What Everybody Ought to Know About Instructional Design » The Rapid eLearning Blog
My student, Hassan, posted the "awareness test" to his blog. I'd seen it before, but was happy to be reminded of it. This is a great reminder about how we should help our learners focus on the objectives. Along the same lines, it is important to remember the phenomena of cognitive over-load. There is so much going in the video that it is easy to miss the bear. If the bear is the focus, then, as designers we should decrease the activity in the foreground. Simple concept, but easy to forget when in the midst of design.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Kick Start Activity 1 – Beginner – Setting Up Your Blog | Teacher Challenge
Kick Start Activity 1 – Beginner – Setting Up Your Blog | Teacher Challenge
I accepted this challenge because I want more hands-on experience with blogging. I feel that you don't really learn something until you get your hands on it. I feel that blogging is a good way for me to reflect on my teaching and I need a place to build my repository of links to content about teaching and learning. Maybe the most important reason is that I ask my students to blog so I should model it.
I accepted this challenge because I want more hands-on experience with blogging. I feel that you don't really learn something until you get your hands on it. I feel that blogging is a good way for me to reflect on my teaching and I need a place to build my repository of links to content about teaching and learning. Maybe the most important reason is that I ask my students to blog so I should model it.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
About Reflection
Thoreau says, "It is as hard to see one's self as to look backwards without turning around."
As teachers, we need to look back at our instructional strategies and think about what worked and what didn't work. For me, part of that process involves the written word. It is necessary to write it out. The act of writing and re-reading what I write is integral to the process of active reflection.
As I start the new semester -- I think about what could be improved from last semester in my practice teaching seminar. I think that I could formally model the action learning project by taking students through the question about how people learn and designing a way that they can actively collaborate to find answers to how people learn. It seems like they get all the way through the teacher education program and have not given much thought to the question of how people learn. Maybe they have given thought to it, though. Could be they know more than I think they do? We'll see.
For now, it seems like I should implement a two-stage process:
1. Formulate an essential question that is relevant to learners, does not have a yes or no answer, and requires students to engage in research to find the answer.
2. Design a collaborative student project that demonstrates student mastery of standards and objectives.
As teachers, we need to look back at our instructional strategies and think about what worked and what didn't work. For me, part of that process involves the written word. It is necessary to write it out. The act of writing and re-reading what I write is integral to the process of active reflection.
As I start the new semester -- I think about what could be improved from last semester in my practice teaching seminar. I think that I could formally model the action learning project by taking students through the question about how people learn and designing a way that they can actively collaborate to find answers to how people learn. It seems like they get all the way through the teacher education program and have not given much thought to the question of how people learn. Maybe they have given thought to it, though. Could be they know more than I think they do? We'll see.
For now, it seems like I should implement a two-stage process:
1. Formulate an essential question that is relevant to learners, does not have a yes or no answer, and requires students to engage in research to find the answer.
2. Design a collaborative student project that demonstrates student mastery of standards and objectives.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
'Time for a Revolution'
'Time for a Revolution'
I love the idea adding an A for Art to the STEM acronym to make it STEAM. This is satisfying on more than one level.
I love the idea adding an A for Art to the STEM acronym to make it STEAM. This is satisfying on more than one level.
Navigating Facebook: A Guide for Parents
Navigating Facebook: A Guide for Parents
I might use this as a handout for my facebook presentation in March.
I might use this as a handout for my facebook presentation in March.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
15 Interesting Ways to use a Visualiser in the Classroom
15 Interesting Ways to use a Visualiser in the Classroom
Cool, but what the heck is a visualizer? Oh, I see. It's a document camera.
Cool, but what the heck is a visualizer? Oh, I see. It's a document camera.
Thought experiment on social networked learning (Connectivism) « Connectivism
Thought experiment on social networked learning (Connectivism) « Connectivism
Intriguing posts about Connectivism and the ways we learn. I'm especially intrigued by the concept of being able to see people's knowledge. Wouldn't that be something! The end of the black box. In the world described, I think we would see a blending of knowledge. You would see someone's thought bubble and absorb some of the knowledge. In my minds eye, I can see a collective consciousness bubble and each individual's knowledge bubble constantly changing and merging. What seems to be missing in the post is how our knowledge is impacted by technology...
Intriguing posts about Connectivism and the ways we learn. I'm especially intrigued by the concept of being able to see people's knowledge. Wouldn't that be something! The end of the black box. In the world described, I think we would see a blending of knowledge. You would see someone's thought bubble and absorb some of the knowledge. In my minds eye, I can see a collective consciousness bubble and each individual's knowledge bubble constantly changing and merging. What seems to be missing in the post is how our knowledge is impacted by technology...
Resolution
I think it was Stephen Downes of Connectivism fame who issued a challenge to educators to reflect on our practice by committing to creating 50 blog posts.
I can't find Downe's post, but it seems a good idea especially for me to accept his challenge since I teach a graduate level class in which all the students create a blog. Creating a blog is no sweat. What is hard is the care and feeding of a blog.
In the past, I've struggled with the purpose of a blog. I mean, will the blog provide information or what? Downes helped me with the purpose part -- the purpose is to reflect on what I'm learning and what I'm teaching. This blog is for me. It is a place to park all the links and interesting things I find and it is a place to reflect. Perhaps it will become a Personal Learning Environment (PLE).
I can't find Downe's post, but it seems a good idea especially for me to accept his challenge since I teach a graduate level class in which all the students create a blog. Creating a blog is no sweat. What is hard is the care and feeding of a blog.
In the past, I've struggled with the purpose of a blog. I mean, will the blog provide information or what? Downes helped me with the purpose part -- the purpose is to reflect on what I'm learning and what I'm teaching. This blog is for me. It is a place to park all the links and interesting things I find and it is a place to reflect. Perhaps it will become a Personal Learning Environment (PLE).
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