Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Week 4 - Blog Posting # 7 - Second Life
Prior to June of this year, I believed that those who engaged in virtual worlds like Second Life or World of Warcraft were wasting their time. What good could come from living through an alternate reality that a person had created? And, more importantly, what kind of teacher would even think to provide opportunity for students to engage in such activity?
In June, I began this program and set up an account with Second Life. I enjoyed every moment of my time spent exploring the alternate reality opportunities. Not only did I enjoy perusing the creativity-filled world, I saw potential for the classroom. Within Second Life, students have the chance to become the person they want to be. I teach middle-schoolers, and I know that many of them choose not to be active in their learning because of low self-esteem; they do not want to draw attention to the awkwardness that plagues them. Students can become more active in learning and discussions, because their avatars provide a certain amount of anonymity. Even “students with disabilities can shed their earthbound limitations and communicate, create, and experience activities that might not be possible outside of the virtual environment that Second Life provides.” (Garetty & Thompson, 2009).
Participation in virtual worlds is something that many students would find fun and interesting. Students already consider virtual worlds worthy enough to spend their own time exploring why would that not transfer to the classroom? Second Life and other virtual worlds offer learning for students of all multiple intelligences. “Virtual world learning experiences are fun. Classes in virtual worlds offer opportunities for visualization, simulation, enhanced social networks, and shared learning experiences. Some people learn best by listening to the course content, others by seeing and visualizing the content in context, and the rest by using a hands-on approach to demonstrate course competencies. In virtual worlds, we can leverage a mix of content and activity to support all learners: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Virtual worlds support these different learning styles and give children opportunities to explore, discover, and express their understanding of the subject.” (Kuznik, 2009).
Now, through this course, I have been exposed to the uses of Second Life for professional development purposes. I can become a part of a community who dialogues about teaching and how to better my own practices. This is an extremely powerful tool that should be taken advantage of for me personally and my students.
Garetty, C., Thompson, A. (2009). Second Life: A tool for teacher educators. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 25(4). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost. com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=41563171&site=ehost-live
Kuznik, L. (2009). Learning in virtual worlds. US-China education review, 6(9). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true& db=ehh &AN=44047741&site=ehost-live
Week 3 - Blog Posting #6 - Communities of Practice
The people of today have an incredible opportunity for learning. The old adage says, “two heads are better than one”. I am confident that the adage could be modified to say “three heads are better than two” or “four heads are better than three” and so on. Just 20 years ago, the communities of practice that most people belonged to were those that they could physically interact with. Today, a community can contain members from all over the world, united by a cause. The potential for learning is extraordinary as people can connect through the Internet.
Today’s students need to learn how to utilize the online communities in order to become productive citizens in the 21 century. Students will be the future problem-solvers. As Gordon Brown said in his talk, combining the power of a global ethic and the power of our ability to communicate and get organized globally, we can become a true global society. World issues cannot be solved until it works together, and our students will be the ones to make that a reality. (Brown, 2009)
Communities of practice will be the vehicle to harnessing the power of people working together to improve each other and the world.
Brown, G. (2009, July) Gordon Brown: Wiring a web for global good [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.ted.com/talks/gordon_brown.html
Week 3 - Blog Posting #5 - Social Media
Social media is a growing trend in today’s culture. How do I know? I am connected to more than 300 people on Facebook. The most recent of “friend” additions is my mom… Interestingly enough, the only thing my mom has been able to do successfully on the Internet since my family started receiving services in 1997, is to check her e-mail. Another proof to my statement is that teaching offers the great perk of being a hall monitor; the many 13 year-old discussions I have the opportunity to overhear involve the words MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter.
Social media and networking is relevant in today’s culture. An article written for Edutopia says, “Schools should reflect the world we live in today. And we live in a social world. We need to teach students how to be effective collaborators in that world, how to interact with people around them, how to be engaged, informed twenty-first-century citizens. We need to teach kids the powerful ways networking can change the way they look at education, not just their social lives.” (Smith, 2007). I agree. Students are already using social media to benefit their social lives. Why not find ways to teach students how to use the same social media to benefit them academically and eventually, professionally? An article in Edutastic states, “It is possible to use social media in such a way as to enhance the learning environment, and to provide an education.” (Jarvis, 2009).
Prior to this Master’s program, my Facebook account was used solely for the purpose of my social life. Now, I have used Facebook and Google docs to collaborate with other students, learn about relevant topics, and challenge and develop my own beliefs on popular theory.
I have begun the process of bringing social media into my classroom. I created a Facebook account for my math classes, and befriended many students and parents. Each day I post the day’s assignment and any announcements. I love being able to go on and read the feeds from each of my “friends”. I have been able to connect to many students on a more personal and different level than before. Parents have responded positively to the site as well. I hope to be able to find ways to incorporate blogs and wikis into my classroom content. Right now, we have just begun a brand new curriculum, and I am first taking the time to learn the curriculum so that I can best know how to effectively incorporate the media.
