Blog prompt: Reflect on what you have learned in this course.
First I'd like to look at what I already knew coming into an eLearning class on Instructional Technology and Media for learning.
I've been using technology since 1964 when I first used a computer IBM 360 in the Math and Geology departments at Indiana State University. The math department included in it's program of study computer science and programming. The Geology department had began to use computer mapping of geological formations. So I came to technology from the early years of computer programming on an IBM 360 in FORTRAN. I was familiar with online classes having taken them for professional development and my master's degree. I had also taken writing classes online. As I progressed throughout my teaching career after graduation, I was an early adopter of technology. One thing I learned from this class was that I was way head of the learning curve as a classroom and community college teacher. I began my teaching career at the community college because I was one of a few teachers who knew how to set up a network both WAN and LAN, install a computer lab, install software and teach software programs. I am currently using wireless network at home for my computer, mouse, printer, iphone, and kindle fire. When I started teaching other teachers were still using typewriters. I taught the first laptop lab to engineers at the generating power plant. I taught computer programming and repair. I taught HTML web design. I taught using an electronic whiteboard, video, voice and blackboard. I've used many platforms. I've used apples, PC, e-readers, laptops, tablets, graphic design, electronic publishing, networks, ipads, ipods, iphone, kindle fire, pc's, digital graphics, graphing calculators, and many other types of hardware and software.
I taught community college classes thru distance e-learning by using audio and video and blackboard.
I was lucky enough to be the math department chair at my high school so I could implement a computer laptop lab into the math department classes. I also worked with my fellow tech guru to have an apple lab for mathematics for alternative school and remediation. I had to literally force some of the math teachers to use email.
So when I started this class I knew how to use a computer, internet, Office Suite, Desktop Publishing, and HTML programming (although I am keen to learn Java next). I had 20 years teaching experience in community college and high school, and now pre-K through 6th grade.
I knew how to prepare graphic designs because I was a technical writer and illustrator as well as a graphic artist while I went to college. I also taught web design and HTML programming at a community college.
I knew the difference between teacher centered and student centered learning because I turned my whole department's curriculum upside down by changing from traditional sage on stage pedagogy to a more cooperative learning student oriented environment. I changed from text only to a blended classroom in one semester. Shock to the system of many math teachers!
So what did I learn?
Blogs, Podcasts, wikis, RSS, amazing videos, wonderful educational resources, and professional organizations. I had the most fun and gained the most knowledge by doing the research, and the activities. The assignments were spot on. I learned how to blog. I had never really gotten into this form of media. That was fun. I will keep it up. I'm planning to have my own blog on education issues, and my writing. I started to listen to more educational podcasts.I want to do my own podcast in the future. They were informal and delightful. I had listened to TED Talks, and Dave Ramsey on my own but I had no idea the depth of mathematical podcasts, For that I am very grateful. I found a new software program called "mathematica" that is absolutely the most amazing visual mathematics software I have ever seen. I've gotten lots of creative ideas from videos I have watched. I think for me the last few chapters in the text helped me the most:Video and Audio Learning. In fact I was so captivated by the subject matter I wanted to do further reading so I bought the following book: Classroom Blogging, A Teachers Guide to Blogs, Wiki's, and other tools that are shaping a New Information Landscape by David F. Warlick. www.http://landmark-project.com
I wasn't too impressed with the textbook just because it's rather out of date especially as fast as technology moves. It's copyrighted 2008. It takes about 2 years for a textbook to be published even a revised edition. Why are we even using a textbook? A printed one that is. I think an e-book would be much better for all these Rio Salado e-learning classes. The resources in the book were very good. What an opportunity it would be to actually read the textbook as an e-book! You could go instantly to all the suggested web sites and media. Although I have found that I don't like reading charts on an e-book, I have many e-books on my kindle even mathematical and scientific. The pictures in the textbook are woefully out of date. The meat of the text is good, but it definitely is out of date. The software in the book is Windows Vista, which Microsoft doesn't support. I'm glad I hung onto my old Windows 7 computer because the computer I normally use is Windows 10 OS and this software wouldn't even play. So for the entire course I used a 5 year old computer rather than my new one because I found out real fast that the software you use for the class was not happy working with my new computer. There were quite a few broken links in the Rio Salado Lessons, and typos. I think every link and assignment should be tested at least once or twice during the semester in every course. I would hate to be a "newbee" just starting out on an online course at Rio Salado because you would definitely have to hit the ground running in addition to your classwork. The broken links would drive me crazy if I didn't have the knowledge beforehand to try an alternative site, which I did. I also informed my instructor, the technology department and the education department.
Friday, November 20, 2015
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Challenges of Video and Audio K-12 eLearning
Discuss the challenges with the implementation of audio and video resources in k-12 eLearning.
Some of the challenges with the implementation of audio and video resources in K-12 eLearning are some classroom produced audio presentations are a little bit of amateur quality, but students enjoy hearing their own work.
