Theories highlight the reasons we do things by explaining the evolution supporting the processes. I believe ~isms are important to get a big picture that would best serve the learners of today. If our view is narrow, we do not reach all the students. A well-versed educator provides a multifaceted learning environment playing on many theories to attract the attention of the students interests.
Curriculum should be a living, growing, changing plan based on reflection, analysis, and synthesis. Change can raise engagement through creativity. Input of imagination sparks inspiration which leads to innovation.
I agree with Bill Kerr's relevance placed on ~isms. His idea of cherry picking (Kerr, 2007) from the ~isms rings harmoniously with my willingness to infuse change to build engagement through creativity. We need to feed the imaginations of learners, including our own.
Kapp, K. (2007) Kapp Notes | Yearly Archive | 2007. Retrieved December 25, 2010, from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/page/27/
Kerr, B. (2007) Bill Kerr: _isms as filter, not blinker. Retrieved December 25, 2010, from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
What are your beliefs about how people learn best?
I believe people learn best through feedback, reflection, and opportunities to improve. Too many fail to follow up a learning experience by offering these chances. Teachers themselves often don’t feel the time to look back and consider alternatives and possibilities. Choice should be a norm in education rather than the one for all approach. Giving options offers an avenue for creativity and engagement while learning and exploring content. Which would you prefer; lecture and worksheet practice of verb conjugations, developing a poem incorporating the verbs in various ways, creating a pneumonic memory rap to share verb conjugations, gaining approval for an imagined innovative way to express verb conjugation? Any of these could integrate technology tools as well as offer independence, collaboration, inspiration, and connected learning. Through the act of creating with content, individuals remember the learning as an experience. Some say teachers are the worst students as they tend to disregard all their own rules and expectations in behavior that are insisted upon of the learners entrusted to them. I say learning for any individual should be presented in small doses with time to collaborate. This peer sharing provides validation which serves as feedback, insights to extend thinking and reflection, as well as a desire to improve upon the original small dose of learning. All without droning on about information hoping the minds of your audience are open and receiving. The pulse of knowledge gained can be determined through instant assessment means such as student response systems, board races, mind mapping, etc. This same choice for students should be modeled through teaching. Vary the dissemination of content methods. Multimedia resources are endless. Rather than being the only source of information, showcase the world as your resource. Skype an expert, email those involved in the subject matter, offer students an option of discovery for sharing, read a story together that can lead to learning tangents, find an audience interested in sharing learning and commenting on building knowledge, pull in community guests, invite variety, etc. Design learning instead of dictating content. (Check out this blog post on Educating the Whole Child)
Here is an artistic creation on John Dewey's Democracy and Education. What feedback do you think Dewey would have for this resource?
(Campbellkid25, 2009)
What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?
Learning theory provides a foundation to guide best practice in integrating curriculum. Through evolution we can build upon prior knowledge to imagine the needs for adaptation necessary to today’s learners. Siemens (2006) pointed out that there are many ways to define knowledge; however, searching for a single definition has the opposite effect when it comes to developing an interconnected knowledge base. How can the idea of an interconnected knowledge base be explained if content is shared separated? Driscoll’s (2005) definition of a learning theory as persistent change as a result of experience offers connective opportunities of a knowledge base. Behavioral theorists determine learning through observation and measurable results.
A combination of learning theories should demand innovative ways to create engaging activities for learning experiences. Educational technology has made communication, collaboration, and connectivity easier, obvious, and measurable. Available technology tools offer endless opportunities to evolve and adapt networking knowledge gained in artistic ways creating tangents for enhanced exploration and even more discovery sharing. Four theorists utilized metaphors to explain this all inclusive educational opportunity we are sitting on the edge of today. John Seely Brown’s description of educators as master artists, Clarence Fisher’s view of educators as network administrators, Curtis Bonk saw educators as concierges, and George Siemens pictured educators as curators (Siemens, 2006). All these metaphors have to do with learners constructing knowledge. Each metaphor can have appropriate applications in today’s classrooms. Students can be learning the same basic concepts but following different avenues. Helping students see connections, should determine the role of the educator as facilitator. The inclusion of each metaphor can lead to an exemplary experience of teaching and learning.
References
Campbellkid25 (October 24, 2009). A conversation with John Dewey. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQAtzmaGBeE&feature=related
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc
Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.Lulu.com
Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf
When educators realize they never should think they are no longer learners and commit to the idea of their professionalism being their responsibility in determining their life direction, the openness in education will become a part of academia. Everyone should grow in as many interests as they can explore content to best connect ideas, network, and create learning opportunities that stretch the imagination. Open Source is a step in leveling the playing field for equitability in education for learners everywhere. Not surprisingly, the “digital” learners don’t seem to mind using Open Source technologies rather than proprietary offerings. People all over the world work on open source. Its development grows through the spirit of giving.
Realizing the need to seek professional opportunities outside of just accepting employer offerings takes time, exploration, and awareness. As online classrooms become increasingly supportive of distance and blended learning environments, the walls will inevitably start coming down for all learners. This isn’t to say that online learning is for everyone, but the expansion in content connection possibilities will become impossible to ignore. Educators will find themselves being scrutinized by more than just their employers if they try to remain isolated. Learners will seek outside engagement to discover more and more of the world together making those educators obsolete.
Networking has built my awareness and I predict it to continue so. The tool may change as I try one thing and then the next but friends will be gained, connections made, bridges built, and learning achieved along the way. My computing is progressively moving more and more into the “clouds.” To adapt to the many changing tools, programs, devices, etc. the actual hardware and software has become insignificant, but the accessibility to my personal and professional life everywhere all the time is of upmost importance.
The video presentation for a professional conference helped me reflect upon and analyze educational problems through the perceptions of others. The comments posted throughout the development steered the creation with suggestions and views of peers. Rarely do we get to reflect in progress as we learn. The variety of topics to consider as well as the ones shared not on the initial provided list expanded the possibilities of connections for collaboration in problem solving with my topic of online learning communities and others choices in educational technology issues.
Social trends impact not only educational technology but equitable access as well. The implications that spiral in connection to so many other global issues, grow in relation. Openness in technology, education, information, etc. will increase sharing, understanding, ideas, etc. As a shift from traditional education continues, with the onslaught of technology, solid research support will be shared with greater and greater audiences to influence best practices everywhere. Online learning communities may play an important part of social change but the awareness that trends will continue to evolve means connections and networking will keep research based support solid.
Seven Mind Mapping Tools to Try This Year
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Earlier this week a reader emailed me to ask for my suggestions for online
mind mapping tools for her students to use this fall. My preference is
often to...
IMPORTANT NOTICE regarding Ray’s blogs
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Dear Readers — Thank you for your loyal support of this curated reading
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