Huh?

Sadly, I dont have too many thoughts on our last subject. Im not sure if it is because I just do not understand it at all or if I am making it more complicated than it is...

From what I can tell, learning objects are basically just a way for self-motivated learners to get information. It is meant to be reused by people all over the world, making learning easier and more accessible to everyone. But, it seems to me as that just cannot simply be it. Im really at a loss on this one.

So, since I am at a loss, let me just make some comments about the articles...

1. The Bannan Article: preface: My comment has nothing to do with learning objects.

"Humans are viewed as goal directed agents who actively seek information." Dont make me laugh. Obviously the writers of this have never lived where I live. Dont get me wrong; most days I like where I live, but it would take more than my fingers and toes to count the number of people who are not goal directed and do not actively seek information. Now, there are quite a few people that do, but I think this is a HUGE generalization and very poor assumption. I do not think humans are goal directed. At best, I think you could say 50% of humans are goal directed. Call me skeptical, but...

2. Maybe I am confused because like the Koppi articles states, there are many definitions and some are debatable. That makes me feel better.

3. The LRC makes me think of a library. So is all this just a "puffed-up" library?

4. I can see how this style of learning or this idea would be useful in life. Searching many different places to find an answer is a very valuable skill. I cant think of any problem that I have been presented where I didnt have to go to many sources to find an answer.

5. I dont really like the decontextualization part. I do like teaching things in context. Giving students background and then going from there. So not sure how I feel about no background. I think that some student would be lost without context.

So, for tonight that will have to be all. Excuse my cynicism for the evening. :)

CFT

So in listening to the notes this week, I had a thought. Wouldn't it be cool to develop your own learning theory? That would be amazing! To just be sitting around, planning, thinking, cleaning, making a grocery list and bam! you get this idea! All of your knowledge suddenly comes together and you create a theory! I should make that a goal in life. :)

So this week's theory does look at the big idea. Of course I am always trying to fit this knowledge into elementary school standards. How can I take elementary students and help them think flexibly??

I love the statement made in our notes: the way students are taught influences the way that they think. Not a genius or original idea, but thought-provoking none-the-less. Therefore, we must remember this as educators and be very aware of how we are molding minds. Not just what we say, but how we say it has a great effect on others.

Funnily enough, the example with the "bat" is exactly how we teach multiple meaning words where I tutor.

I think it is very important to build on what you know. If we simply present a new piece of information each day to our students, it just becomes a bunch of unrelated facts to remember; however, if we can find a way to build upon our previous knowledge, it ties everything together and gives kids/people that AHAH! moment that we love to have when we learn. For example, when I teach my students, I want the to always remember that no matter what we talk about in class, it always relates back to information. What is the point of a multimedia project? To share information. What is the point of a database? To give or analyze information. What is the point of the internet (also a database)? To give information. So in each new unit that I teach...I always ask the question...what is the purpose? And they always know that our main point with technology is to get and give information. They build their knowledge from one unit to the next. When we learn buttons on the button bar, they see that that information can transfer from blogging, to websites, to Power Point, to Word, to Excel, and so on. It excites them to know that they do not have to go learn something new each time they come to my class, but that they transfer their knowledge from one application to the next.

I do think that I am looking at CFT very simply. I do also think that I am simplifying it because I am thinking in terms of elementary school (which was one of the points...not to over-simplify). I would like to try and "bump up" my educational techniques and go from teaching the "facts" to using case-based scenarios to answers questions about the things we learn.

Wow, once again, I want to try out another theory in my own classroom. Is it possible to use all of these theories at some point within your own classroom? Are there some theories that you would prefer over others? That is a little off topic, but as we are coming to a conclusion in our class, I wonder which theories everyone would rank at the top...ones that they would want to try out before the others. Would using all the theories make your class more or less effective?

Back to CFT, this is definitely higher order thinking. Not just question and answer, but here is some information, now can you apply it to this case? Can you transfer your knowledge from one thing to the next? Good stuff.

I know that we do not have to create a website for our final project, but while reading and listening to the notes...I think I had a good idea for one, so I will share it.