Sometimes special equipment is needed to listen to audio and video files such as CD and DVD players. The price of equipment has come down considerably since this book was written. You can find DVD and CD players at garage sales. Now the technology is going to the I-cloud and iTunes which require more sophisticated equipment which schools might lack.
Streaming video also depends on bandwidth and computer availability. So a internet provider is a must. Video is good at providing visual and oral information. However the interpretation of the video has to be clarified to the students. Some students might misinterpret the meaning of the video. Some abstract concepts are not suited for video although lately I've seen some abstract concepts on video such as string theory, black holes, multi-dimension, and other higher mathematical and physics concepts that were amazing!
I have listed some videos I thought would explain where my former students were coming from. Native Americans have had a difficult relationship with the forcible removal of their children into boarding schools in the twentieth century. Students were not allowed to speak their language, and were forcibly removed from their families. Many Native Americans view formal school with much deserved suspicion. Some of the videos I found explain this well deserved attitude towards any federal government program.
Sometimes the homemade produced videos have more of a ring of truth to them than sophisticated documentaries made by outsiders.
I found a student produced video of life on the Apache REZ and thought it was excellent even when done by eighth graders.
REZ LifeWhite Mountain Apache. Student made video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_L6FdOaOS8
Some videos are capture fleeting moment in time. Traditional foods and traditional ways of teaching are caught on this video.
Traditional methods of teaching: How to make fry bread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj3kwsmZZsA
Native American students win Gates Scholarships.
http://www.lakotacountrytimes.com/news/2015-05-07/Front_Page/Rez_Students_Win_Gates_Scholarships.html
Edgar Perry (My amazing fellow teacher and neighbor) discusses Apache History. He was one of the people involved in translating, inventing an alphabet and transcribing the Apache Language into a written language. Apache had in recent times been an oral only language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSWSTb0siVo
Sunrise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_L6FdOaOS8
Running on the REZ. A Navajo Nation track team competes in the state finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv0Wl3K-kac
Video produced by White Mountain Apache Tribe students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE-rbAWnFcc
http://www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2013/native-american-education/running-in-place.html
The history of Indian Boarding Schools, education in the 20th century and the Federal Government control of educating Native Americans by removing children from families by putting them in boarding schools far away from their homes. A reminder of the past is the street where I live, 82nd andIndian School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOe-x1aUP2o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q8ZgKho-s4
Some of the challenges with the implementation of audio and video resources in K-12 eLearning are some classroom produced audio presentations are a little bit of amateur quality, but students enjoy hearing their own work.
Sometimes special equipment is needed to listen to audio and video files such as CD and DVD players. The price of equipment has come down considerably since this book was written. You can find DVD and CD players at garage sales. Now the technology is going to the I-cloud and iTunes which require more sophisticated equipment which schools might lack.
Streaming video also depends on bandwidth and computer availability. So a internet provider is a must. Video is good at providing visual and oral information. However the interpretation of the video has to be clarified to the students. Some students might misinterpret the meaning of the video. Some abstract concepts are not suited for video although lately I've seen some abstract concepts on video such as string theory, black holes, multi-dimension, and other higher mathematical and physics concepts that were amazing!
I have listed some videos I thought would explain where my former students were coming from. Native Americans have had a difficult relationship with the forcible removal of their children into boarding schools in the twentieth century. Students were not allowed to speak their language, and were forcibly removed from their families. Many Native Americans view formal school with much deserved suspicion. Some of the videos I found explain this well deserved attitude towards any federal government program.
Sometimes the homemade produced videos have more of a ring of truth to them than sophisticated documentaries made by outsiders.
I found a student produced video of life on the Apache REZ and thought it was excellent even when done by eighth graders.
REZ Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_L6FdOaOS8
Some videos are capture fleeting moment in time. Traditional foods and traditional ways of teaching are caught on this video.
Traditional methods of teaching: How to make fry bread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj3kwsmZZsA
Native American students win Gates Scholarships.
http://www.lakotacountrytimes.com/news/2015-05-07/Front_Page/Rez_Students_Win_Gates_Scholarships.html
Edgar Perry (My amazing fellow teacher and neighbor) discusses Apache History. He was one of the people involved in translating, inventing an alphabet and transcribing the Apache Language into a written language. Apache had in recent times been an oral only language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSWSTb0siVo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_L6FdOaOS8
Running on the REZ. A Navajo Nation track team competes in the state finals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv0Wl3K-kac
Video produced by White Mountain Apache Tribe students
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE-rbAWnFcc
http://www.edweek.org/ew/projects/2013/native-american-education/running-in-place.html
The history of Indian Boarding Schools, education in the 20th century and the Federal Government control of educating Native Americans by removing children from families by putting them in boarding schools far away from their homes. A reminder of the past is the street where I live, 82nd and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOe-x1aUP2o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q8ZgKho-s4
Monday, November 2, 2015
ELN 103 Lesson 6 Learning Styles helped with Technology & Media
Here is this lesson's blog prompt: How can instructional technology and media help the teacher to meet varying learning styles and preferences in K-12 eLearning? Provide specific examples in your response.
