot of what Burgess says. While I’m not really one to dress up as literary characters to get my students’ attention, I do try to engage them in other ways. I try to make my lessons as participatory as possible. I strongly believe that learning should be active not passive. The increased use of technology has helped a lot to get kids engaged.
Choice is another important factor in creating engagement and I try to incorporate choice into activities as much as possible. For the semester 1 writing unit, students had to write an argument essay. Thanks to the availability of Chromebooks for my classroom, I was able to provide links to the NY Times Room for Debate section where students could choose from a multitude of topics to research. Students were much more engaged and I benefitted by not having to read 85 essays on the same topic. For other projects, students have had choice in the way that they present information. We’ve also conducted research projects on various topics and students have “jigsawed” to share their newfound knowledge with the rest of the class. We’ve used various platforms to present information (mostly thanks to what I’ve learned in the IT&DML program) including Storify, Prezi, Powtoon, Animoto, Haiku Deck and Google Docs. I have also spoken with our Literacy Consultant about creating a literature circle unit this spring. We are going to work together to give kids several choices in what they read in the hopes of increasing engagement in reading.
When I started listening to the Google Hangout about gaming, I will admit that I was skeptical. My initial reaction was that everything can’t be made into a game - learning is just plain old hard work sometimes. However, when Burgess explained that it’s not necessary to turn everything into a game it began to make sense. Basically, teachers need be prepared to have a multitude of strategies at their disposal because you never know what will work. Figuring out ways to incorporate popular ideas into content is one way to make learning fun and relevant for kids. The bottom line though is that you need to do anything that works.
I try to mix up the type of activities in my class as much as possible. I want to share my passion for what I’m teaching with the kids. I want to continue learning and I’m constantly looking for new ideas. I’m not ready to dress up as Louis XIV and gorge on food as an intro to the French Revolution as one of the teachers participating in the hangout did, but I try my best to make learning interesting so that my students will be actively engaged in their work.
And here is my Week 7 Storify: Voice and Choice
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Distance Learning / Educational Theories / Response / Week 2: ED 722
Response to "Foundations of Educational Theory for Online Learning" by Mohammed Ally and "Learning Theory and Online Course Design" by Jennifer Lewis.
The argument is made that it is not just the incorporation of technology in pedagogy that facilitates learning, but it is instead the design of the environment and the interactions and types of connections that the technology affords. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? How will you design your environment considering these concepts and the theories discussed?
After reading the article and watching the video, I believe that all of the learning theories described have some merit. Effective lesson design for online learning may contain elements of behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism and sometimes connectivism. I agree that the design of the environment, the interactions and the types of connections the technology affords all contribute to successful online learning.
As Ally says in his article, “Behaviorists' strategies can be used to teach the “what” (facts), cognitive strategies can be used to teach the “how” (processes and principles), and constructivist strategies can be used to teach the “why” (higher level thinking that promotes personal meaning and situated and contextual learning). The theory of connectivism may apply when students learn a great deal from each other, particularly in MOOC’s.
When I analyze the way many high school lessons are created, I see many elements of behaviorism. The behaviorist theory espouses that learners should be told the specific outcomes which are expected of them. It is the job of the instructor to provide and sequence the materials to promote learning and to provide feedback along the way. For the most part, learning is passive. As Ally says, behaviorist strategies are a great way for kids to learn facts. Educationally, it is considered good practice to explain to the students what outcomes are expected of them, hence the extensive use of rubrics. However, effective learning requires more than a passive acceptance of knowledge provided by the instructor via technology.
Cognitivism is a theory based on an understanding of how a learner acquires, processes and stores information. The way in which information is presented affects the acquisition of knowledge. Information can’t be introduced randomly to students; effective instruction requires teachers to get the learner’s attention, state clear objectives, stimulate prior learning, and scaffold information. In addition, the appearance of information on the screen is critical. Placement, color, headings and graphics can facilitate understanding of new information. If the teacher is creating or choosing materials to use, the appearance and organization of the material is important. Teachers also should be prepared to provide students with graphic organizers, questions, and conceptual models to maximize understanding. Cognitive theory implies a respect for individual differences, thus learning activities should be varied to appeal to different learning styles. Effective teachers provide motivation and explain the relevance of the learning. When teachers understand the principles of cognitivism, students can reap the benefits.
