Vision Quest — Finding Balance
Perspectives differ on whether to define educational technology as involving state-of-the-art digital processesor merely as involving the latest tools. Educational technology, however, can be most broadly defined as both the digital hardware and all software used for teaching and for learning across the curriculum. Is technology really useful for teaching and learning? The answer to this question basically depends on how well the teacher uses that particular technology and for what particular goal.
In my classroom, I teeter along the razor’s edge of knowing how much to tell students versus how much to discovery to allow them. Finding the right balance between direct instruction and social knowledge-making is never easy — or shouldn’t be. Even a sorcerer has a tough time supplying his apprentice’s needs: active engagement, participation with other learners, frequent interaction or feedback, and face time with the real expert. Outside this balance of “watching v.s. doing” lies the dread zone of anti-matter, where students only pretend that your class matters.
Education technology is the magic wand that makes this balance achievable. I use computer tutor software to remediate; the web opens windows to other cultures; Skype will do this too, someday, when the bandwidth is there; email works for collaborating; video recording and editing puts the kinesthetic learners in their elemment, and I’m just biding my time to try songwriting and studio recording.
But this tech magic only works when it’s part of a daily routine that’s easily followed, and for which students have individual accountability to meet the goals of the kingdom, or in our case, the North Carolina DPI (edutopia.org).
More and more, I’m thinking of myself in the role of “educational technologist,” — someone “who acts as a learning consultant, an educational materials producer, a manager of learning resources or [as] a systems developer and planner” (Luppicini 2005). But really, I’m just another mage on tightrope.
Link to WordPress post of June 12, 2012
References:
Edutopia. (n.d.). What is technology integration? Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description
Luppicini, R. (2005). A systems definition of educational technology in society. Educational Technology & Society, 8 (3), 103-109. Retrieved June 7 from http://www.ifets.info/journals/8_3/10.pdf
Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity (2012) Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/research/
U.S. Department of Education. (2010) National Education Technology Plan 2010 Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
In my classroom, I teeter along the razor’s edge of knowing how much to tell students versus how much to discovery to allow them. Finding the right balance between direct instruction and social knowledge-making is never easy — or shouldn’t be. Even a sorcerer has a tough time supplying his apprentice’s needs: active engagement, participation with other learners, frequent interaction or feedback, and face time with the real expert. Outside this balance of “watching v.s. doing” lies the dread zone of anti-matter, where students only pretend that your class matters.
Education technology is the magic wand that makes this balance achievable. I use computer tutor software to remediate; the web opens windows to other cultures; Skype will do this too, someday, when the bandwidth is there; email works for collaborating; video recording and editing puts the kinesthetic learners in their elemment, and I’m just biding my time to try songwriting and studio recording.
But this tech magic only works when it’s part of a daily routine that’s easily followed, and for which students have individual accountability to meet the goals of the kingdom, or in our case, the North Carolina DPI (edutopia.org).
More and more, I’m thinking of myself in the role of “educational technologist,” — someone “who acts as a learning consultant, an educational materials producer, a manager of learning resources or [as] a systems developer and planner” (Luppicini 2005). But really, I’m just another mage on tightrope.
Link to WordPress post of June 12, 2012
References:
Edutopia. (n.d.). What is technology integration? Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description
Luppicini, R. (2005). A systems definition of educational technology in society. Educational Technology & Society, 8 (3), 103-109. Retrieved June 7 from http://www.ifets.info/journals/8_3/10.pdf
Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity (2012) Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/research/
U.S. Department of Education. (2010) National Education Technology Plan 2010 Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
Video Blog on the Benefits of Using Multimedia in Class
K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Kristin Morris - Sunday, July 1, 2012, 10:32 PM
I love camtasia! I did my "lesson" as a professional development presentation on why teachers should assign video-making to students. I did animation and a Voki narrator. I spent way too much time on this weeks's assignments, but it has been 103 degrees outside for the past three days, so being on the computer is cool in more ways than usual. I know I look really dorky in the vlog. My face does exaggerated stuff on its own, which is why I don't do videos, as a rule. Hope you can take it seriously. --- Kristin
Comments:
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Anthony Slata - Monday, July 2, 2012, 12:41 PM
Hi Kristin,
I really enjoyed your blog! You really did your research on the brain and how that relates to technology and made a lot of solid points. I like how you would flash up a reference right when you were talking about it - even if it wasn't required, it was a nice touch. I also took a look at your Voki narrated lesson and enjoyed the Star Trek music in the beginning. Nice job on both!