Jarvis, J. (2009, August 11). 13 Enlightening case studies of social media in the classroom. Edutastic. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://bestonlineuniversities.com/2009/13-enlightening-case-studies-of-social-media-in-the-classroom/
Smith, F. (2007, April). How to use social-networking technology for learning. Edutopia. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from http://www.edutopia.org/how-use-social-networking-technology
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Week 2 - Blog Posting #4 - 21st Century Skills & Lifelong Learning
21st Century Skills and Lifelong Learning: this topic incorporates 2 ideas that can be discussed as independent topics or can be viewed as 1 topic with 2 parts that are dependent on each other. I would like to propose that lifelong learning is now dependent upon 21st century skills. Lifelong learning is the goal, and 21st century skills are the vehicles of achieving that goal.
Our brains are designed to learn and to keep learning. Lifelong learning has a different interpretation by each person depending on that person’s experiences, skills, and desires. For me, lifelong learning involves engaging in professional development opportunities, participating in discussions and Bible studies that will challenge and further my knowledge of my faith, taking initiative to understand the world around me, and developing the skills needed to pursue hobbies and interests. A person can pursue his or her own lifelong learning easily if they have the foundation of 21st century skills. Technology creates avenues for the everyday person to research and communicate with others who already have the knowledge.
The British Council has determined that lifelong learning should be a goal for each of its citizens. To support this initiative, the British Council has set up a European funding program that provides all of its citizens a variety of opportunities to further their educations (http://www.lifelonglearningprogramme.org.uk/). They use a website to make this program useable by everyday people.
For some, lifelong learning may not be career oriented. An example of this might be someone who has disabilities. Their lifelong learning may be focused on regaining the life they once had. It struck me that stroke victims were used as an example of this, because my mom had a stroke 2 ½ years ago at the age of 48. Basically, my mom’s entire communication center in her brain died. She is mentally capable, but cannot communicate, even in the most basic ways. Initially, she was only able to say a word (ga-bon) that has no meaning to anyone else but represents everything she was trying to say. In the past 2 ½ years, my mom has gone from saying “ga-bon”, “yes”, and “no” with about 10% accuracy to now having a vocabulary of about 50 names and words that she can use with about 80% accuracy. She is able to write about 100 names and words, though she cannot put words together to create phrases or sentences yet. I visit home about every 6 months, and each time, the gains she has made are incredibly evident. She is a woman who is very determined to be a lifelong learner, and her brain is responding by creating new pathways and connections with each passing day. Interestingly enough, although she cannot speak more than a few different words each day, she can sing songs from childhood with no problem. She cannot speak the words of the song, but she can certainly put the tune to the words and sing it. The video I have included is of her singing one of these songs about 1 year after her stroke. The brain is amazing!
Lifelong learning is a community event. “Furthermore, a sense of self as a learner is formed in relationship, and understood as one learns to tell one’s own story, as a participant in the conversation of the learning community” (Crick 2005). I cannot continue learning anything without involving other people. My mom cannot learn to speak again without therapists to give her ideas, people to practice dialogue with, and befriending those that are in similar situations. Students are the best learners when they have the ability to bounce ideas off of others and to reflect and refine their thinking.
Some people use the Internet, particularly social networks, to connect to others, share information, and gain new information. My mom has learned to use Facebook as a tool to practice communicating 2-3 word sentences. Her most recent message to me (originally written with assistance but typed by her) said, “I like camping. I went hiking.” She is connected to family and friends as well as others who have similar conditions. I am connected to family, friends, colleagues, and peers.
The overarching question is how can I prepare my current students to be lifelong learners? Obviously, teaching 21st century skills are going to be essential in equipping students for the future learning. Students need to be able to differentiate from valid information, as well as bogus information. They need to be able to think, to create, to reflect, to analyze, and to understand the world around them.
Crick, R. & Wilson, K. (2005). Being a learner: A virtue for the 21st century [Abstract]. British Journal of Educational Studies. 53(3), 359-374. Abstract retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
You can read the article directly at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db= aph&AN =18096714&site=ehost-live
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Week 2 - Blog Posting #3 - Media Literacy
As a child, I had a world of opportunity available to me. I grew up on 11 acres surrounded by 150 acres of land owned by distant family in northern Wisconsin. My dad worked as a machine operator at a drill bit factory in the nearby town, and my mom worked as a secretary at the same factory. My dad is a problem-solver. He loves to tinker with anything and figure out how to repair or build anything. Our 3 car garage plus workshop was and still is unusable as a garage because of the plethora of tools, machines, wood, and seemingly items of junk that have made their home there. Watching my dad build our entire house on his own, fixing every vehicle we ever owned, designing his own guns, taking my mom’s visions of furniture and producing an exact replica, as well as creating the machines needed to build and fix (all without any formal training) was an experience that I am now realizing is not typical. I am now 1250 miles away, and terribly frustrated when I can’t just run into the garage to find that quick fix or the tools to make my own visions.