"Learning styles, according to Howard Gardner, are the ways in which an individual approaches a range of tasks. They have been categorized in a number of different ways -- visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, impulsive and reflective, right brain and left brain, etc. Gardner argues that the idea of learning styles does not contain clear criteria for how one would define a learning style, where the style comes, and how it can be recognized and assessed. He phrases the idea of learning styles as "a hypothesis of how an individual approaches a range of materials."
Article on the difference between Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles.
http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-research
Article on the Future of Education and how technology is impacted the way we teach.
http://howardgardner.com/2015/09/08/gardner-on-educations-future/
Video on what defines the different multiple intelligences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf6lqfNTmaM&feature=player_embedded
Frames of mind and using learning styles thru the use of computer technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1J2fzzYWic&feature=player_embedded#t=150
I have always ben a fan of Howard Gardner. I read his theory on Multiple Intelligences when my school was deemed a failing school the first few years of AIMS testing. Of course all testing is done pencil paper. Black print on white paper with little dots you have to fill in to answer a problem.
At Alchesay High School on the White Mountain Indian reservation we were under the gun to help students who had failed the AIMS mathematics test. 75 seniors were facing not graduating when passing the AIMS test became a requirement for graduation. Plus the only measure of a student success after 4 years of high school was in Mathematics and a Reading/Essay.
No matter that a student could excel in other ways, this was the only way they could graduate. The only way student's learning is valued to this day and time is if they can take and pass a summative written test. The following are not tested: No art, no music, no business, no drama, no electronics, no computers, no biology, no botany, no astronomy, no anatomy, no geography, no chemistry, no child care, no cooking, no poetry, no sports, no politics, no nature, no photography, no woodworking, no automobile expertise, no medicine, no building, nor many other areas that were just as important in real life.
For a society (White Mountain Apache) that just had their language translated into written English barely one generation ago, this was an unbelievable way to examine learning. Everything they did was oral not written. This is the traditional way Apache s learned for generations.
One of the most interesting classes I ever took was given by an elderly Apache woman who was teaching a class in "How to make a camp dress.". It was the strangest class I had ever taken. I have always done well on mathematical/logical/visual/spatial learning. This way of making a dress threw me for a loop. This was not any way close to my learning style, but it was fun. There were no rulers, no written instructions, no measuring nor any modern text. Take a length of cloth. She showed us how to hold out our arm, that was the sleeve length, rip, rip. Hold up the cloth to your waist, rip, rip. Fold the cloth around your neck, rip, rip. Now sew the pieces together. The dress emerged! Amazing. It was the first time I could remember making something this way. This was the traditional way millions of non-literate people learned. Elders showed them how to do something the student did it until correct.
Apache dress designer.
http://www.globemiamitimes.com/the-woman-who-wears-the-dress/
When we started to integrate multiple intelligences and learning styles into our lesson plans we began to have an amazing 30% improvement in one year. The first year we concentrated on helping the seniors graduate. The next year we focused on all the other students. What we learned by helping the seniors helped other students. We went from 5 classes of failing Algebra 1 to only about 7 students out of 750 students just by teaching mathematics in different ways instead of the traditional western pencil paper math. We used the internet, virtual tour to up load other cultures, we had more hands on math, encouraged art, music and tactile math. We cooked and made things, we pretended to be on other planets. We looked at hurricanes and tsunamis. Most kids in a desert could not even imagine that much water, when the average rainfall s 6 " a year. We related it to the power of water in a dry wash swollen with water, but they imagined the flow of the water was as tall as a mountain. We took the students outside so elders could show students how to tell sun time with a stick and a shadow. Elders explained the seasons. We related mathematics to their lives.
I was lucky to be teaching mathematics in a room that had a common office with one of the Apache men (Mr. Perry) who had originally translated the Apache Language into English. He was a very respected elder. He was amazing. Maybe recording native speakers on podcasts could preserve the language. The technology is so easy now that an Apache student with a cell phone, believe me I took enough of them away from students until after class when I was teaching, could easily record their parents and grandparents speaking Apache. It would make a great project for students.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-06-09/news/9906090303_1_apache-language-english-dictionary
In his interview Howard Gardner mentions his work in Italy. Italy is the home of the Montessori method of teaching. He does not recommend they revise their education system by adopting the test centric and student evaluation centric methods of the United States and Great Britain.
"Montessori students learn through sensory-motor activities, working with materials that develop their cognitive powers through direct experience: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement, ... then progress from concrete to abstract thinking."
http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori
I think one way that technology and instructional media can help a teacher is to offer students a different viewpoint. There are many different ways to solve a problem. They need to be able to think. If you look up anything on the web you find millions of ways to do something. Students need to become self learners, to go where the wind blows them. Who knows what they can learn? .