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Deborah Lyman - Monday, July 2, 2012, 08:57 PM
What a great video! By the way, I absolutely agree. Doing a video takes courage. I always feel like I look "dorky" or that I stutter and struggle. It is so hard to video tape ourselves! Yet you did great and I felt like your V-log was well done. I agreed with many of your points. I feel as though we have to make sure that as educators, we remember that there is a balance in all things. Multimedia should not take place of instruction. It should enhance and build on what a teacher is doing. It is so important to realize that we cannot put a bunch of videos together and sit back and grade papers. Even with effective multimedia, we must carefully orchestrate our instruction to ensure that it meets the needs of out students. Great job on your V-log!
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Patricia McDonald - Monday, July 2, 2012, 09:32 PM
Kristin,
First of all, let me just say that this is the second time I am typing this response, so I am probably going to be a bit shorter this time around. I hit "Edtech" instead of the "Post to forum."
Your cause/effect analysis of the use of multimedia in the classroom showed a clear perspective for the viable use of video in the classroom as a introductory tool.
When you stated "the real job of learning takes place after the video," it made me think student created multimedia to synthesize their classroom learning could be exactly what is needed here. This could take the role of video in the classroom to the next level intertwining left and right brain. Thus making student learning more authentic and relative to the multimedia tools they use on a daily basis.
I actually saw a presentation at a regional tech conference about foreign language learners using PhotoStory to create a basic multimedia project. I am actually considering making this transition myself with one of the reports my kiddos have to create.
Very informative Vlog and presentation.
Patty
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. - Wednesday, July 4, 2012, 04:23 PM
Kristen - you did fine. I loved your video - you provided such good content - especially regarding the brain.
by Kristin Morris - Sunday, July 1, 2012, 10:32 PM
I love camtasia! I did my "lesson" as a professional development presentation on why teachers should assign video-making to students. I did animation and a Voki narrator. I spent way too much time on this weeks's assignments, but it has been 103 degrees outside for the past three days, so being on the computer is cool in more ways than usual. I know I look really dorky in the vlog. My face does exaggerated stuff on its own, which is why I don't do videos, as a rule. Hope you can take it seriously. --- Kristin
Comments:
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Anthony Slata - Monday, July 2, 2012, 12:41 PM
Hi Kristin,
I really enjoyed your blog! You really did your research on the brain and how that relates to technology and made a lot of solid points. I like how you would flash up a reference right when you were talking about it - even if it wasn't required, it was a nice touch. I also took a look at your Voki narrated lesson and enjoyed the Star Trek music in the beginning. Nice job on both!
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Deborah Lyman - Monday, July 2, 2012, 08:57 PM
What a great video! By the way, I absolutely agree. Doing a video takes courage. I always feel like I look "dorky" or that I stutter and struggle. It is so hard to video tape ourselves! Yet you did great and I felt like your V-log was well done. I agreed with many of your points. I feel as though we have to make sure that as educators, we remember that there is a balance in all things. Multimedia should not take place of instruction. It should enhance and build on what a teacher is doing. It is so important to realize that we cannot put a bunch of videos together and sit back and grade papers. Even with effective multimedia, we must carefully orchestrate our instruction to ensure that it meets the needs of out students. Great job on your V-log!
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Patricia McDonald - Monday, July 2, 2012, 09:32 PM
Kristin,
First of all, let me just say that this is the second time I am typing this response, so I am probably going to be a bit shorter this time around. I hit "Edtech" instead of the "Post to forum."
Your cause/effect analysis of the use of multimedia in the classroom showed a clear perspective for the viable use of video in the classroom as a introductory tool.
