Module 5 responses

I responded to Thomas, Margaret, K C Davis, and Amanda's blogs.

Module 5

Briefly describe a situation in which you have encouraged people to use a new technology and have been met with resistance or disappointing results. What attitudes did these people exhibit? What behaviors did they demonstrate?

Using Keller’s ARCS model, describe how you could change the motivation of these people, or learners, to encourage success.

Many years ago I was ecstatic to find out that my district was going to provide a way for teachers to have class web pages. Being that I have always found technology interesting I volunteered to go to the trainings offered to learn HTML code and the program that we would be using. This of course meant that I would be the webmaster for my school. How hard could it be?

So I went to the trainings and felt very out of my element for I had never taken a class on HTML and thought to myself that I was a bit in over my head. None-the-less I pressed on and began to develop my page as a prototype. I came back to school with a new excitement on ways we can reach our students and parents and showcase the successes of our classroom.

I was asked to present to the staff on the web page, how to use it, and the "rules" needed to follow for the safety of our students. Upon presenting to the staff I was received with less than smiling faces as I proceeded to go over what could and what could not be on this pages, the protocol for getting a page posted, and the districts views on outside web pages to be used.

Needless to say teachers were not knocking down my door to get their pages up and running. The overall attitude was, "Is it required?" Since it was only suggested many teachers forgot the information meeting even happened and continued throughout the school year. At that point I went to those teachers that had a tendency towards technology and asked them if they wanted their page up and offered my assistance to make it as easy as possible. With the resistance and irritation subsided for a few teachers that year, I worked on those pages.

Looking back at that school year and using the Keller's ARCS Model, I may have been able to get a few more teachers on board. Listed below is a table of ideas that could have helped.

Attention
*showing varying web pages that were good and poor examples
*having teachers work in small groups to list characteristics
*changing groups and reevaluating the list to see if there were others to add and/or change

Relevance
*explaining the need for teachers to move forward with technology
*providing a commonality to education that web sites help solidify

Confidence
*asking teachers to work in pairs of varying levels to create what they would want on their web page
*providing a basic template for teachers to work form, eliminating the complexity
*providing mini-workshops for teachers to receive one: one help

Satisfaction
*providing a contest to see the best web page
*having a presentation to students to showcase their teacher’s work
*showcasing a different teacher’s web page at staff meetings
*providing information to parents through the newsletters of the school and classrooms

Module 4 responses

I have responded to: KC Davis, Margaret, Kiana, and Amy's blogs.

Module 4-Connectivism

Reflection:
How has your network changed the way you learn?

My network has changed how I learn in that I can get the information I need quickly and with relative ease. Instead of relying on personal contact for my information, I can now search globally for personal contacts that can help facilitate my learning or use digital books and web sites to satisfy my curiousity.


Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

The digital tools that faciltitate learning for me are Google and my graduate connections through the Walden University portal. These tools are a daily partof my learning both personally and professionally.

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?

When I have questions about a topic I turn to the internet for my answers. I do a general serach for the topic and determine then if I need to search further, redefine my search, or seek alternative research methods. More times than not, my answer can be found through my general searching.

Module 3 comments

I have replied to Krista, Margaret, and Eric's blogs.

Module 3

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia? How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?



Over time humans have worked to establish towns and communities all over the world. Men have come together to build houses, churches, railroads, and more. It seems that by looking at the path humans have taken over time that I believe there is a basic instinct to interact and work as a group. Technology can now help people interact all over the globe in order to reach a common goal. It is no longer important to have the builder, plumber, and owner in the same place at the same time per say. Meetings can be held via Skype and e-mails take the place of long meetings going over specifics.



Technology has the power to bring together more people to acheive a common goal. Constructivist prinicples focus on the learner making connections to their own background and building upon it. They also focus on the learner having an authentic experience in order to gain a true understanding of the material being presented. With this in mind, technology can provide a hands on experience for people to engage in virtual simulations that will allow them the experience without ever leaving their home or office. With this new wave of learning available people can now take their learning to places never thought of before.



Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2008). "Way-New Collaboration." featuring
Dr. Howard Rheingold [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard rheingold on
collaboration. html.]

Module 2 Comments

I have commented on Kiana, Margaret, Rhonda, Evonie, and Eric's blogs.

Module 2

Cognitivism as a Learning Theory

Module 2 Assignment: The two conversations linked below are examples of fascinating discussions in 2007 on cognitivism and behaviorism among three important thinkers: Bill Kerr, Stephen Downes, and Karl Kapp. Read these two blog posts, and then form a response to post in your own blog.

http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

The above listed blogs discuss in varying lengths the different learning theories that have appeared in education over the decades: Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism, and Connectivism. Many educators will tend to lean towards behaviorism as it is fairly simple to see the connection to learning. A teacher presents a lesson and a student will learn it based on the environmental factors. These can be altered with either positive or negative reinforcements. Then the next shift of learning theories surfaced, known as the "cognitive revolution."

This theory moved from the learner being a passive entity to "...the learner as an active participant in the teaching-learning process." (Saettler, 2004). This particualr theory is one that I can identify with and had often believed to be "my theory". As I read through the above posts and reflect upon past classes and teaching experiences I realize the importance of valuing the basic points of multiple learning theories and being able to "bend" and change if needed to reach my students and grow as an educator.

In a post by Lauren Pressley, she sets out to separate the learning theories and explain the basics of each. Each that we as educators should read, reflect, and act upon in our classrooms based on the needs of our students. This often means revisiting the process each year if needed, to accommodate the changing needs of students for each academic year. This type of reflection can pose a concern for our "veteran" teachers that are sold on one way of teaching rather than changing for the needs of our students.

I think it is important to see the value in the post from Bill Kerr, "It seems to me that each _ism is offering something useful without any of them being complete or stand alone in their own right." As educators it is necessary to view all learning theories and not simply decide which one is right or wrong but which one or ones can help me reach my students in the best way possible. Additional


References:
Saettler, P. (2004). The Evolution of American Educational Technology. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Module 1 Reflection

I responded to Ashley, Shane, Joyce, and Amanda's blogs.

Module1

Module 1 Blog Topics (Select One):

What are your beliefs about how people learn best? Over the course of my professional life I have always believed that people learn best when they can apply the information to a real world event and have a "hands-on" experience. Teaching at the elementary level we are often very "hands-on" when having our students learn new concepts. Whether it is an experiment in science, performing a reader's theater, or using manipulatives in math; all of these methods help our students to make a concrete connection to the concepts. I then take it one more level by having a discussion or project that relates the ideas to their life. It is then I can see their minds making a connection and internalizing the information.


What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?Learning theory is an important aspect of education. It is through theory that we can learn about the ways and methods of connecting with students. Learning theory also gives us as educators the "insight" into how to best reach the varying levels of student needs that arise in our classroom. It is important to realize that there is more than one way to teach and more than one way to learn and learning theory helps us to make those distinctions. It is even more important as we step into the new age of education with technology that we continue to utilize learning theory in order to provide a well balanced educational experience for all students.

WELCOME!!

Welcome to my blog! Here I will be posting thoughts, projects, and opinions about the world of Educational Technology. Please feel free to comment, critique, or praise my work as I prepare for the next stop on the path to my Ed.S degree.