Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999( identified that for students to learn effectively they must be engaged in whatever it is they are learning. Students now need to have a deeper understanding and take ownership of their learning. They need to be involved in deciding what the project is will be working on, how they will communicate with others and research the topic and then present their final product to those outside of their classroom.
The learning engagement theory is based on three components:
1. Relate- students needs to work in small teams of 3+ individuals and collaborate when researching a topic
2. Create- students decide what it is they are going to work on and conduct their own project
3. Donate- students present their work to the wider community ie: local councils, local businesses etc.
The main point highlighted in Kearsley and Shneiderman's paper "Engagement Theory: A Framework for technology-based teaching and learning", is that the learning needs to be in an authentic context which will increase student motivation and satisfaction. "engagement theory places a great deal of emphasis on providing an authentic (i.e., meaningful) setting for learning, something not present in previous models" Kearsley & Shneiderman (1999, p. 2)
References:
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A Framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved March 14, 2010 from http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au
Hmmmmmm.....
Photo courtesy of Flickr. Retreived 11th April 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Assignment 2- Reflective synopsis
EDED20491- ICTs for learning design Assignment 2 - Emma Plumb s0193584
Over the last two months I have surprised myself at how quickly I have learnt about amazing “new” technologies in this course, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Learning Design. My learning has been student centred, based on two theories, which are The Learning Engagement Theory (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999) and Active Learning. This posting is a reflection on how I would use these theories and ICTs in my pedagogical strategies. I have linked these to my previous blog postings, where more detail is provided.
With the emergence of ICTs, over the last twenty to thirty years, we are now living in the knowledge economy, where people need skills beyond education (Houghton & Sheehan, 2000). Firms and companies are looking for employees who have emotional/social intelligence as well as academic skills (Abraham, 2006). With this in mind, I will teach accordingly, as it is important for students seeking employment to be able to learn skills over time rather than having a huge amount of knowledge in one particular area. Therefore, I will be informing students they need to keep abreast of changes as the learners of today are more than likely going to have more than one job during their lifetime. As Sir Ken Robinson highlights, in his video, all students need to be given the opportunity to succeed, no matter where their learning preferences lie. For these reasons, as a teacher I will need to provide students with the opportunity to engage in Problem Based Learning (PBL) which is active learning where the learner takes ownership of their learning and they engage in higher order thinking skills.
My learning journey in school and university, some twenty plus years ago, was very teacher centred and I had very little opportunity to fully engage in subjects and receive the full benefit of the learning experience. Most of my classes were spent sitting at a desk with my teacher talking and using chalk to write on a blackboard. Today we have all sorts of wonderful technologies to help the learning experience enabling the focus to be student centred learning. An example of this has been with the use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in classrooms. Children will tend to jump at the opportunity to use them, becoming totally engaged in the lesson. Behaviour is a problem in schools where students are not engaged, whereas many schools today that regularly use IWBs, like Parkhurst State School, have very few behaviour issues. Last week, in my first teaching lesson, I incorporated ICTs by using an avatar, powerpoint presentation and an animation from YouTube and I noticed the behaviour was significantly better than the previous lesson where I was an observer and no ICTs were used. Here, I catered for a range of different learning styles by using audio-visual technologies and the class also participated in a kinaesthetic activity. My personality type and the way I learn, may affect my teaching style so I need to be constantly mindful of this when implementing my pedagogical strategies.
Students in classrooms today need to have a sense of belonging by having their needs met before they are able to be motivated to learn (Kunc 1992). I will need to consider my learners needs as they may not be full-filled which can have a profound effect on their learning ability. I have already seen examples of this in my EPL site, where children are abused in one way shape or form, or have parents who do not encourage them. Trying to boost these students’ self-esteem is very challenging for teachers and requires constant reassurance. The use of blogs, wikis, e.portfolios and avatars would all be beneficial for these students as a platform to express themselves and communicate with others.