When you stated "the real job of learning takes place after the video," it made me think student created multimedia to synthesize their classroom learning could be exactly what is needed here. This could take the role of video in the classroom to the next level intertwining left and right brain. Thus making student learning more authentic and relative to the multimedia tools they use on a daily basis.
I actually saw a presentation at a regional tech conference about foreign language learners using PhotoStory to create a basic multimedia project. I am actually considering making this transition myself with one of the reports my kiddos have to create.
Very informative Vlog and presentation.
Patty
Re: K.Morris vlog and camtasia video
by Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. - Wednesday, July 4, 2012, 04:23 PM
Kristen - you did fine. I loved your video - you provided such good content - especially regarding the brain.
Relative Advantage of Instructional Software
Make your own slideshow at Animoto.
Relative Advantage of Instructional Software
by Kristin Morris - Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:14 AM
http://kkmizmo.weebly.com/
I had an interesting voyage through a ton of websites, but spreadsheet use in English class is pretty scarce. I like what I came up with, though, on archetypes. I'm excited to get to use Google Docs someday soon.
Regards, Kristin
Comments:
Re:Relative Advantage of Instructional Software
by Leslie Haskell - Sunday, June 24, 2012, 03:39 PM
Kristin,
Nice job with your instructional software presentation. I especially like the links you offered under the simulations category. I will spend more time looking at the two websites you listed, they seem to have some things that I could use with my reading students.
Leslie
Re: Relative Advantage of Instructional Software
by Amy Bass - Sunday, June 24, 2012, 06:45 PM
Great examples and easy to read. The only suggestion I can come up with is to describe the differenent types of each software such as simulations: procedural or situational. Very creative spreadsheet idea!
by Kristin Morris - Sunday, June 24, 2012, 01:14 AM
http://kkmizmo.weebly.com/
I had an interesting voyage through a ton of websites, but spreadsheet use in English class is pretty scarce. I like what I came up with, though, on archetypes. I'm excited to get to use Google Docs someday soon.
Regards, Kristin
Comments:
Re:Relative Advantage of Instructional Software
by Leslie Haskell - Sunday, June 24, 2012, 03:39 PM
Kristin,
Nice job with your instructional software presentation. I especially like the links you offered under the simulations category. I will spend more time looking at the two websites you listed, they seem to have some things that I could use with my reading students.
Leslie
Re: Relative Advantage of Instructional Software
by Amy Bass - Sunday, June 24, 2012, 06:45 PM
Great examples and easy to read. The only suggestion I can come up with is to describe the differenent types of each software such as simulations: procedural or situational. Very creative spreadsheet idea!
Acceptable Use Policies for Students and Teachers
Social Networking in the Classroom
Safeguarding Student Privacy -- Sexting
by Kristin Morris - Monday, July 16, 2012, 12:38 AM
http://kkmizmo.weebly.com/safeguarding-student-privacy.html
Comments:
Re: Safeguarding Student Privacy -- Sexting
by Jennifer Justis - Monday, July 16, 2012, 09:41 AM
Hi Kristin,=
Your blog is a very comprehensive and compelling discussion of teen sexting and the possible ramifications. Including Will's story was very powerful. Teens are so vulnerable to getting caught up in a moment without thinking through the long-term consequences of their actions. It's imperative that they're educated on this topic. Well done.
Jen
Re: Safeguarding Student Privacy -- Sexting
by Daniel Matthews - Monday, July 16, 2012, 08:40 PM
Kristin,
This post is almost a must read for any teenager. They need to know the potentially long-term effects of the moment by moment decisions they make. Some of our students could be labeled their entire lives on the sex offenders list because of something they thought was harmless fun as a student in high school. I didn't relize it was a felony for those images to cross state lines. It made me think of the NFL quarterback Brett Favre who sent explicit images to an intern with the New York Jets and he probably could have done jail time for that. I know it is different when neither one of them are minors, but this is a huge deal. Very good post.