"Learning styles, according to Howard Gardner, are the ways in which an individual approaches a range of tasks. They have been categorized in a number of different ways -- visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, impulsive and reflective, right brain and left brain, etc. Gardner argues that the idea of learning styles does not contain clear criteria for how one would define a learning style, where the style comes, and how it can be recognized and assessed. He phrases the idea of learning styles as "a hypothesis of how an individual approaches a range of materials."
Article on the difference between Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles.
http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-research
Article on the Future of Education and how technology is impacted the way we teach.
http://howardgardner.com/2015/09/08/gardner-on-educations-future/
Video on what defines the different multiple intelligences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf6lqfNTmaM&feature=player_embedded
Frames of mind and using learning styles thru the use of computer technology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1J2fzzYWic&feature=player_embedded#t=150
I have always ben a fan of Howard Gardner. I read his theory on Multiple Intelligences when my school was deemed a failing school the first few years of AIMS testing. Of course all testing is done pencil paper. Black print on white paper with little dots you have to fill in to answer a problem.
At Alchesay High School on the White Mountain Indian reservation we were under the gun to help students who had failed the AIMS mathematics test. 75 seniors were facing not graduating when passing the AIMS test became a requirement for graduation. Plus the only measure of a student success after 4 years of high school was in Mathematics and a Reading/Essay.
No matter that a student could excel in other ways, this was the only way they could graduate. The only way student's learning is valued to this day and time is if they can take and pass a summative written test. The following are not tested: No art, no music, no business, no drama, no electronics, no computers, no biology, no botany, no astronomy, no anatomy, no geography, no chemistry, no child care, no cooking, no poetry, no sports, no politics, no nature, no photography, no woodworking, no automobile expertise, no medicine, no building, nor many other areas that were just as important in real life.
For a society (White Mountain Apache) that just had their language translated into written English barely one generation ago, this was an unbelievable way to examine learning. Everything they did was oral not written. This is the traditional way Apache s learned for generations.
One of the most interesting classes I ever took was given by an elderly Apache woman who was teaching a class in "How to make a camp dress.". It was the strangest class I had ever taken. I have always done well on mathematical/logical/visual/spatial learning. This way of making a dress threw me for a loop. This was not any way close to my learning style, but it was fun. There were no rulers, no written instructions, no measuring nor any modern text. Take a length of cloth. She showed us how to hold out our arm, that was the sleeve length, rip, rip. Hold up the cloth to your waist, rip, rip. Fold the cloth around your neck, rip, rip. Now sew the pieces together. The dress emerged! Amazing. It was the first time I could remember making something this way. This was the traditional way millions of non-literate people learned. Elders showed them how to do something the student did it until correct.
Apache dress designer.
http://www.globemiamitimes.com/the-woman-who-wears-the-dress/
When we started to integrate multiple intelligences and learning styles into our lesson plans we began to have an amazing 30% improvement in one year. The first year we concentrated on helping the seniors graduate. The next year we focused on all the other students. What we learned by helping the seniors helped other students. We went from 5 classes of failing Algebra 1 to only about 7 students out of 750 students just by teaching mathematics in different ways instead of the traditional western pencil paper math. We used the internet, virtual tour to up load other cultures, we had more hands on math, encouraged art, music and tactile math. We cooked and made things, we pretended to be on other planets. We looked at hurricanes and tsunamis. Most kids in a desert could not even imagine that much water, when the average rainfall s 6 " a year. We related it to the power of water in a dry wash swollen with water, but they imagined the flow of the water was as tall as a mountain. We took the students outside so elders could show students how to tell sun time with a stick and a shadow. Elders explained the seasons. We related mathematics to their lives.
I was lucky to be teaching mathematics in a room that had a common office with one of the Apache men (Mr. Perry) who had originally translated the Apache Language into English. He was a very respected elder. He was amazing. Maybe recording native speakers on podcasts could preserve the language. The technology is so easy now that an Apache student with a cell phone, believe me I took enough of them away from students until after class when I was teaching, could easily record their parents and grandparents speaking Apache. It would make a great project for students.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1999-06-09/news/9906090303_1_apache-language-english-dictionary
In his interview Howard Gardner mentions his work in Italy. Italy is the home of the Montessori method of teaching. He does not recommend they revise their education system by adopting the test centric and student evaluation centric methods of the United States and Great Britain.
"Montessori students learn through sensory-motor activities, working with materials that develop their cognitive powers through direct experience: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement, ... then progress from concrete to abstract thinking."
http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/Introduction-to-Montessori
I think one way that technology and instructional media can help a teacher is to offer students a different viewpoint. There are many different ways to solve a problem. They need to be able to think. If you look up anything on the web you find millions of ways to do something. Students need to become self learners, to go where the wind blows them. Who knows what they can learn? .
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Benefits and Challenges of Using EIM & Media K-12 eLearning
What are the benefits and challenges of using electronic instructional materials and media in K-12 eLearning instruction? Consider infrastructure and instruction in your response.
I thought it would be fun to make a word cloud out of the benefits and challenges of eLearning.
Since I come from a Business Administration and Management background and Mathematics background I thought I would use a SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the Benefits and challenges of eLearning.