Discussion forums have been vital to my learning in this course where my colleagues and I have created a Community of Practice. I hope some of us will keep in contact through a common medium, for example the Moodle discussion forums and blogs, and continue to support each other and share information in the future. I will be encouraging students to use blogs, e.portfolios and wikis so they can share information and ideas at any time of day or night. However, ICTs are not always accessible to everyone but this can be overcome by allowing students to learn from one another as shown in Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” project. Incorporating ICTs into our pedagogical strategies can be very beneficial as most are accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Students can use the internet and email for their study at home, university or other destination, enabling them to decide when and where they will learn. Recently I established a Delicious account, after Sally, a fellow GDLT student, told me to consider it. I now have my favourite websites at my fingertips no matter when or where I am working online.
This course has taught me how using technology can be linked to:
• The immediacy of learning, for example a google search in school by teacher or student using an IWB, will engage and interest all students.
• Authentic tasks and how important they are for student learning by engaging in activities learners are interested in. I can incorporate various KLA’s in an authentic task, for example using angles, time and distances in mathematics and then participating in a physics experiment creating rockets and calculating its maximum height.
• Engage previously unengaged students as demonstrated in the “Voices from the Cape” video.
• More student-centred learning and higher order thinking
As well as those technologies listed above I feel INCOMPTECH, WIKIpedia, Picnik, Flickr would be useful for secondary school students as a way of researching, interpreting. manipulation and collating information for their final product.
Skills, students require for the 21st century, are those which result in higher order thinking, creativity and reflecting. The importance of incorporating ICTs into our pedagogical framework is highlighted in the curriculum documents in every state. I will need to design authentic learning experiences so students are engaged in their learning and thinking beyond the classroom. By doing this, the learning experience has a purpose and therefore students will find it enjoyable and engage in interactive learning throughout their life.
REFERENCES:
Abraham, A. (2006) The need for the integration of emotional intelligence skills. Wollongong, NSW Faculty of Commerce papers.
Active Learning Online
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Houghton, J. and Sheehan, P. (2000) A Primer on the Knowledge Economy, Victoria University. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from 14 March, 2010 from http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.
Kunc, K. (1992) The Need to Belong: Rediscovering Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs.
http://www.normemma.com/armaslow.htm
Siemens, G. (2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age Retrieved 15 March, 210 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.
Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk (2006, Feb) [Video file]. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://blog.ted.com/2006/06/sir_ken_robinso.php
Links to comments made on fellow GDLT student blogs:
http://sallyjames2010.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-is-bookmarking-and-what-are.html#comment-form
http://susanslearningdesign1.blogspot.com/2010/04/indigenous-australians.html?
http://learningjourneychrissy.blogspot.com/2010/03/obesity-powerpoint-presentation.html#comment-form
http://justinelinderberg.blogspot.com/2010/03/introducing-counting-bear.html#comment-form
http://nataliemccabe.blogspot.com/2010/04/music-such-wonderful-thing.html
http://rlball.blogspot.com/2010/03/voki.html
Over the last two months I have surprised myself at how quickly I have learnt about amazing “new” technologies in this course, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Learning Design. My learning has been student centred, based on two theories, which are The Learning Engagement Theory (Kearsley and Shneiderman, 1999) and Active Learning. This posting is a reflection on how I would use these theories and ICTs in my pedagogical strategies. I have linked these to my previous blog postings, where more detail is provided.
With the emergence of ICTs, over the last twenty to thirty years, we are now living in the knowledge economy, where people need skills beyond education (Houghton & Sheehan, 2000). Firms and companies are looking for employees who have emotional/social intelligence as well as academic skills (Abraham, 2006). With this in mind, I will teach accordingly, as it is important for students seeking employment to be able to learn skills over time rather than having a huge amount of knowledge in one particular area. Therefore, I will be informing students they need to keep abreast of changes as the learners of today are more than likely going to have more than one job during their lifetime. As Sir Ken Robinson highlights, in his video, all students need to be given the opportunity to succeed, no matter where their learning preferences lie. For these reasons, as a teacher I will need to provide students with the opportunity to engage in Problem Based Learning (PBL) which is active learning where the learner takes ownership of their learning and they engage in higher order thinking skills.