Dan
http://kkmizmo.weebly.com/safeguarding-student-privacy.html
Comments:
Re: Safeguarding Student Privacy -- Sexting
by Jennifer Justis - Monday, July 16, 2012, 09:41 AM
Hi Kristin,=
Your blog is a very comprehensive and compelling discussion of teen sexting and the possible ramifications. Including Will's story was very powerful. Teens are so vulnerable to getting caught up in a moment without thinking through the long-term consequences of their actions. It's imperative that they're educated on this topic. Well done.
Jen
Re: Safeguarding Student Privacy -- Sexting
by Daniel Matthews - Monday, July 16, 2012, 08:40 PM
Kristin,
This post is almost a must read for any teenager. They need to know the potentially long-term effects of the moment by moment decisions they make. Some of our students could be labeled their entire lives on the sex offenders list because of something they thought was harmless fun as a student in high school. I didn't relize it was a felony for those images to cross state lines. It made me think of the NFL quarterback Brett Favre who sent explicit images to an intern with the New York Jets and he probably could have done jail time for that. I know it is different when neither one of them are minors, but this is a huge deal. Very good post.
Dan
Tech Tools’ new E.R.A. Equals engaging, relevant, authentic Writing
The last decade has seen a growing emphasis on the use of technologies to support literacy instruction. Integration strategies for teaching English can help with word fluency and vocabulary development; reading comprehension; learning about literature; and the teaching of writing. Teachers must now think in terms of visual and graphic literacy, however, as well as reading and writing literacy. “In the future, students will not only be expected to exhibit verbal and written fluency in traditional text formats, they will be expected to interpret and produce communication in video and images. The task of teaching all these new skills will be primarily the responsibility of English and language arts teachers” (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 281).
Writing instruction is one of the most time-intensive parts of the English teacher’s job, but the expanding role of tech tools in the classroom does offer new help. “A variety of technology tools and strategies have emerged to spur students’ desire to write, to improve the quality of their written products (e.g., email projects, blogs), and to provide authentic publication sources” (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 271).
Digital concept mapping is one way to overcome students’ reluctance to get started. Kuhn notes that newer perspectives conclude that “motivation resides not within the individual but in the interaction between individual and subject matter” (2007). As a highly interactive pre-writing strategy, using concept mapping software helps students organize their thoughts prior to writing by making colorful and cartoon-like graphics. Brainstorming, clustering, then refining and organizing ideas into categories or subtopics – all this can be done with software such as Inspiration, or Mindmaple, or Bubble.us. Concept mapping allows students to produce an outline as a visual map; and generating a plan for presenting the information in a logical way. The diagramming side of the program can be used to create a variety of graphic displays, all of which are useful for students who like to think and plan using visual representations of their ideas.
The tech tool that many students take for granted is the word processing software package such as Microsoft Word. Using word processing to produce written drafts offers more flexibility to revise while writing. Revising is the stage during which students make changes in content or structure that reflect decisions about how to improve overall quality. To revise well, students have to move from composing text to analyzing it, looking for what needs to be added, deleted, or rearranged. One of the best ways for teachers to assist in this process is to project a student’s typed draft onto a screen or whiteboard and then model the thinking and decision making that goes into analyzing and revising the text. If projected in this way, students can make changes to the text as other students watch. Editing, as opposed to revising, is the process of refining a paper so that it has correct spelling, syntax, punctuation, and style. Editing is a lower order task than revising but no less important. All word processing programs have features that support the editing process, including spell-checkers and grammar checkers, as well as electronic search capabilities to verify consistency of word usage, tone, and tense. The teacher can model the editing process, and students can then edit each other’s papers (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 278).
Additionally, most word processing programs have automatic grammar and spell-check features that flag problems as they are being written. For example, Microsoft’s Word program underlines in red any misspelled words and underlines passages in green to show possible grammar problems. Word’s grammar checker is not always completely correct, but teachers can model how to use its prompts to check for, correct and re-check their sentences. To improve written vocabulary, students can check for synonyms to given words in the Thesaurus function.