I also found a really good test for an e-Learner to take to see if they are up to the challenges of e-Learning.
http://www.unc.edu/tlim/ser/#ShowResults
I thought it would be fun to make a word cloud out of the benefits and challenges of eLearning.
| Benefits |
Challenges |
| Strengths |
Weaknesses |
·
Classes can be taken any time any where there is an
internet connection, country and border boundaries do not matter
|
·
Broken Links, power outages, slow dial up, insecure web
portal, outdated technology equipment and software, censorship (school,
parents, government, age appropriateness)
|
·
ELearning building infrastructure costs are low
|
·
No home access, student might have to work in library on
public computer
|
·
Expenses of travel for students and teachers are
reduced, no car or transportation needed
|
·
On-line costs for actual physical schools in blended
learning situations are the same
|
·
E-learners can learn at their own pace, instruction is at the learners pace
|
·
Students must be self disciplined to get modules done on
time, learners do not have unlimited time to finish class
|
·
Immediate access to teacher via e-mail
|
·
Teachers must check e-mail and respond in a timely
manner
|
·
Modern technology, i-pads, i-phones, internet, web,
blogging, social media
|
·
Eye strain, back aches, carpal tunnel syndrome,
repetitive motion injuries, poor posture
|
| Benefits |
Challenges |
| Opportunities |
Threats |
·
eLearning can be scheduled around busy lives
|
·
time deadlines for class work submission. everything takes much longer to work properly
|
·
E-Learners have access to huge databases and resources
from all over the world
|
·
Virus attacks from anywhere
|
·
Different learning styles are supported
|
·
Blind, deaf, hearing impaired, mobility impaired (such
as arthritis) need specialized expensive equipment
|
·
Community learning
is fostered through chat and bulletin boards
|
·
Learners with poor study skills, limited computer
skills, and low technical skills will fall behind or be a drain on more
expert learners, need more support, feelings of isolation
|
·
Innovative multi-media, voice, video, gameology, colors,
visual mapping, real life images, virtual tours
|
|
·
Students can log on multiple times a day, repetition of
a lecture or instruction is easy as many times as needed, students can
practice many times for successful learning of a concept, immediate feedback,
automatic reminders of assignments due.
|
·
Students fail to log on frequently, students do not
commit to hours of study, students do not submit work on time, students are
not self-directed (especially K-12).
|
I also found a really good test for an e-Learner to take to see if they are up to the challenges of e-Learning.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
ELN 103 Lesson 4 Blog #4 Visual Literacy K-12 eLearning
What is visual literacy? Why is it important for K-12 eLearning?
Visual literacy is the ability to recognize concepts thru pictures, graphs, charts, diagrams, videos or maps allow with digital and printed text. In addition, an eLearning student K-12 needs to be able to thoughtfully edit and accurately interpret these images. The new saying is " Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's true or a fact."
The eLearning students K-12 need to think about what the visual means. They need to elaborate verbally or in writing what their interpretation is of the visual object. The eLearning K-12 students should be expected to create their own visuals as a formative assessment of eLearning.
Things eLearning K-12 students need to think about when viewing visuals:
What exactly is going on in the visual?
Why do you think that is true or a reasonable interpretation?
Is there something else in real life that you have experienced that is similar to the visual?
How does it relate to you?
What have you learned from the visual?
Can you communicate this idea to someone else?
Can you summarize what you have seen?
Is this something real or made up (especially for younger students)?
Can the student put a series of visuals in order?
Can the students organize visuals and pictures?
How are things in visuals related?
How does a process work form beginning to end?
Can a student create their own visuals from a variety of media to show what they have learned, or to explain a concept in their own way?
Can a student explain a concept so someone else can understand it?
Visual literacy is the ability to recognize concepts thru pictures, graphs, charts, diagrams, videos or maps allow with digital and printed text. In addition, an eLearning student K-12 needs to be able to thoughtfully edit and accurately interpret these images. The new saying is " Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's true or a fact."
The eLearning students K-12 need to think about what the visual means. They need to elaborate verbally or in writing what their interpretation is of the visual object. The eLearning K-12 students should be expected to create their own visuals as a formative assessment of eLearning.
Things eLearning K-12 students need to think about when viewing visuals:
What exactly is going on in the visual?
Why do you think that is true or a reasonable interpretation?
Is there something else in real life that you have experienced that is similar to the visual?
How does it relate to you?
What have you learned from the visual?
Can you communicate this idea to someone else?
Can you summarize what you have seen?
Is this something real or made up (especially for younger students)?
Can the student put a series of visuals in order?
Can the students organize visuals and pictures?
How are things in visuals related?
How does a process work form beginning to end?
Can a student create their own visuals from a variety of media to show what they have learned, or to explain a concept in their own way?
Can a student explain a concept so someone else can understand it?
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
ELN 103 Lesson 3 Role of Teacher in eLearning vs. Face-to-face Environment
What is the role of the teacher in an eLearning environment? How does this compare to the role of a teacher in a traditional face-to-face environment?