Similar to the way we had to read 3 different articles and then read the plantation letters...the website would give readings about each theory that we have learned. Then the blogs that we have written would be given as readings (similar to the Plantation Letters). Questions would be asked, comparisons would be made and a scenario would be given requiring application of knowledge. That is just a basic run-down, but that is what I would do.

This blog is a little all over the place this week. This theory is making my mind run all over the place with ideas here and there about this and that...which I think is a good thing. At first I wasn't loving this theory, but the more I understand it, the more I love it.

CBR

My first thought when reading these articles...huh?? I seriously needed a dictionary with me as I sat and read this week's articles. Jonassen and Wang I can slightly understand, but Jarz I was completely lost with.

Before reading these articles, I was becoming very interested in educational research. After reading these, I just want to leave it alone. I feel as if I have no confidence to pursue a career in that field! I know that is dramatic and I wont rule it out completely, but I think Ill be leaving CBR to someone else.

Maybe Im just reading too much into it. Storytelling, right? Storytelling is a very effective way to teach...in my humble and very confused opinion. It engages the audience. Its so much more interesting than listening to a lecture of facts. I remember information better when someone relates it to a real experience. This is why people love television and movies so much...it is telling a story! Ask anyone what happened on their favorite TV show last week...Im sure they can tell you every detail. Ask them what they read in the newspaper last week; their recollection probably wont be as enthusiastic. Of course, none of this is research based, its just what I think.

So Im not sure what the articles are questioning. It seems as if they are trying to put some sort of theory and order and explanation behind storytelling. And they want to research it and find out why and if and when it works. Why? Storytelling as a form of education and information has been around forever. Can we just accept that as is?

So I have just checked in on another blog to see if I was missing something this week...and Im not. It is all about storytelling; which I do think is a great approach to teaching. The times I enjoy teaching most are when I am telling a story about all those years ago in the '80s when we were walking around jamming on our walkmen! The kids love it and are so intrigued by the fact that we had to carry tapes around and had this giant device for music. Then the librarian (whom I share a space with) chimes in and tells the kids about when she was young and there was no TV. They eat it up! They are so amazed to hear that there was no TV, only radios.

So good luck to all the folks out there that want to study up on CBR and research it...who knows...maybe one day I will be one of those people!!

MOST

I loved reading this article and maybe because it hit so close to home. The schools in the study sounded just like my school and it gave a little bit of hope to say...hey maybe there is something we can do to improve literacy at our school...maybe this isnt just beating a dead horse.

The article was right when it cited that many students do not get reading at home. No matter how much we send home books and letters and advice on reading...it just doesnt seem to get done and that is very discouraging b/c reading at home is just as important as reading at school.

I also agree with the fact that when student lack experiences, their reading suffers. So much of our language is obtained through experiences. Going places and doing things as a child is a great way to learn. Going to museums, simple trips just to the beach or to the next town even can show so many great things and teach kids so many new words.

Our kids have never been any further than their home and school and maybe the McDonald's down the street because it is in walking distance. They lack so much because of this. When I bring lunch to school, just to see pretzel crackers or vegetable straws amazes them and they dont know what to think of them. The kids beg...can I please have one!...because they have never seen it. If it is not given to them in the cafeteria, they dont have any idea what it is. Such simple things that these children miss out on.

Often times I have thought that videos and the internet are the best way to teach my children because it shows them a picture to go along with the words. Having the resources of videos is the most important and difficult thing sometimes.

I was encouraged by this reading and love that there is some actual research going on that will be beneficial to the students that I want so badly to learn to read.

STAR Legacy

So as always...Im a little late with this.

I read STAR much earlier in the week and didnt have a lot of thoughts on it. The one thing I kept thinking was: scientific theory. Perhaps that is because we are in the middle of getting ready for our school's first science fair and we have done nothing in computer lab for 2 weeks other than research all of the students projects, come up with questions and hypothesis-es (whats the plural for that?) and research some more and try to understand scientific principles. So really...thats what this seemed like to me. Have a question. Come up with some ideas. Research it. Answer it. Discuss it.

I like this. It makes it so that you can apply this logical thinking method to every subject, not just science. Kids can actually think for themselves instead of being told what to think. And with todays technology, its not like you go to the single source for everything: the encyclopedia, read a few paragraphs and then feel like a genius. You can go to the internet and sort through all the real information versus the crap information and then make a decision for yourself about what information is useful and which you should never read again.