Word processing programs also can track editing changes, can insert comments and have an autocorrect function. Autocorrect is a built-in feature that automatically sees and corrects misspelled words and incorrect capitalization. The comments function takes the form of bubbles around typed words that are placed in the margins of a document and connected by a line to the specific words or sentences referred to. Teachers can insert comments on drafts to give typed feedback — preferable to handwritten comments that take longer to write and are harder for students to decipher. Track changes is an editing command that can be turned on from one of the program’s drop-down menus to show layers of changes as they are made to an original document. Changes can be undone later. Each of these built-in features can save teachers hours and hours of editing time and can make writing problems and mistakes more visible to students (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 278).
One final tech tool, digital publishing of student work, gives students an authentic purpose and audience for their written works. In addition to interactivity, having a real-life audience is a major motivator for students, who engage longer and are willing to revise more when they know their work will be shared with others. One strategy that makes use of social interactivity, is having students share their work online in blogs and wikis. Another strategy calls for students to comment on each other’s posted works, thus engaging in a collaboration that makes them part of an ever growing and changing community of learners (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 270). Under a teacher’s guidance, students can upload their writing to websites, can publish electronic books, post multimedia slide shows, create podcasts and send email. Electronic penpals (such as the ePALS Global Community at http://www.epals.com) can connect millions of students and educators in 200 countries with authentic correspondents. Other sites that publish student work include KidPub: http://www.kidpub.com ; and Bookworm: http://www.bookworm-mag.com ; and WriteKids: http://writekids.tripod.com ; and Your Student News: http://www.yourstudentnews.com (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 273).
References
Kuhn, D. (2007). Is Direct Instruction an Answer to the Right Question? Educational Psychologist. 42(2), 109-113.
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2013) Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, Sixth Edition. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN-10 0-13-282015-3, ISBN-13 978-0-13-282015-8.
Link to WordPress version
Comments:
by Kristin Morris - Friday, July 20, 2012, 09:55 PM
http://kkmizmo.weebly.com/writing-and-tech-tools--era.html
Re: Tech Tools’ new E.R.A. equals engaging, relevant, authentic Writing
by Stephen Bretz - Saturday, July 21, 2012, 04:28 PM
Hi Kristine,
Very thorough job of giving reasons and examples of the relative advantage of technology for writing. I really appreciate all of the examples because I'm teaching a Language Arts class for the first time this year at my school and there isn't an established curriculum. You've included some very helpful resources.
Stephen
P.S. I noticed that when you're discussing digital concept mapping you provide a hyperlink for Bubble.us, but not for Inspiration and Mindmaple (which is my favorite). Not sure if this was on purpose.
Re: Tech Tools’ new E.R.A. equals engaging, relevant, authentic Writing
by Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. - Sunday, July 22, 2012, 01:40 PM
Nice integration of a rationale and some examples for digital writing. I love the Kuhn quote.
Writing instruction is one of the most time-intensive parts of the English teacher’s job, but the expanding role of tech tools in the classroom does offer new help. “A variety of technology tools and strategies have emerged to spur students’ desire to write, to improve the quality of their written products (e.g., email projects, blogs), and to provide authentic publication sources” (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 271).
Digital concept mapping is one way to overcome students’ reluctance to get started. Kuhn notes that newer perspectives conclude that “motivation resides not within the individual but in the interaction between individual and subject matter” (2007). As a highly interactive pre-writing strategy, using concept mapping software helps students organize their thoughts prior to writing by making colorful and cartoon-like graphics. Brainstorming, clustering, then refining and organizing ideas into categories or subtopics – all this can be done with software such as Inspiration, or Mindmaple, or Bubble.us. Concept mapping allows students to produce an outline as a visual map; and generating a plan for presenting the information in a logical way. The diagramming side of the program can be used to create a variety of graphic displays, all of which are useful for students who like to think and plan using visual representations of their ideas.
