Module 6 Learning in a Digital World

Learning in a Digital World

During this past quarter I have been given the opportunity to review the various learning theories that I first learned over fifteen years ago while I was working towards my Bachelor’s degree. Throughout my educational journey I have had the privilege of  participating in various learning styles from the traditional face to face classes where instructors come to class prepared spill their guts in hope that us eager students would be able to grasp ahold of their information. After sitting through a predetermined amount of lectures the professor proudly gave us an test that they used to determine how much information we actually absorbed.  The benefit from having such a class was that depending upon the teacher we as students had opportunities to ask the professor any question we could think of.  In my opinion, this is where learning really took place, where the student and teacher were actively involved in a conversation about a given topic.  We as students were receptive to what was being said and we gained knowledge. 

Back in the eighties, if you wanted to take independent classes you enrolled in correspondence classes.  These classes are the precursors to today’s online learning courses.  The biggest difference is that as the name applies you were given a notebook full of units that had the following: An introduction to the topic of the week, the learning objectives, reading assignments and usually a project or series of questions that you would answer and mail the assignments into the instructor.  Contacting the instructor usually required you to write a letter and hope for a response.  Yes we were in a class but were left to our own devices to figure out what we were to learn. 

Then computers came into the scene of education, at first teachers used them for word processing, taking grades and drill and practice programs.  With the advent of the Internet and the creation ot the World Wide Web did it become popular and possible to take online learning courses.  With this new technology and its integration into the lives of virtually everybody, new learning theories were developed to explain how students could effectively use computer technology in the classroom. 

There are critics who think that Connectivism is not a learning nor instructional theory, however it does help us explain how to effectively use computers as a learning tool.  It should always be remembered that technology is a tool that can be used to assist in the learning process and has never been designed to replace teachers in the classroom.

Module 5

In teaching at Middleton High School, I had the opportunity of working with some of the greatest teachers that I have met. It was the first time that I had seen teachers stay in the district for the majority of their teaching career.  One individual that I have come to know very well was a science teacher who had over thirty years in education but had a phobia when it came to using computer technology into the classroom.  In fact the only thing that he would use the computer for was to check his email and report grades at the end of the semester. 

After developing a close relationship with him, I was able to convince him that if he could teach the students about the life cycle of a moth he could insert a video about moths in his power points.  He finally decided to try just one and was successful.  From this meager start he went through all of his old lectures converted them to PowerPoints  complete with videos that he had found on the Internet.  The PowerPoint presentations were so good that the other science teachers asked to use them in their classes.  Not only did I get the teacher to use PowerPoint, before I left the district he was creating web pages for his courses.

What caused this change in attitude with technology?  It was a combination of several things perhaps the most important was trust that we have established and then making him feel comfortable using technology.  Being with him and encouraging him when there was a road block also contributed to his success.

Module 4: Blog Post  Connectivism:

 How has your network changed the way you learn?

In class today my students and I were talking about the advances in technology over the last few years and they were excited to finally have a computer lab that had current software and operating system. I wish it was Windows 8 but as with all things in time we will eventually be current.  The reason why I bring this up is it made me reflect on the fact that I have been working with computer technology longer than most of my students been alive.  Over those many years the way that I and the rest of the world view knowledge and learning have changed.  It is no longer important for us to remember hard facts that would somehow be lost and forgotten.  I no longer spend hours in the library searching through card catalogs hoping to find enough information to write a research paper or a speech in English class.  I no longer have to wait until I have a clear line on the telephone or wait till I get home to use the telephone.  Now I just need to worry if my battery is going to last or my phone will automatically transfer from one cell tower to another as I travel down the highway. 

Computer technology has availed us the opportunity to not only reach out and touch someone distance away but has provided us with an efficient means of gathering information.  Along with this technology comes other issues such as deciding if the information is correct or is someone’s idea of a sick joke.  With the various social media sites such as Facebook, MyBigCampus, Twitter, and others keeping in touch with old friends is easier than having to write a letter and send it into the U.S Postal Service.  Often, we would get tired of writing letters and the friendship sails away into the sunset.  With the Internet it also provides me with the opportunity to travel to distance lands without having to leave the comfort of my sofa and wish that I was there in person.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

My first source of searching for knowledge is going to the Internet and conducting a search using either of the following search engines: Google or Bing.  Other digital tools that I use include the following; Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Gotomeetings,

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?

It really depends upon the type of knowledge that I seek.  It might be as simple as picking up a cell phone and calling an expert that might know the answer to the question that I have.  Other times it might require me to go online to Google and conduct a web search for web sites that contains the information I need.

Module 3 Collaborating in a K12 Environment using Technology

Before the digital age or when I was in school I can remember being asked as a student to collaborate with students from accross the country. Back then the only way to communicate with each other was either by a very expensive telephone call or via good ole United States mail service.  Back then we called this having a "Pen Pal" that we were to share our experiences with and get to know what it was like living in a different part of the U.S. As you can imagine, there were several draw backs mainly was the time it took to get a reply from your Pen Pal.  When our letters came we were all excited to share what was written and read the letters to the whole class. 

Slowly at first, the technology revolution was taking shape, first there was the personal compute that allowed us to type our letters on the compute and then print them out and send them in  the mail same as before.  In 1971 Ray Tomlinson developed a web based method of sending mail to another person that was called "Email" or Electronic Mail.  It was not very popular at first due to the lack of the personal computer.  Starting in the early 1990's the Internet became popular and available to the masses, the reason for this surge was the cost of computer became afordable and Tim Berners Lee developed a easier way for the layman to use the Internet called World Wide Web (WWW).

Humans are social animals and thrive in social interaction.  To substantiate this statement all one needs to do is walk into a high school classroom and listen to the students talk to each othe when given permission to visit with each other.  I agree with Rheingoldd's assessment on Wikipedia in the fact that it was intentially developed to allow individuals to post and edit the information that is contained within the web site.  However, with that said one needs to be careful with the content to ensure its validity.

Bellow (2013) when asked what technologies should every teacher know right now stated that for students they should know how to use wiiVideo and UJam are tools that allow students to create their own videos and music online for free  Teachers can easily create lesson plans that would allow a student to conduct research on a given topic and then create a short video presentation on the information found and present the video to the class.  Edmodo has been touted as a Facebook like social media site for schools.  Within Edmodo students can be taught how to act like a responsible digital citizen, and allows students to communicate with students and teachers in a secure envrionment.  The last tool he recommends is a automated toole called If This Then That (IFTTT) which helps teachers control information.

It is still interesting to me that with the fact that computer technology has been around for twenty years or more there are still individuals who are afraid to use technology in any form.  As a result we are not being able to allow our students to collaborate with students in distant lands for fear of them being exposed to for the lack of a better term evil.  If you  teach in a forward thinking district where they embrase technology into the classroom Mandernach and Taylor (2011) provide a wealth of information on how to effectively integrate Web 2.0 applications that foster student engagement.  Taylor (2011) suggest that you consider a number of factors when selecting web 2.0 tools to use in your classroom, such as your learning objective, course level, student population, class size,  and access to technology.


 References:

Rheingold, Howard  video  retrieved from : http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html
Bellow, Adam retrieved from http://thejournal.com/Articles/2012/11/27/a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-future.aspx?Page=2&p=1

Mandernach, B. Jean retrieved from http://teachpsych.com/ebooks/pse2011/vol1/volume1.pdf#page=224

Taylor, Sarah S. retrieved from http://teachpsych.com/ebooks/pse2011/vol1/volume1.pdf#page=224