This was also more than a theory. Its an actual way to teach. It is something do-able. Its something that is do-able now. And the best part...it doesnt take a lot of time and preparation!! If you are a teacher, you can do it tomorrow. You can do it today. You could probably use it in a pinch when your other lessons arent working out. And how smart will the kids feel when they figured something out for themselves.

I know I have seen a lot of smiling faces and have been told how much fun it was to research and watch videos and find answers for themselves. Learning at its best!

Anchored Instruction

I like this theory in general. But all I can continue to think when I read these articles is that they are just that...theories. I understand that they have been practiced and studied and tried out on students, but I would like to know where they are used today. Do students in Nashville still use these practices? And if they are so effective, how come this is not a part of the curriculum across the United States? Surely money could not be a factor. Schools in wealthy districts have money and schools in low-income districts have all kinds of government money for programs to help increase student achievement. So why is money being spent on programs that encourage a lecture and test type teaching instead of a see and do type learning. I could go on forever about that, but I wont get on a soapbox tonight.

I feel like I did something like this in seventh grade, but I dont remember answering follow-up questions or activities, so it is possible that it was just a video that we watched. I have no idea...I just remember it was called "The Voyage of the Mimi."

I like that this is teaching students how to solve problems and that technique can be transferred into lots of other situations. I feel like no matter how many word problems we throw out in front of students, they just dont seem to get it. Practice does not make perfect in this case, it makes frustration.

A random question...did the students in this scenario actually watch "Indiana Jones"? I would have thought that was the best class ever if we could have watched that for "educational purposes" in class.

I really like that the final questions include ideas like...would you like to be a scientist. Things that apply to life and not just...if this, then that...and what happened next...blah blah boring questions.

I like the idea that we teach thinking in a school setting when we really should be teaching how to think the way that it naturally occurs...socially. At my school, so many teachers often say that our students are very street smart...so maybe we need to alternate our teaching approach to line up with their street thinking skills. Two problems I can think of...most of us that work at the school, while we care deeply for the children and really want them to learn as much as they can...have never experienced what these children have so we may not be able to approach them in that way. I have never seen anyone shot as several of my students have, I have never been without a house or food, or electricity. So how could I possibly teach computer skills from the social context that these students are used to. Problem 2...I think that everyone would have to be on board with this idea and as most teachers like to be in charge and do things their way...it is hard to get 25 different teachers to get on the same page and teach the same way. Some days it is hard to get 3 teachers to teach the same objectives. :)

In the Jasper Experiment article...I like the "community of inquiry." My favorite days of teaching are when we start talking about exporting items on a computer and then end up learning about a new bridge that is being built in China and finding out when the candlestick telephone was invented and how a bank works and everything on earth besides what my lesson was about. I love it when the kids get so into learning that we just talk and search the internet and find all the information we can about whatever it is that they do not know. Last week, I gave the kids websites to search for science experiments and they just thought it was so cool to go online and find ideas for the science fair. To me that is the when the best learning takes place, when we are asking questions and discovering answers...especially questions that I dont know the answer to. I think the kids enjoy that too because their questions are being answered and they feel like they are just as smart as the teacher...b/c I dont know the answers either. :)

Goal Based Learning

I like the idea of GBL. I really do think the best way to learn is experience. As I was grading practice SAT essays this week, the question was...Do students learn better by doing? Most of the students answered yes and said that they would prefer to experience something rather than learn it in a book.

I definately think that we learn by doing and I think that our memories of events trigger our learning. For instance, I was thinking that if students have anxiety from a previous test, then they are likely to remember that and potentially do bad on the next test. But if they learn in a fun environment, where mistakes are welcome and there is no pressure to "learn" they will probably retain information a little better. Learning seems to be easier when there is no stress.

We are able to learn form our mistakes because there is no pressure to be right. We are more instrinsically motivated because there is no concern for grades or performance expectations. The only expectation is to do your best.

I wish there was a way in every subject to present content knowledge followed by practical knowledge. But how do you use a learn by doing approach in a subject like English? In some ways I have seen it done, but seems as though it could not always be accomplished in every subject.