The tech tool that many students take for granted is the word processing software package such as Microsoft Word. Using word processing to produce written drafts offers more flexibility to revise while writing. Revising is the stage during which students make changes in content or structure that reflect decisions about how to improve overall quality. To revise well, students have to move from composing text to analyzing it, looking for what needs to be added, deleted, or rearranged. One of the best ways for teachers to assist in this process is to project a student’s typed draft onto a screen or whiteboard and then model the thinking and decision making that goes into analyzing and revising the text. If projected in this way, students can make changes to the text as other students watch. Editing, as opposed to revising, is the process of refining a paper so that it has correct spelling, syntax, punctuation, and style. Editing is a lower order task than revising but no less important. All word processing programs have features that support the editing process, including spell-checkers and grammar checkers, as well as electronic search capabilities to verify consistency of word usage, tone, and tense. The teacher can model the editing process, and students can then edit each other’s papers (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 278).
Additionally, most word processing programs have automatic grammar and spell-check features that flag problems as they are being written. For example, Microsoft’s Word program underlines in red any misspelled words and underlines passages in green to show possible grammar problems. Word’s grammar checker is not always completely correct, but teachers can model how to use its prompts to check for, correct and re-check their sentences. To improve written vocabulary, students can check for synonyms to given words in the Thesaurus function.
Word processing programs also can track editing changes, can insert comments and have an autocorrect function. Autocorrect is a built-in feature that automatically sees and corrects misspelled words and incorrect capitalization. The comments function takes the form of bubbles around typed words that are placed in the margins of a document and connected by a line to the specific words or sentences referred to. Teachers can insert comments on drafts to give typed feedback — preferable to handwritten comments that take longer to write and are harder for students to decipher. Track changes is an editing command that can be turned on from one of the program’s drop-down menus to show layers of changes as they are made to an original document. Changes can be undone later. Each of these built-in features can save teachers hours and hours of editing time and can make writing problems and mistakes more visible to students (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 278).
One final tech tool, digital publishing of student work, gives students an authentic purpose and audience for their written works. In addition to interactivity, having a real-life audience is a major motivator for students, who engage longer and are willing to revise more when they know their work will be shared with others. One strategy that makes use of social interactivity, is having students share their work online in blogs and wikis. Another strategy calls for students to comment on each other’s posted works, thus engaging in a collaboration that makes them part of an ever growing and changing community of learners (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 270). Under a teacher’s guidance, students can upload their writing to websites, can publish electronic books, post multimedia slide shows, create podcasts and send email. Electronic penpals (such as the ePALS Global Community at http://www.epals.com) can connect millions of students and educators in 200 countries with authentic correspondents. Other sites that publish student work include KidPub: http://www.kidpub.com ; and Bookworm: http://www.bookworm-mag.com ; and WriteKids: http://writekids.tripod.com ; and Your Student News: http://www.yourstudentnews.com (Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H., 2012, p. 273).
References
Kuhn, D. (2007). Is Direct Instruction an Answer to the Right Question? Educational Psychologist. 42(2), 109-113.
Roblyer, M.D. & Doering, A.H. (2013) Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, Sixth Edition. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN-10 0-13-282015-3, ISBN-13 978-0-13-282015-8.
Link to WordPress version
Comments:
by Kristin Morris - Friday, July 20, 2012, 09:55 PM
http://kkmizmo.weebly.com/writing-and-tech-tools--era.html
Re: Tech Tools’ new E.R.A. equals engaging, relevant, authentic Writing
by Stephen Bretz - Saturday, July 21, 2012, 04:28 PM
Hi Kristine,
Very thorough job of giving reasons and examples of the relative advantage of technology for writing. I really appreciate all of the examples because I'm teaching a Language Arts class for the first time this year at my school and there isn't an established curriculum. You've included some very helpful resources.
Stephen
P.S. I noticed that when you're discussing digital concept mapping you provide a hyperlink for Bubble.us, but not for Inspiration and Mindmaple (which is my favorite). Not sure if this was on purpose.
Re: Tech Tools’ new E.R.A. equals engaging, relevant, authentic Writing
by Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. - Sunday, July 22, 2012, 01:40 PM
Nice integration of a rationale and some examples for digital writing. I love the Kuhn quote.
Final Reflections
on EdTech 541: Technology Integration in the Curriculum
I’ve learned a ton of strategies for using Web 2.0 tools to increase interactivity. I’ve seen how TechPack works – not that that was hard to understand, but just seeing the reasoning processes spelled out makes implicit knowledge explicit. At first I thought the course work hit on every aspect of the AECT, but it only addressed half of the standards:
1.1 Instructional Systems Design; Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is an organized procedure that includes the steps of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating instruction.