My learning journey in school and university, some twenty plus years ago, was very teacher centred and I had very little opportunity to fully engage in subjects and receive the full benefit of the learning experience. Most of my classes were spent sitting at a desk with my teacher talking and using chalk to write on a blackboard. Today we have all sorts of wonderful technologies to help the learning experience enabling the focus to be student centred learning. An example of this has been with the use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in classrooms. Children will tend to jump at the opportunity to use them, becoming totally engaged in the lesson. Behaviour is a problem in schools where students are not engaged, whereas many schools today that regularly use IWBs, like Parkhurst State School, have very few behaviour issues. Last week, in my first teaching lesson, I incorporated ICTs by using an avatar, powerpoint presentation and an animation from YouTube and I noticed the behaviour was significantly better than the previous lesson where I was an observer and no ICTs were used. Here, I catered for a range of different learning styles by using audio-visual technologies and the class also participated in a kinaesthetic activity. My personality type and the way I learn, may affect my teaching style so I need to be constantly mindful of this when implementing my pedagogical strategies.
Students in classrooms today need to have a sense of belonging by having their needs met before they are able to be motivated to learn (Kunc 1992). I will need to consider my learners needs as they may not be full-filled which can have a profound effect on their learning ability. I have already seen examples of this in my EPL site, where children are abused in one way shape or form, or have parents who do not encourage them. Trying to boost these students’ self-esteem is very challenging for teachers and requires constant reassurance. The use of blogs, wikis, e.portfolios and avatars would all be beneficial for these students as a platform to express themselves and communicate with others.
Discussion forums have been vital to my learning in this course where my colleagues and I have created a Community of Practice. I hope some of us will keep in contact through a common medium, for example the Moodle discussion forums and blogs, and continue to support each other and share information in the future. I will be encouraging students to use blogs, e.portfolios and wikis so they can share information and ideas at any time of day or night. However, ICTs are not always accessible to everyone but this can be overcome by allowing students to learn from one another as shown in Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” project. Incorporating ICTs into our pedagogical strategies can be very beneficial as most are accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Students can use the internet and email for their study at home, university or other destination, enabling them to decide when and where they will learn. Recently I established a Delicious account, after Sally, a fellow GDLT student, told me to consider it. I now have my favourite websites at my fingertips no matter when or where I am working online.
This course has taught me how using technology can be linked to:
• The immediacy of learning, for example a google search in school by teacher or student using an IWB, will engage and interest all students.
• Authentic tasks and how important they are for student learning by engaging in activities learners are interested in. I can incorporate various KLA’s in an authentic task, for example using angles, time and distances in mathematics and then participating in a physics experiment creating rockets and calculating its maximum height.
• Engage previously unengaged students as demonstrated in the “Voices from the Cape” video.
• More student-centred learning and higher order thinking
As well as those technologies listed above I feel INCOMPTECH, WIKIpedia, Picnik, Flickr would be useful for secondary school students as a way of researching, interpreting. manipulation and collating information for their final product.
Skills, students require for the 21st century, are those which result in higher order thinking, creativity and reflecting. The importance of incorporating ICTs into our pedagogical framework is highlighted in the curriculum documents in every state. I will need to design authentic learning experiences so students are engaged in their learning and thinking beyond the classroom. By doing this, the learning experience has a purpose and therefore students will find it enjoyable and engage in interactive learning throughout their life.
REFERENCES:
Abraham, A. (2006) The need for the integration of emotional intelligence skills. Wollongong, NSW Faculty of Commerce papers.
Active Learning Online
http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Houghton, J. and Sheehan, P. (2000) A Primer on the Knowledge Economy, Victoria University. Retrieved from CQUniversity e-course, EDED20491 ICTs for learning design, http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved from 14 March, 2010 from http://e-courses.cqu.edu.au.
Kunc, K. (1992) The Need to Belong: Rediscovering Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs.
http://www.normemma.com/armaslow.htm
Siemens, G. (2004) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age Retrieved 15 March, 210 from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.
Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk (2006, Feb) [Video file]. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://blog.ted.com/2006/06/sir_ken_robinso.php
Links to comments made on fellow GDLT student blogs:
http://sallyjames2010.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-is-bookmarking-and-what-are.html#comment-form
http://susanslearningdesign1.blogspot.com/2010/04/indigenous-australians.html?
http://learningjourneychrissy.blogspot.com/2010/03/obesity-powerpoint-presentation.html#comment-form
http://justinelinderberg.blogspot.com/2010/03/introducing-counting-bear.html#comment-form
http://nataliemccabe.blogspot.com/2010/04/music-such-wonderful-thing.html
http://rlball.blogspot.com/2010/03/voki.html
Active Learning and how we can use it today
Dale's Cone suggests that the most effective form of learning "involves direct, purposeful learning experiences, such as hands-on or field experiences". From Dale's cone we can see the traditional way students were once taught, using verbal and visual symbols, are definitely not as effective as direct/purposeful experiences. By using ICTs, such as wikis, blogs, and e.portfolios, in the classroom today I would be providing students with the opportunity to be involved in authentic tasks with real world value.
References:
Active Learning online: Retrieved March 27, 2010 from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
References:
Active Learning online: Retrieved March 27, 2010 from http://www.acu.edu/cte/activelearning/whyuseal2.htm
Saturday, April 17, 2010
My blog today
I have now been using a blog for approximately six weeks. I have found it easy to use and, for me, it is an excellent online journal. I have found blogging very useful and I now regularly store information regarding my learning journey through this course on my blog. This has enabled me to write my reflective synopsis with some ease as I have all my thoughts, postings, and opinions in one place. Blogs are excellent places for people to come together as a community of practice and comment on each others views, findings and philosophies. I am following other’s blogs by using RSS aggregator feeds, so I can be notified of any additional postings made. Students would find this useful when participating group assessment items as they can view what others had prepared on a regular basis. This form of communication is invaluable and fantastic for collaboration.
I will be using blogs in my lessons with students as blogs encourage them to feel they have ownership of the information (blog) they post and they are motivated as they have people who are intersted following their blog postings. Students are able to use blogs for reflecting on their experiences. Blogs are wonderful for students to learn 24hours a day seven days a week and blogging is a great skill for their digital futures. I have family living on a farm in a remote location and feel blogs would be a good medium for the children to use for connecting with their 'school of the air' teachers and other students learning in another remote area. These children are often miles from the nearest town and have very little contact with other children, by using a blogs they would be able to form online friendships. Children with similar interests in sport, television shows etc would be able to communicate discussing the latest happenings in their particular interest.
References:
Wenger, E. (2006). Communities of practice a brief introduction. Retrieved March19, 2010 from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
I will be using blogs in my lessons with students as blogs encourage them to feel they have ownership of the information (blog) they post and they are motivated as they have people who are intersted following their blog postings. Students are able to use blogs for reflecting on their experiences. Blogs are wonderful for students to learn 24hours a day seven days a week and blogging is a great skill for their digital futures. I have family living on a farm in a remote location and feel blogs would be a good medium for the children to use for connecting with their 'school of the air' teachers and other students learning in another remote area. These children are often miles from the nearest town and have very little contact with other children, by using a blogs they would be able to form online friendships. Children with similar interests in sport, television shows etc would be able to communicate discussing the latest happenings in their particular interest.
References:
Wenger, E. (2006). Communities of practice a brief introduction. Retrieved March19, 2010 from http://www.ewenger.com/theory/
Problem based learning (PBL)
I have demonstrated problem based (PBL) learning in the GDLT course as I have been responsible for my own learning. It is an active form of learning where the learner takes ownership of their learning. PBL prepares students for their professional life after completing the course, for example learning the ability to problem solve and work in successful teams. It is closely linked to Kearsley and Shneiderman’s Engagement Theory minus the donate aspect. PBL involves a group of students being presented with a problem (authentic), have a group discussion (hypotheses), perform individual research and finally more group discussion (conclusions).