Proponents of constructivism view knowledge differently than those who subscribe to behaviorism or cognitivism. According to constructionists, knowledge doesn’t exist outside of the person, but is “the individual learner’s interpretation and processing of what is received through the senses that creates knowledge” (Ally). Learners become active participants and the instructor becomes a facilitator. Learning becomes collaborative and cooperative. A great deal of online learning contains elements of constructivism. In order for learning to be effective, students must interact with content, with other learners, and with the instructor to create personal meaning. In distance learning, the teacher is helping the students on a journey of “guided discovery “ (Ally). Frequently students learn as much from each other as they do from the instructor. While the instructor guides, learning is more self-directed than it is in either behaviorism or cognitivism.
Finally, connectivism is a newer theory which applies largely to online learning. Connectivists believe that knowledge is built through the connections that individuals have access to. It’s a type of collective intelligence. MOOC’s are the perfect example; the more people are connected, the smarter they are (Lewis). Under the connectivism theory, the instructor’s main job is to prepare and scaffold the materials. The students learn mostly from each other. As a result, the amount of learning is often directly related to the mix of participants in the class. For the most part, connectivism does not play a large role in high school education. I believe that students need more guidance from a teacher than is implied in the connectivist model.
When I analyze my teaching, I find that I utilize strategies from behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism, whether I’m using technology or not. The strategies described in the cognitive theory are very helpful to students. I frequently provide activities to access prior knowledge and create graphic organizers to help students organize information. Based on this theory, I will also pay more attention to the websites I choose for students, increasing my awareness of the layout and organization of sites. I also see myself using principles from constructivism. I’m a firm believer in making students active learners. Students frequently work in cooperative groups to investigate, problem solve, synthesize and evaluate information. I want to continue trying to step back and become more of a facilitator, letting kids direct their own learning. As I’ve increased the amount of technology in my classroom this year, I’m finding that students are becoming adept at driving their own learning.
Good teaching and effective learning necessitate a mix of strategies. The bottom line is that I want to motivate my students by designing activities that are relevant and have real world applications. I want students to be active learners, but it’s also critical to provide appropriate materials, necessary support and opportunities to collaborate in order to maximize learning.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Distance Learning in the U.S. Past, Present and Future / ED 7722: Week 1
Response to “Distance Education in the U.S. - Past, Present and Future” by Fahad Saba
Reading about the development of distance education in the U.S. brought a few surprises to me. I thought of distance learning as a modern concept, arising from the development of the internet, never realizing that as far back as the late 1800’s, assemblies like those begun in Chautauqua were actually a form of distance learning. I hadn’t thought of radio programs or correspondence courses as distance learning. I certainly never considered that when my kids learned their ABC’s from Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street, they were actually participating in a form of distance education.
In our current society, I can certainly see an important role for distance education. Distance learning can help to curb costs as the price of education is rising at a rate of 10%-15% per year (Saba, p.14). In order to be successful, distance learning must provide for active, rather than passive learning. According to Saba, “dialogue, or interaction between learners and instructors, and among the learners, is a fundamental concept in distance education” (Saba, p.13). The classes that I have participated in the IT&DML program are good examples of effective distance learning. Instructors and learners play active roles in facilitating learning for all.
In addition, Saba points out that distance learning has the potential to be individualized and adaptive. He says, “A dynamic and non-linear approach to interaction between learner traits and instructional treatment is necessary” (Saba, p.15). In other words, learners have individual strengths and weaknesses. Instructors, with the affordances of technology, can adapt to the diverse abilities of students, allowing them to achieve at their own pace.
As Saba notes, “public educational institutions that were organized during the industrial revolution are primarily in charge of implementing distance education” (Saba, p.16). It is time to update the theoretical concepts behind education, recognizing that a “one size fits all system of education” is expensive and inefficient (Saba, p. 16). Now that we have the technology to provide more individualized instruction, it makes sense to utilize it. In the process, we can lower the ever rising cost of education in America.
Clearly, distance education is here to stay and can play an important role in society. It is convenient and cost effective. It can be individualized and relevant to the learner. It also expands access as well as opportunities available to students. In order to be effective, it is critical that distance education be interactive; there is much we can learn from each other. While I appreciate the multitude of benefits offered by distance education, it cannot totally replace face to face learning. I see the future of education as a combination of distance learning and face to face experiences. We need to embrace the new without throwing away the old.
Citation
F. Saba (2011). Distance education in the United States: Past, present, future. Educational Technology, 51 (6) 11-18.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)