1.2 Message Design Message design involves planning for the manipulation of the physical form of the message.
1.3 Instructional Strategies Instructional strategies are specifications for selecting and sequencing events and activities within a lesson.
1.4 Learner Characteristics Learner characteristics are those facets of the learner’s experiential background that impact the effectiveness of a learning process.
2.3 Computer-Based Technologies Computer-based technologies are ways to produce or deliver materials using microprocessor-based resources.
2.4 Integrated Technologies Integrated technologies are ways to produce and deliver materials which encompass several forms of media under the control of a computer.
3.1 Media Utilization Media utilization is the systematic use of resources for learning.
3.2 Diffusion of Innovations Diffusion of innovations is the process of communicating through planned strategies for the purpose of gaining adoption.
3.4 Policies and Regulations Policies and regulations are the rules and actions of society (or its surrogates) that affect the diffusion and use of Instructional Technology.
5.1 Problem Analysis
In the affective domain, I’ve gained a lot more confidence professionally. I have a lot of great projects to share with students, whenever I have a job again. Also, I have a portfolio of concrete products that demonstrate to prospective administrators what I can do. Certainly, I’ve come to a much better understanding of trends in Web 2.0 and in how lacking the first computerized learning products really were. I love how easy it will be to connect to other learners across the globe, when I do teach again. I wish I had more time to see what peers were up to for this course. I’d say most of the projects I created were guided by theory, and I’m very satisfied that I will now be able to support what I’m doing in class with recent research. In fact, I was careful to save relevant research so that I can pull out papers to lend credence to activities such as making videos, setting up student wikis, blogs and collaboration.
Simplicity of design often takes longer to create, I've found, and I realize I need to recheck and recheck again the particularities of an assignment because the cognitive load of researching for two classes plus the bumbling through so many decisions of focus for assigned products plus the vexing distraction of trying to interact with “peers” who don’t know me, don’t really want to know me, don’t seem to think deeply or critically and take themselves way too seriously. Sometimes I’m just too proud and impatient and attached to being right to spend the time building relationships online. For me this online learning space has been an echoing hall – kind of like that gothic entry tunnel in Second Life where I sent my avatar stumbling through the introductory quest -- meeting each challenge with approximate success and catching fleeting glimpses of other avatars who pass me like disinterested ghosts.
The problem is I really enjoy laughing, especially at myself and at the irony in so many situations that life brings minute by minute, but online, especially asynchronous online communication is so dismally lacking in spontaneity, and verbal irony is so easily misconstrued that I find it more of a painstaking chore than it’s worth. When I do see into the thinking of a peer while reading a reply or comment or post, I’m grateful for the glimmer of connection but unlike in a real class of colleagues, there’s no chance to widen the channel into a lasting meaningful interchange. Give and take of ideas in the moment is my real strength as a teacher, and the moments of insight I get can’t find the resonance that I’ve depended on in the past to solidify new ideas. In a church service filled with African Americans, there is a constant undercurrent of affirmation vocalized non-verbally -- appreciative “Ummm-hmmm’s” and head nodding and body language. None of that is present in online learning. I really don’t think this is the way American education should head.
If I were more in control of the content, or if my skill and understanding about technology integration were as up to speed as Jackie’s, maybe I could afford to spend the time to develop my skills at deliberate community building. I did appreciate the high quality of the examples she provided. I especially appreciated the interactive resource from Pearson that accompanied the prior edition of the text and which Jackie gave us a link to. I regret that Jackie’s forte is in video podcasting and I never got to see any of her in action. I also would have liked more feedback on the practical aspects of my lesson plans. Because I am a writer, I believe the blog should suffice for the reflection aspect of the course, at least during the truncated summer session. I found myself having already said what was important to me by the time “reflection” time came along.
All in all, I worked at peak performance this summer given the load, and I’m confident in my own efficacy in tech integration, now, because of the exacting curriculum. Maybe the collegial relationships will come later.