I have accepted the challenges in this course by taking risks and being involved with learning the new technologies. I have surprised myself by just how much I have learnt by engaging in all the activities. I am very proud of teaching myself all these technologies and discovering how I can use them in the classroom. I engaged myself with this course very early on- attedning the mahara information evening and participating in the online course information and activities through moodle. I have been responsible for my own learning and deciding when and how it will take place. I have seen great benefit in this form of learning and believe it will be effective way to teaching my learners.
References:
Central Queesnland University (2002) Problem Based Learning. Retrieved March 14, 2010 from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved March 16, 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
I have accepted the challenges in this course by taking risks and being involved with learning the new technologies. I have surprised myself by just how much I have learnt by engaging in all the activities. I am very proud of teaching myself all these technologies and discovering how I can use them in the classroom. I engaged myself with this course very early on- attedning the mahara information evening and participating in the online course information and activities through moodle. I have been responsible for my own learning and deciding when and how it will take place. I have seen great benefit in this form of learning and believe it will be effective way to teaching my learners.
References:
Central Queesnland University (2002) Problem Based Learning. Retrieved March 14, 2010 from http://pbl.cqu.edu.au/
Kearsley, G., & Shneiderman, B. (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved March 16, 2010 from http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm
Lynch’s Eight Learning Management Questions
It is suggested teachers ask themselves the following eight questions when they are preparing an activity for their learners-
1. What do my students already know? (ie establish what learner already knows)
2. Where does my learner need to be? (ie use the curriculum and DoL 2 to set goals)
3. How best does my learner learn? (ie different learning styles of my learner- visual, kinaesthetic, verbal, written)
4. What resources do I have at my disposal? (ie ICTs, human, books, articles etc)
5. What will constitute the learning journey? (ie an authentic task so students can work as a team producing a solution to a real problem)
6. Who will do what? (ie identify the leaders and who will aid in the learning journey- family, friends, business, industry etc)
7. How will I check to see if my learner has succeeded? (ie use formative and summative assessment with rubrics and feedback)
8. How will I inform the learner of their progress? (ie reporting of student’s learning experience- journals, portfolios etc)
Without asking these questions along with the Dimensions of Learning framework teachers will not be able to provide students with a meaningful learning experience.
Reference:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Meinczakowski, . (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) in education capability", Change: Tranformations in Education, (6) (2): 23-37. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465
1. What do my students already know? (ie establish what learner already knows)
2. Where does my learner need to be? (ie use the curriculum and DoL 2 to set goals)
3. How best does my learner learn? (ie different learning styles of my learner- visual, kinaesthetic, verbal, written)
4. What resources do I have at my disposal? (ie ICTs, human, books, articles etc)
5. What will constitute the learning journey? (ie an authentic task so students can work as a team producing a solution to a real problem)
6. Who will do what? (ie identify the leaders and who will aid in the learning journey- family, friends, business, industry etc)
7. How will I check to see if my learner has succeeded? (ie use formative and summative assessment with rubrics and feedback)
8. How will I inform the learner of their progress? (ie reporting of student’s learning experience- journals, portfolios etc)
Without asking these questions along with the Dimensions of Learning framework teachers will not be able to provide students with a meaningful learning experience.
Reference:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Meinczakowski, . (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) in education capability", Change: Tranformations in Education, (6) (2): 23-37. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://moodle.cqu.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=44465
Dimensions of Learning framework and how I have used this in my learning journey
The Dimensions of Learning pedagogical framework is what I have been using for learning about ICTs for Learning Design in the GDLT course. Throughout this learning journey I have employed all five dimensions, but my learning has mainly focussed on DoL 1 and 5 which complement each other:
1) Attitudes and Perceptions- My thoughts on this course have changed significantly since the start, where I was unsure of what lay ahead. I did not know if I would be able to succeed with the course being online and totally different to any course I had completed previously. I admit I was very negative at first and had to overcome this by actively engaging myself in all the readings and activities. I have been able to see how I can use these technologies in my teaching areas and relate them to real life situations for students.