I think for children, especially the children where I teach, if we could turn all of this knowledge into something that will apply to their life they could remember it better. But what about the kids that are more concerned with if they have food or where they will sleep...how do we make the knowledge applicable to their lives...even if we allow them to practice it and experience it.

I think it would be great if we could change our entire state curriculum to a theory like this and base it on technology, but with budget cuts and lack of qualified teachers, how do you implement this? Seems to me that to do something like this with independent adult learners would be useful, but with children you would need at least 2 adults in a room to carry out experiments. With budget cuts, most elementary schools only have 1 teacher per room with no assistants in the upper grade levels.

Overall, I really do like this idea and wish that all schools could operate like this at least part of the day. All of the ifs and buts and what abouts just come from seeing the school systems in eastern NC the way that they are and knowing that it is going to take more than a theory to achieve success.

Cognitive Apprenticeships

I think the idea of SL and CA seems like a very simple one, so Im not sure why it is not more widely practiced.

It seems like in today's society, you are only considered well-educated if you go to a 4-year university and sit and learn from books all day. The one thing I learned from this experience is that I didnt learn how to do anything. I got a degree in reading books and writing papers. Doesnt really translate to too many real-world jobs. Dont get me wrong, Im proud of my degree, but didnt come away feeling like I had a skill that I could apply.

I learned so much more from going to a trade school and learning to cut hair from people who know that skill. When I left I had feeling of accomplishment and I felt like I had learned a skill that I could use.

I like the idea of watching someone work and then applying that skill and practicing it myself. I also think being able to apply your work in many different settings and situations before getting out and actually working builds confidence that you just cant learn from a book or a classroom.

PBL

Maybe because it has been yet another long week and I feel completely brain dead, but when I read these articles, the only thing my brain felt was blah blah blah (just to be blatantly honest). Not to say that I didn't like the articles, but that is about how well I am processing information today.

I like that students are given problems to solve and I always loved working to solve a real-world problem when I was in school. I loved role-playing because it allows you to be in a situation as opposed to reading and writing about it. I think you learn more when you actively participate. I think it is also helpful to watch other students role-play and see how they would handle a situation. That way you can determine things you can improve on and things not to do.

I also like that the teacher is not a "teacher" but a facilitator. I like that they guide the groups, but do not have to stand there and lecture. There are several times that I wish my students were a little older so that I could facilitate more and teach less. I like when people develop their own ideas and you just guide the process instead of having to teach facts and kind-of tell people what to think or how to think.

From what my limited range of thought allowed for the evening...I think I like the basics of PBL. I would like to read about how it is used in settings other than medical training and I would really like to see it actually done in a classroom. I think that would help my understanding of what it is and how it works. I would also like to see how it is used with technology because I am not sure I understand the advantage to using technology as opposed to face-to-face with this method. I was also confused about the part where the students all sat in a room/lab and could use the computers and see each others screens on their screen. Maybe I read that wrong and misunderstood it, but if I am in a room with people, I prefer to talk with them rather than use our computers to communicate...call me old-fashioned! I feel like I really must have read that wrong...but I am not sure.

Cooperative Learning

First thought from the Mills paper, I wish we had done more cooperative learning when I was younger. I don't remember doing much of it back then, which is why I might not be a fan of it now. I certainly don't mind it, but think sometimes I may not have been taught some of the skills needed as a child for cooperative group work.

I completely agree with the idea of intrinsic learning. I pretty much hated one of my majors in undergrad, so I dont feel like I learned much. I just did it because I was good at it, not because I liked it.

Reflection is such an important part of learning to me. I feel like my learning experience is more complete once I reflect on it.

The part about making learning relevant...that is something I agree with and think is very important, but is definitely easier said than done. Later the article mentions that knowing the theories is not enough for a cooperative classroom. I agree 100% with that statement. I can know all the theories in the world, it doesn't make me a good teacher.

In the final pages, the article states, "No matter how carefully teachers plan, some things will invariably go wrong." All I have to say is, hahahaha...very true.

The Johnson article reminds me off undergrad. I just talked to my old college friend about our lack of group work. We were taught to be very individual learners and I dont recall doing much in a group at all. I think I did have 1 or 2 English classes where we worked in groups, but thats 1 out of 10.

