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.