2) Acquire and integrate knowledge- Two important areas in this dimension are declarative (what the learner knows or understands) and procedural knowledge (what the learner is able to do). I have learnt how to use a number of different ICTs and can see the benefit of using them in my teaching. I knew little of this area when I started, hence some reluctance, but having the information organised I will now remember how to use many of these technologies in the future. I have been required to use all these to make them meaningful for me and see how I can incorporate them into the science curriculum in schools. I have had a large amount of practice with these new technologies and now I am able to use them with ease. I have also learnt a new way of acquiring knowledge and integrating it and I will not be so hesitant when using new technologies in the future.
3) Extend and refine knowledge- Throughout this course I have applied reasoning processes that will enable me to extend and refine knowledge. Common reasoning processes used are listed:
Comparing
Classifying
Abstracting
Inductive reasoning
Constructing support
Analysing errors
Analysing perspectives
4) Using knowledge meaningfully- I have been required to use all the knowledge about new technologies in the course by setting up accounts for new technologies and then experimenting with them. For example, I prepared a powerpoint presentation and then uploaded it into to slideshare before liking it to my blog. Both of the websites had information on how to use these technologies and then I actively engaged in them, helping my understanding. I had no idea what slideshare was before I came across it in this course and was proud of myself for being able to use it successfully. I was familiar with powerpoint as I had used it in my previous workplace but had to learn how to use the 2007 version. Much of that was trial and error, but with persistence, I again succeeded. I was also required to research my powerpoint topic which required a large amount of investigation. The six reasoning processes around which tasks can be constructed to encourage the meaningful use of knowledge are:
Decision making
Problem solving
Invention
Experimental inquiry
Investigation
Systems analysis
5) Habits of Mind- There are sixteen habits of mind in this dimension. However, they all fall into three different mental habits (next to some I have placed an example of where I have used these in this course)-
Critical thinking:
Be accurate and seek accuracy
Be clear and seek clarity (I have asked questions in the online forum to help my understand concepts and I have been checking my blog, and other postings, to make sure they can be understood.)
Maintain an open mind (I have not judged others due to their backgrounds, opinions and philosophies, and as a consequence, I have made new friends at uni and through the discussion forums.)
Restrain impulsivity (Being negative was a strong impulse towards this at first due to me quickly making decisions before having a better understanding of the course objectives and requirements.)
Take a position when the situation warrants it
Respond appropriately to others’ feelings and level of knowledge (I meet regularly with study groups and use the online forums where knowledge is shared and discussed, respecting everyone’s views and academic ability.)
Creative thinking:
Persevere (I keep trying even when I have been thinking of quitting and pushing myself to succeed.)
Push the limits of your knowledge and abilities (I have been engaging in new activities and technologies I know nothing about or that the existed)
Generate, trust, and maintain your own standards (I have needed to believe in myself and my abilities, creating my own personal standards to work to and praise myself for grasping the new technologies)
Generate new ways of viewing a situation that are outside the boundaries of standard conventions (I have been thinking of ways to apply these new technologies in the classroom making them interesting and engaging my learners)
Self-regulated thinking:
Monitor your own thinking (I have been required to stay positive, keep on track and believe in myself)
Plan appropriately (I have consciously been planning ahead, ie handing in a draft of my action plan well ahead of the due date)
Identify and use necessary resources (I have asked others for help- tutorials and discussion forums, and using other resources- friends, family, library etc)
Respond appropriately to feedback (I have used the discussion forums communicating with colleagues and used the feedback from the course lecturer/coordinator noting their comments)
Evaluate the effectiveness of you actions (I am always evaluating my ways to see if I could do better next time?)
It will be important me, as a teacher, to design my pedagogies around DoL 1 and 5 and using ICTs to aid me.
Reference: Marzano, R. J, and Pickering, D. J., (2006) Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual. 2nd edition: Alexandria, USA, Association for supervision and curriculum development.
1) Attitudes and Perceptions- My thoughts on this course have changed significantly since the start, where I was unsure of what lay ahead. I did not know if I would be able to succeed with the course being online and totally different to any course I had completed previously. I admit I was very negative at first and had to overcome this by actively engaging myself in all the readings and activities. I have been able to see how I can use these technologies in my teaching areas and relate them to real life situations for students.