This article also addresses Theory vs. Implementation. I like that it says CL is more than putting students in a group or sitting them at a table together. I think staff development in this area is important. Something I should mention to my principal. Our school is focused on differentiation, but our staff development continues to use thinking maps to define what differentiation is...they never tell us how to implement CL!!

Students cannot succeed unless everyone does...love it.

Overall, I have to say...I liked these 3 articles. They made it sounds like CL was something that could be done, not just another theory to learn about and study. Our principal has been making us read articles weekly and turn in assignments. I think I will give her these three articles as a suggestion for staff reading. :)

A Side Note Continued...

This past Friday, one of the 4th grade teachers decided to have mercy on me and only sent 5 students to my class. He kept the other 20 students in his classroom.

It was great to sit down with these 5 students and to really be able to discuss their ideas. The topic of conversation was supposed to be "Changes in Technology". We ended up talking about everything from candlestick telephones, to Back to the Future, to flying cars, college majors, time travel, and online learning. The students brought up the idea that they would like to have "online elementary school". So I pulled up StudyIsland.com and began to read a lesson to them. I explained the words that they did not know and explained the sentences...word by word by word by word. (I have done this in my classes of 25 and it takes an entire 40 minute session to explain 5 sentences. It is real slow going.) Then I read the rest of the passage aloud without explaining the information. After that, I pulled up the questions and tried to have the students answer on their own. In general, they were unsuccessful. They then decided that it was in their best interest to continue going to school where they can have teachers explain everything to them.

They then decided that online high school might be good for some, but they wanted to attend traditional high school so that they wouldn't miss out on football games and prom.

They voted and 4 out of 5 decided that they wanted to go to college online because they would need to work and take care of families while they got their education. The student that did not vote for online college has aspirations of going to Harvard. :)

More to come...

Guided Design

So I read the articles for this week and was more or less not impressed with the content. It seemed like a lot of numbers and data (which I can't handle reading and get lost in) just to say that working together teachers us teamwork. Reading other people's posts on the topic helped me understand more what the articles were about...which as I commented on several people's pages...is the point of guided design.

Each article listed the 5 steps, 12 steps, or 5 basic principles of thinking operations. I understand that there has to be some steps involved in the thought process, but to lay them out is strange. The more I look back at the article, the more I understand the term "guided process". The teachers are supposed to be guiding our thinking...which is also strange to me. I suppose I stand in front of students and guide their thinking daily; it just doesn't occur to me to do it in a 5 step process.

When I was in undergrad, I can only recall working in groups in my productions classes and that is because it is very hard to make a production with only one person. Also, the point of our group work was not necessarily to solve a problem, but just to complete a task. Our professors seemed to operate on a different page...come up with your own ideas and support those ideas. They were not concerned with what we could do as a group; it was almost a very selfish way of learning. Perhaps that is why I sometimes really hated my classes; I didn't understand that content and it would have been helpful to have another person's perspective on the subject. Maybe this is why I don't work well in groups at work. I prefer to work alone and do everything myself. :)

While by nature I am a very independent person and like to work alone, I can see the benefits of working with other people and the guided design process. It helps us learn about the topic, it helps us learn about other people, it helps us learn how to work with other people and maybe even helps us learn a little about ourselves. I've really enjoyed being able to work in a group in this class because at first I was completely unsure of the requirements and how the projects were supposed to work. Because my group members have more experience than I do with graduate classes and expectations, they were able to guide me through the process and help me understand what was expected out of assignments. (Thanks guys!)

I have also seen the benefits in my classroom. I recall an activity last year with my first grade students. We were creating Venn Diagrams, which for some students was very easy and for others, very hard. I put them into groups and each group was given two animals. Because they were working together, they were able to learn more about the animals than they would have if they were on their own. Some of the students were very knowledgeable, while others did not know anything about the topics. They were also told to use their science books to find information. Being that they were 1st graders, some students did not have a clue how to look in a book to find information, while others did. It was great to see them working together and learning from each other and not just learning what I had to say about the topic.

Elizabeth

A Side Note

Last week, one of my more motivated 5th graders found a section of Study Island (studyisland.com) dedicated to Computer Technology. The information and questions in this section will help students with their 8th grade technology test (I assume they still take this...either way, I tell my students that they will in order to motivate them to pay attention :)).