1.1 Instructional Systems Design; Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is an organized procedure that includes the steps of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating instruction.
1.2 Message Design Message design involves planning for the manipulation of the physical form of the message.
1.3 Instructional Strategies Instructional strategies are specifications for selecting and sequencing events and activities within a lesson.
1.4 Learner Characteristics Learner characteristics are those facets of the learner’s experiential background that impact the effectiveness of a learning process.
2.3 Computer-Based Technologies Computer-based technologies are ways to produce or deliver materials using microprocessor-based resources.
2.4 Integrated Technologies Integrated technologies are ways to produce and deliver materials which encompass several forms of media under the control of a computer.
3.1 Media Utilization Media utilization is the systematic use of resources for learning.
3.2 Diffusion of Innovations Diffusion of innovations is the process of communicating through planned strategies for the purpose of gaining adoption.
3.4 Policies and Regulations Policies and regulations are the rules and actions of society (or its surrogates) that affect the diffusion and use of Instructional Technology.
5.1 Problem Analysis
In the affective domain, I’ve gained a lot more confidence professionally. I have a lot of great projects to share with students, whenever I have a job again. Also, I have a portfolio of concrete products that demonstrate to prospective administrators what I can do. Certainly, I’ve come to a much better understanding of trends in Web 2.0 and in how lacking the first computerized learning products really were. I love how easy it will be to connect to other learners across the globe, when I do teach again. I wish I had more time to see what peers were up to for this course. I’d say most of the projects I created were guided by theory, and I’m very satisfied that I will now be able to support what I’m doing in class with recent research. In fact, I was careful to save relevant research so that I can pull out papers to lend credence to activities such as making videos, setting up student wikis, blogs and collaboration.
Simplicity of design often takes longer to create, I've found, and I realize I need to recheck and recheck again the particularities of an assignment because the cognitive load of researching for two classes plus the bumbling through so many decisions of focus for assigned products plus the vexing distraction of trying to interact with “peers” who don’t know me, don’t really want to know me, don’t seem to think deeply or critically and take themselves way too seriously. Sometimes I’m just too proud and impatient and attached to being right to spend the time building relationships online. For me this online learning space has been an echoing hall – kind of like that gothic entry tunnel in Second Life where I sent my avatar stumbling through the introductory quest -- meeting each challenge with approximate success and catching fleeting glimpses of other avatars who pass me like disinterested ghosts.
The problem is I really enjoy laughing, especially at myself and at the irony in so many situations that life brings minute by minute, but online, especially asynchronous online communication is so dismally lacking in spontaneity, and verbal irony is so easily misconstrued that I find it more of a painstaking chore than it’s worth. When I do see into the thinking of a peer while reading a reply or comment or post, I’m grateful for the glimmer of connection but unlike in a real class of colleagues, there’s no chance to widen the channel into a lasting meaningful interchange. Give and take of ideas in the moment is my real strength as a teacher, and the moments of insight I get can’t find the resonance that I’ve depended on in the past to solidify new ideas. In a church service filled with African Americans, there is a constant undercurrent of affirmation vocalized non-verbally -- appreciative “Ummm-hmmm’s” and head nodding and body language. None of that is present in online learning. I really don’t think this is the way American education should head.
If I were more in control of the content, or if my skill and understanding about technology integration were as up to speed as Jackie’s, maybe I could afford to spend the time to develop my skills at deliberate community building. I did appreciate the high quality of the examples she provided. I especially appreciated the interactive resource from Pearson that accompanied the prior edition of the text and which Jackie gave us a link to. I regret that Jackie’s forte is in video podcasting and I never got to see any of her in action. I also would have liked more feedback on the practical aspects of my lesson plans. Because I am a writer, I believe the blog should suffice for the reflection aspect of the course, at least during the truncated summer session. I found myself having already said what was important to me by the time “reflection” time came along.
All in all, I worked at peak performance this summer given the load, and I’m confident in my own efficacy in tech integration, now, because of the exacting curriculum. Maybe the collegial relationships will come later.