I love to dream and to invent. Fortunately, I was not only encouraged to share my ideas, but I was provided with the tools to bring them all into reality. The Ted video of Gever Tulley brought back so many memories of my own childhood. My entire growing up was exactly like his “Tinkering School”. Because of the unlimited amounts of opportunity I had to tinker, create, and reflect on the successful (and not so successful) products, problem-solving is one of my strongest skills. I visit my family about 2 times per year, and each time I still come with projects I want to create.
It was not until watching Gever Tulley’s video that I actually reflected on my own bringing up and how that has affected the person I am today. Upon the realization that the majority of my knowledge and skills were developed as a direct result of a lifetime of tinkering, I must ask the question, how am I providing these same opportunities for my math students? Is it possible to supply similar learning experiences for them? What does that look like in the classroom, and how do I make that happen? In the math world, this type of learning is called “discovery learning”, “problem-based learning”, “standards learning”, and “constructivist learning”.
Teachers who design lessons to foster discovery learning find that their roles within the classroom change (Delisle, 1997). The teacher is traditionally at the front of the classroom, transferring his or her knowledge by way of lecture, notetaking, and modeling. With problem-based learning, the teacher steps away from the front of the classroom and instead partners with students to guide them in discovering their own learning. The teacher provides questioning and resources as well as a task or problem for the students to figure out.
In August, I began teaching from a new-to-our-district math curriculum called Connected Math Project 2. The foundation of this program is discovery learning and real life application of math skills (http://connectedmath.msu.edu/). I have had 4 weeks of experience with this curriculum, and so far, I am incredibly impressed! It was (and still is) difficult for me to let go of my traditional role. In the first week reflection I wrote on my lesson plans, “My students are capable of so much more than I ever gave them credit for. They have brains that are capable of thinking and not just regurgitating. They have multiple ideas for solving the same problems, and have the ability to reflect on their successes and failures.” Since then, I have seen the students work together in ways that I never thought possible. They are focused on the math task, and the most amazing part to me is that their dialogue is focused on the math at hand.
The reflection process on this topic has led me to refine the way that I do my job. My goal is create a safe environment for my students to explore and discover math topics through real-life application. Students will be successful and students will fail, but most of all, students will learn from their own experiences as well as the experiences of their peers as a result of math-focused conversation.
Delisle, R. (1997). How to use problem based learning in the classroom. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/booksid=9nZPZ6N27EEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Week 1 - Blog Posting #2 - Learning 2.0
Did you know that education is behind coal mining in terms of technology use and innovation? How can a field that promotes lifelong learning utilize fewer technologies than coal mining? Students of the past were part of an industrialized nation. Education adapted to the needs of the nation by preparing students for fields of industry and science. And then, what? Did education simply grow comfortable? Is that why it has not modified and adapted its methods to be preparing students for the upcoming technological age?
Learning about Learning 2.0 has put many things into perspective for me. Prior to beginning my program at Full Sail, I gave little thought to use of technology in the classroom. I felt that it’s great if a teacher felt comfortable incorporating technology in their classrooms, and I also felt that it was great if a teacher continued with the methods that have worked for years and years. I have always understood that we are living in a different world now than even 10 or 15 years ago, but I have never considered that educators might be ill-equipping students for the future. The impact that technology has on our world today and in the future is definite cause for rethinking the way education works.
“Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0” by John Seely Brown and Richard Adler adequately describes the transformation in thought that education must labor through: “instead of starting from the Cartesian premise of “I think, therefore I am,” and from the assumption that knowledge is something that is transferred to the student via various pedagogical strategies, the social view of learning says, “We participate, therefore we are.” Learning 2.0 is going to assist students in developing the skills that will be required to survive in the future career market. One of the videos discussed that some of the skills students will need include artistic abilities, synthesizing capability, problem-solving, and teamwork.
The transformation from the Cartesian view of learning to the social view of learning is beginning to take place. Steve O’Heare, author of “e-learning 2.0 - how Web technologies are shaping education” says that through his research it has become evident “Teachers are starting to explore the potential of blogs, media-sharing services and other social software - which, although not designed specifically for e-learning, can be used to empower students and create exciting new learning opportunities.”
I returned to the land of teachers and students the middle of August. Since last May I have seen a tremendous effort by the staff to incorporate more Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I know of three teachers that have begun to use blogging in their classrooms. Others have begun to utilize YouTube videos and social networking sites in order to better encourage their students to be active participants. This is the beginning of a revolution in the education world, and I am excited to be a part of it.
http://foruminnova.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/minds_on_fire.pdf
e-learning 2.0 - how Web technologies are shaping education:
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/e-learning_20.php
