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.