My idea of the role of a teacher in an eLearning environment and face-to-face teaching tends to be one of a facilitator and mentor rather than the somewhat clichéd "Sage on stage" that is often the delivery method in face-to-face classrooms. I have experienced both sides of face-to face and online learning from a student view and from a teacher view.
Both online teachers and face-to-face teachers have to develop lesson plans, keep records, match curriculum to state standards, give feedback to parents and students, provide access to multi-media resources not just textbooks, and provide both formative and summative assessments of student learning.
When I was a classroom teacher I used Howard Gardner's philosophy of learning styles. I tried to bring in as much as possible different ways of teaching the same math concept. I allowed students to make up their own problems for math concepts. When I was an eLearning teacher I did the same. The biggest question for me was: how can I present this difficult math concept to a student so they 'get it', so the light bulb goes off, so they realize that math is something they use everyday?
As an eLearning teacher and a face-to-face teacher I wanted my students to think. The greatest things someone can learn from the study of mathematics is how to reason and how to prove you are correct. Not how to look something up in an answer book, or expect someone to give you the answer to a problem. I would rather have a student solve one difficult real life math problem than hundreds of practice problems.
The worst method of teaching either online or face-to-face is the "Sage-on-stage". A teacher lectures the student back to class or camera, mumbling away, with many symbols and writing scattered over a chalkboard. Have I seen this used online? Yes! I saw a horrendous example of a traditional hated math teacher presentation on a program that offers an online learning package. It's everything that's wrong with traditional teaching and now it's migrating to online teaching. The program is Ascend Math.
http://ascendmath.com/index_stndrd.html
A teacher stand with back to the camera. A green chalkboard full of fractions. The teacher mumbles on, throwing inaccurate math terms; one time using minus the next negative; where minus is an operation, and negative is a direction on the number line. He uses these terms interchangeably. Can't this program use graphics to explain fractions? Most students hit a wall when they even look at fractions. This is exactly what I hate about some traditional math teachers. I cannot believe this program is inflicted upon online students.
The role of an online teacher is to offer students, especially in mathematics, a real world application. using the internet, graphics, and media can present information to students thru pictures, animation and real life scenes.
The role of a face-to-face teacher communicating to students is much easier than that of an online teacher. A teacher can walk around the classroom. They can ask quick formative questions to check for understanding. The teacher can tell by gestures and facial expressions when a concept needs more explanation.In an online class students can become easily frustrated because sometimes there is no immediate feedback, especially on summative assessments. (Note: I enjoyed the formative quick assessments in my on-line lessons at Rio Salado. I am sure I could adapt these to online math classes).
In a face-to-face classroom, glitches happen all the time. A good teacher can get the class back on track. Students are late, bells ring, fire drills scream, a parent walks in, and students have to use the bathroom. The worst interruption is the secretary announcing over the PA system something that concerns one student, which disturbs 750 students in 30 classrooms. It's inevitable.In the online classroom, the internet goes down, software has glitches, web sites aren't found, web sites move or are taken off with no notice, viruses attack, both school and learner software /hardware is out of date and sometimes vulgar or inappropriate web sites just pop up. Some learners are on the cusp of the latest technology, others can only afford older technology. The eLearners' technology expertise ranges from people and students who just barely know how to turn on a computer to those who are experts. This is especially true with community college and university classes with diverse levels of expertise
In conclusion, an online teacher must ascertain not only the learning style of the student but also their technological comfort zone.
My idea of the role of a teacher in an eLearning environment and face-to-face teaching tends to be one of a facilitator and mentor rather than the somewhat clichéd "Sage on stage" that is often the delivery method in face-to-face classrooms. I have experienced both sides of face-to face and online learning from a student view and from a teacher view.
Both online teachers and face-to-face teachers have to develop lesson plans, keep records, match curriculum to state standards, give feedback to parents and students, provide access to multi-media resources not just textbooks, and provide both formative and summative assessments of student learning.
When I was a classroom teacher I used Howard Gardner's philosophy of learning styles. I tried to bring in as much as possible different ways of teaching the same math concept. I allowed students to make up their own problems for math concepts. When I was an eLearning teacher I did the same. The biggest question for me was: how can I present this difficult math concept to a student so they 'get it', so the light bulb goes off, so they realize that math is something they use everyday?
As an eLearning teacher and a face-to-face teacher I wanted my students to think. The greatest things someone can learn from the study of mathematics is how to reason and how to prove you are correct. Not how to look something up in an answer book, or expect someone to give you the answer to a problem. I would rather have a student solve one difficult real life math problem than hundreds of practice problems.