On this site, you can read the lesson and then take a quiz based on what you have read. Very individualized; however, not differentiated based on ability. In the next couple weeks, I am going to experiment with having the students read and quiz on their own as well as read the info as a group and then quiz individually. I think we will also mix it up and read individually and then quiz as a group.

I really want to see if my students are up for the challenge of "distance learning." I'll let you all know how it goes!

Elizabeth

The Audio Tutorial System

As I read this article, my mind went crazy with ideas. I was thinking how great it would be to implement a simple system like this within elementary schools. I'm sure somewhere in the United States, someone is using a system similar; however, in Nash County, I am unaware of any such thing. I thought listening centers would be a great idea...where students can come in and listen to their teachers give info about a subject and they could also see graphs and charts. Something like this would be easy to make, even for teachers that aren't quite up to par with their 21st century skills. Using a program such as ActivInspire, presentations with video and sound can easily be made by anyone.

I also thought that something like this could solve teachers' "time" issues. If students used their time before and after school to learn lessons, class time could be more effectively used. The major problem that I come across is that I'm not sure elementary students are as well-equipped for individual learning....in that I have seen what they do on ClassWorks and ClassScape and that is just quickly click through answers without reading.

I really like this approach to "distance learning" and am considering giving it a try in my own classroom.

I have also considered having my students learn about ideas and then teach each other, but our students don't quite understand researching ideas and finding key points. If we were to have more "guided" research, by using this approach, maybe the kids would be able to better teach each other.

I would like to see first hand how this style of learning affects the grades of the lower-level students and how our upper-level students respond to it.

I still wonder how the motivation of younger students would affect their ability to handle something like this, but its worth a shot to see how it works.

I have focused mainly on elementary, but I can see where this would work across all ages and subjects. I only wish they had classes like this when I was in high school and more like this when I was in undergrad.

The Keller Plan

I want to preface by saying two things. First, this week and next week's readings were surprisingly interesting. It is possible that these are the first articles I have completed reading in my college career. Fingers crossed, that is a good sign. :)

Secondly, I want to note that while I am reading, I am interpreting the information through the perspective of an elementary school teacher; therefore, a lot of my thoughts and questions are based on what I know from my teaching experience. If I were a college professor, I'm sure my thoughts would be different.

In point number two, synchronous and asynchronous learning, I thought the description of college was fairly accurate. It pretty much summed up my first college experience. I completely agree with the idea that synchronous learning is confining. I think not only to the students, but to the teacher as well. I teach Computer to elementary students and by the time I get to Thursday, I want to run away screaming because I have repeated the same lesson time and time again....this is hardware, this is software, this is a toolbar, this is a CPU...blah...blah...blah.

Last year as a first grade teacher, I struggled with several students reading on a higher level and several other students not reading at all. If learning, even at such a young age, could be asynchronous, it seems like a lot of educational problems could be solved.

I like the idea that learning is creative. I have always felt that with some children, no matter how many times you teach a concept to them (particularly in math) and no matter how many different ways you teach it, they are not going to understand it until their brain is ready or until they have matured enough to understand a concept.

I have often asked the question, "Why can't my children learn?" I like the Keller Plan to solve this problem; however, in elementary school some of these goals are the same goals we spend meeting after meeting going over. Things such as learning modules, differentiation, student "doing." The problem we always encounter is time. These ideas seem the best way for students to learn; however, teachers are so stretched for time, that sometimes we have trouble creating these ideal learning situations. I would like to try and put this plan into action in some way to see if it helps our students achieve their goals.

I noted 3-4 times that asynchronous learning requires a lot of prep time; quite possibly more time than synchronous learning because you are preparing several levels of lessons as opposed to just one. Each one has its pros and cons and is time consuming in a different way...but I think I am more in favor of the asynchronous learning.

I laughed at the idea that off-campus students need more individual attention than on-campus students. In undergrad I rarely approached a teacher for help...whereas now I have no problem asking every question that comes to mind!

Projects are significant to learning. I think this is so true. I can read a book all day long, but until I do it, I will not have learned anything other than a few simple facts.

First Post

This is my first post for Adv MultiMedia.