2) Acquire and integrate knowledge- Two important areas in this dimension are declarative (what the learner knows or understands) and procedural knowledge (what the learner is able to do). I have learnt how to use a number of different ICTs and can see the benefit of using them in my teaching. I knew little of this area when I started, hence some reluctance, but having the information organised I will now remember how to use many of these technologies in the future. I have been required to use all these to make them meaningful for me and see how I can incorporate them into the science curriculum in schools. I have had a large amount of practice with these new technologies and now I am able to use them with ease. I have also learnt a new way of acquiring knowledge and integrating it and I will not be so hesitant when using new technologies in the future.
3) Extend and refine knowledge- Throughout this course I have applied reasoning processes that will enable me to extend and refine knowledge. Common reasoning processes used are listed:
Comparing
Classifying
Abstracting
Inductive reasoning
Constructing support
Analysing errors
Analysing perspectives
4) Using knowledge meaningfully- I have been required to use all the knowledge about new technologies in the course by setting up accounts for new technologies and then experimenting with them. For example, I prepared a powerpoint presentation and then uploaded it into to slideshare before liking it to my blog. Both of the websites had information on how to use these technologies and then I actively engaged in them, helping my understanding. I had no idea what slideshare was before I came across it in this course and was proud of myself for being able to use it successfully. I was familiar with powerpoint as I had used it in my previous workplace but had to learn how to use the 2007 version. Much of that was trial and error, but with persistence, I again succeeded. I was also required to research my powerpoint topic which required a large amount of investigation. The six reasoning processes around which tasks can be constructed to encourage the meaningful use of knowledge are:
Decision making
Problem solving
Invention
Experimental inquiry
Investigation
Systems analysis
5) Habits of Mind- There are sixteen habits of mind in this dimension. However, they all fall into three different mental habits (next to some I have placed an example of where I have used these in this course)-
Critical thinking:
Be accurate and seek accuracy
Be clear and seek clarity (I have asked questions in the online forum to help my understand concepts and I have been checking my blog, and other postings, to make sure they can be understood.)
Maintain an open mind (I have not judged others due to their backgrounds, opinions and philosophies, and as a consequence, I have made new friends at uni and through the discussion forums.)
Restrain impulsivity (Being negative was a strong impulse towards this at first due to me quickly making decisions before having a better understanding of the course objectives and requirements.)
Take a position when the situation warrants it
Respond appropriately to others’ feelings and level of knowledge (I meet regularly with study groups and use the online forums where knowledge is shared and discussed, respecting everyone’s views and academic ability.)
Creative thinking:
Persevere (I keep trying even when I have been thinking of quitting and pushing myself to succeed.)
Push the limits of your knowledge and abilities (I have been engaging in new activities and technologies I know nothing about or that the existed)
Generate, trust, and maintain your own standards (I have needed to believe in myself and my abilities, creating my own personal standards to work to and praise myself for grasping the new technologies)
Generate new ways of viewing a situation that are outside the boundaries of standard conventions (I have been thinking of ways to apply these new technologies in the classroom making them interesting and engaging my learners)
Self-regulated thinking:
Monitor your own thinking (I have been required to stay positive, keep on track and believe in myself)
Plan appropriately (I have consciously been planning ahead, ie handing in a draft of my action plan well ahead of the due date)
Identify and use necessary resources (I have asked others for help- tutorials and discussion forums, and using other resources- friends, family, library etc)
Respond appropriately to feedback (I have used the discussion forums communicating with colleagues and used the feedback from the course lecturer/coordinator noting their comments)
Evaluate the effectiveness of you actions (I am always evaluating my ways to see if I could do better next time?)
It will be important me, as a teacher, to design my pedagogies around DoL 1 and 5 and using ICTs to aid me.
Reference: Marzano, R. J, and Pickering, D. J., (2006) Dimensions of learning teacher’s manual. 2nd edition: Alexandria, USA, Association for supervision and curriculum development.
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