The worst method of teaching either online or face-to-face is the "Sage-on-stage". A teacher lectures the student back to class or camera, mumbling away, with many symbols and writing scattered over a chalkboard. Have I seen this used online? Yes! I saw a horrendous example of a traditional hated math teacher presentation on a program that offers an online learning package. It's everything that's wrong with traditional teaching and now it's migrating to online teaching. The program is Ascend Math.
http://ascendmath.com/index_stndrd.html
A teacher stand with back to the camera. A green chalkboard full of fractions. The teacher mumbles on, throwing inaccurate math terms; one time using minus the next negative; where minus is an operation, and negative is a direction on the number line. He uses these terms interchangeably. Can't this program use graphics to explain fractions? Most students hit a wall when they even look at fractions. This is exactly what I hate about some traditional math teachers. I cannot believe this program is inflicted upon online students.
The role of an online teacher is to offer students, especially in mathematics, a real world application. using the internet, graphics, and media can present information to students thru pictures, animation and real life scenes.
The role of a face-to-face teacher communicating to students is much easier than that of an online teacher. A teacher can walk around the classroom. They can ask quick formative questions to check for understanding. The teacher can tell by gestures and facial expressions when a concept needs more explanation.In an online class students can become easily frustrated because sometimes there is no immediate feedback, especially on summative assessments. (Note: I enjoyed the formative quick assessments in my on-line lessons at Rio Salado. I am sure I could adapt these to online math classes).
In a face-to-face classroom, glitches happen all the time. A good teacher can get the class back on track. Students are late, bells ring, fire drills scream, a parent walks in, and students have to use the bathroom. The worst interruption is the secretary announcing over the PA system something that concerns one student, which disturbs 750 students in 30 classrooms. It's inevitable.In the online classroom, the internet goes down, software has glitches, web sites aren't found, web sites move or are taken off with no notice, viruses attack, both school and learner software /hardware is out of date and sometimes vulgar or inappropriate web sites just pop up. Some learners are on the cusp of the latest technology, others can only afford older technology. The eLearners' technology expertise ranges from people and students who just barely know how to turn on a computer to those who are experts. This is especially true with community college and university classes with diverse levels of expertise
In conclusion, an online teacher must ascertain not only the learning style of the student but also their technological comfort zone.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
teacher centered vs student centered instruction role in K-12?
What is the difference between teacher centered and student centered instructional strategies? What is the appropriate role of each strategy in K-12 eLearning environments? (Instructional Technology and Media for Learning).
First the definition of teacher centered instructional strategies with my example of each:.
Here is a lesson on how exponential curves are used in real life. I used many of these activities in my actual classroom, High School Algebra 2.
Teacher Centered:
Student Centered:
One web site I found is addressed to High School students. The other web site I found was addressed to 1st graders, but it could be adapted to High School students. Although, I would highly recommended blocking all comments on any web site that I as a teacher would post for my class.
With a teacher centered instructional strategy the teacher has more editorial control over the content of what activities the students are doing. A teacher can control the environment where a student is doing eLearning. Even on the internet there needs to be firewalls, virus protection and constant monitoring of what a student is doing on the internet. For example, a teacher can encourage a student to go on a math walk but the student also has to be supervised on the playground or school grounds.
With student centered strategies in eLearning a teacher needs to be an editor because some things are not appropriate for a school setting whether learning is through an on-line or a face-to-face format.
I absolutely am not a shrinking violet. I've lived too long, and seen too many things in my life that are rude, disgusting and appalling. Whether voluntary or involuntary just by being alive. I was very concerned when I was doing research on the various internet sites about how vulgar and rude many comments are in some of the really good instructional videos I found. I was appalled at the negativity shown to the 1st grader and her tsunami project. (http://youtube.com) Tsunami: Project by 1st grader Bianca. No wonder teachers have to worry about bullying, not only from students but from adults who cannot be civil.
Yes, I understand that the internet is literal fair game for anything goes, but sometimes mean people go too far. I was curious about how to eliminate the comments from the screen, so I asked the editorial board at You Tube if there was a way for a viewer to turn off comments, but still watch the video. I know the moderator can turn off comments but I wondered if a viewer could? I am awaiting their feedback. As a teacher I would not want my students exposed to demeaning vulgar comments in my classroom. They get enough of that outside the classroom. The only solution to this problem is to use the teacher's computer, then project the video to the class in full page format so the students could not see the comments
I am an adult so I can take mean vulgar comments and take them for what they are, but that earnest little 1st grader cannot. She's so excited about her experiment. Would these comments hurt her feelings so much so that she will stop exploring the world of science like so many other girls have done?
When I taught this unit I also used the front pages of the newspapers, news magazines and I had access to news feeds over my TV set in the classroom. It just so happened that we were studying a unit on exponential and logarithmic curves during the 2004 Indonesian Tsunami. I had a case of graphing calculators, and a portable laptop lab. The NCTM web site was on our approved list of safe sites. The students were surprised to find out that a tsunami travels just about as fast as a jet plane. They also found out that if they were ever in one, they better run as fast as they can to higher ground or a high building.
What about posting student work? I recently read The Elements of Blogging by Mark Leccese and Jerry Lanson, who recommend moderated comments when doing a blog. I would think that any video or blog involving student's work should be posted without comments. That way bullies, trolls and hotheads would be eliminated from the discussion.
First the definition of teacher centered instructional strategies with my example of each:.
Here is a lesson on how exponential curves are used in real life. I used many of these activities in my actual classroom, High School Algebra 2.
Teacher Centered:
- Presentation- Giving the students the formula for a tsunami and explain what the variables mean in a real life situation. - (http://www.pppl.gov/events) Disastrous Equations: The Role of Mathematics in Understanding Tsunamis
- Demonstration - What does this sign mean? (Have a tsunami sign printed out and taped to the classroom door so students can read it to start the conversation about tsunamis as they walk in the classroom.) (Http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/c1187.pdf)
- Drill and practice - Practicing the exponents of 10 with flash cards (each exponent is 10 times more powerful than the next.) Explain the Fujita scale.
- Tutorials- Watch a video on the Japanese Tohoku Tsunami or the Indonisian Tsunami of 2004 (http://www.pppl.gov/events)
Student Centered:
- Cooperative Learning- Take turns timing a friend with a watch.Use the same distance, two blocks, then take an average of how long it takes to run two blocks. Do the same for your friend. Write your results in a table.
- Games-Pan Balance-Expressions ( http://illuminations.nctm.org). Use the pan balance game to try out different numbers. What happens to the graph as the numbers get larger?
- Simulations- Math walk: go outside and watch an airplane in the sky. Use a watch or stop watch with a second hand to time how long it takes the plane, from the time you first see it until it is outside your vision. Do this two to three times to get an average speed.
- Simulations-Build a tsunami experiment. http://www.youtube.com) How tsunamis work-Alex Gendler which has great graphics. Tsunami; project by first grader Bianca, watching this demonstration would be great for the many hands-on learners. They can build their own tsunami box.
- Problem Solving-Do after you have practiced with the pan balance. Using a graphing calculator enter the formula for a tsunami ( y= x*9.8) . What does the curve look like? Draw a picture in your math journal. What conclusions can you make looking at the tsunami curve?
- Discussion- Would you have time to run from sitting on a seashore playing in the sand to a safe two or three story building when a tsunami happens? Explain your answer using the table you have made when you were timing yourself and the airplane. Why or why not? How much warning would you need? What devices could give you a warning? Would you be worried about the tsunami if you were on a boat in the middle of the ocean? (http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/c1187/c1187.pdf)
One web site I found is addressed to High School students. The other web site I found was addressed to 1st graders, but it could be adapted to High School students. Although, I would highly recommended blocking all comments on any web site that I as a teacher would post for my class.
With a teacher centered instructional strategy the teacher has more editorial control over the content of what activities the students are doing. A teacher can control the environment where a student is doing eLearning. Even on the internet there needs to be firewalls, virus protection and constant monitoring of what a student is doing on the internet. For example, a teacher can encourage a student to go on a math walk but the student also has to be supervised on the playground or school grounds.
With student centered strategies in eLearning a teacher needs to be an editor because some things are not appropriate for a school setting whether learning is through an on-line or a face-to-face format.
I absolutely am not a shrinking violet. I've lived too long, and seen too many things in my life that are rude, disgusting and appalling. Whether voluntary or involuntary just by being alive. I was very concerned when I was doing research on the various internet sites about how vulgar and rude many comments are in some of the really good instructional videos I found. I was appalled at the negativity shown to the 1st grader and her tsunami project. (http://youtube.com) Tsunami: Project by 1st grader Bianca. No wonder teachers have to worry about bullying, not only from students but from adults who cannot be civil.
Yes, I understand that the internet is literal fair game for anything goes, but sometimes mean people go too far. I was curious about how to eliminate the comments from the screen, so I asked the editorial board at You Tube if there was a way for a viewer to turn off comments, but still watch the video. I know the moderator can turn off comments but I wondered if a viewer could? I am awaiting their feedback. As a teacher I would not want my students exposed to demeaning vulgar comments in my classroom. They get enough of that outside the classroom. The only solution to this problem is to use the teacher's computer, then project the video to the class in full page format so the students could not see the comments
I am an adult so I can take mean vulgar comments and take them for what they are, but that earnest little 1st grader cannot. She's so excited about her experiment. Would these comments hurt her feelings so much so that she will stop exploring the world of science like so many other girls have done?
When I taught this unit I also used the front pages of the newspapers, news magazines and I had access to news feeds over my TV set in the classroom. It just so happened that we were studying a unit on exponential and logarithmic curves during the 2004 Indonesian Tsunami. I had a case of graphing calculators, and a portable laptop lab. The NCTM web site was on our approved list of safe sites. The students were surprised to find out that a tsunami travels just about as fast as a jet plane. They also found out that if they were ever in one, they better run as fast as they can to higher ground or a high building.
What about posting student work? I recently read The Elements of Blogging by Mark Leccese and Jerry Lanson, who recommend moderated comments when doing a blog. I would think that any video or blog involving student's work should be posted without comments. That way bullies, trolls and hotheads would be eliminated from the discussion.
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