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Friday, March 15, 2013

Learning Makes a Difference 03/15/2013

  • Interesting article in Tech & Learning about STEM. Describes Obama's "Educate to Innovate" and STEM's Report Card which is a report card that says less than 1/2 of respondents have a STEM program in their schools. Discusses future of STEM.

    tags: learn learning

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Sunday, March 03, 2013

Using Digital Learning to Promote Deeper Thinking

Digital Learning is NOT about computers.

Digital learning IS about incorporating the new access to information and tools that is available through technology.   This increased access provides learners with an opportunity to make learning meaningful. It enables them to feel as though they are integral in the learning process.

GettingSmart.com has created the infographic below to demonstrate how a variety of tools create opportunities for students to become involved in deeper learning.

Getting Smart also has released a 28-page report of How Digital Learning Contributes to Deeper Learning. This report is downloadable and it is FILLED with suggestions and resources for making learning meaningful to students. This is a MUST READ report for educators who want to make learning more than memorizing facts.



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Monday, February 18, 2013

Second Life: Another Perspective on Virtual Reality

        Second Life is a virtual world of imagination. Locations, avatars, and ideas are integrated into a realistic 3D setting. This computer-based, simulated multi-media environment enables users to assume unlimited roles in the shape of an avatar and graphically interact with other individuals in user-created worlds. More than 1 million users sign-on per month and it generates over $75 million per year in sales. These sales include rentals in Second Life as well as the sale of virtual goods for avatars (i.e., clothes, houses, decorations.)
         Creating an account is the first step in exploring Second Life. It is simple to create your account and define yourself with an avatar. You can begin by exploring the many lands that populate Second Life for free. Later you may want to create your own space by buying a plot of land for a minimal cost. You can create your own land of imagination and elaborate your dreams in ways that can only be explained through experience. 
            Second Life is actively used in education. It is estimated that as many as 300 higher education organizations teach courses or conduct research in Second Life. Here is a directory of academic organizations who have a presence.  Eighth grade through twelfth grade schools had a presence in Second Life until 2011 when Linden closed the Teen Second Life Grid.
            Innovative technology has been integrated to the training sessions in many of the companies and organizations. Companies use Second Life for product demos, virtual  fairs, or 3D presentation of data. Virtual training can be presented in a gaming format. Virtual learning environments can be enriched with embedded Youtube videos, slide shows, and even links to websites outside of Second Life.
Want to get started? Here is a blog posting giving step-by-step instructions on creating an account in Second Life:  http://goo.gl/nBL1Z

Web Resources on Second Life in Education:
Image: Some rights reserved by John "Pathfinder" Lester
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Student-Centered Online Learning?


Student-Centered Online Learning?     Is it possible?

This is one thing that I have been having problems with in my online learning classes.  Years ago, I was teaching online though Adobe Connect and some other video conferencing tools but I was unsatisfied.  I wanted all of us to be able to see each other online, but we just didn't have the bandwidth. I would complain to our technical gurus but they just reminded me of the laws of physics that limited the amount of data that could be shoved through a digital hose at one time.

So, I began to teach online like the rest of the professors where the students watched me and then responded by typing their comments in the chat box (see lower left box above.)  The problem was that it was too ME-centered. Yes, some of you may have just dropped your gum hearing me say that, but learning isn't about the teacher talking. It is about the students interacting in the process of discovering new ideas.

Anyway, this is the way that I have been using video conferencing as a teaching tool for the past couple of years and it has been less than rewarding. I would talk and students would type.  I was proud of my ability to read the scrolling written discussion as I spoke and incorporating it into my talk without a stutter.  It just didn't have the interaction that I typically have in a face-to-face classroom.

Last semester I was teaching my Selection and Integration of Instructional Technologies course to our Instructional Technology Masters students. One of the assignments involves small groups of students finding journal articles that relate to our study module. They lead online written discussions about the articles but then they also have to lead a video-conferenced discussion as well. This process involves these students using their webcams to show their likenesses and then leading the discussion. Please note, I (Dr. Z) turn off my webcam AND mute my microphone so that I have no input into the discussion except for an occasional text message telling them that we need to "move on."

I LOVED this!!!!  This is the way it SHOULD be!!!!  Students are sharing their ideas and leading the discussion. They are taking control of their own learning and I am sitting at the side guiding the process in a forwardly direction - whatever that may mean.

SOOOOOOOO, I am teaching my Selection and Integration class again this semester. I have been talking and the students have been typing in the notes section. We haven't begun the Articles assignment yet, but I wanted to get the students more involved tonight. The question was - How?

I begin each class (before we begin recording) by verbally greeting each student. I expect them to respond verbally. I even ask them to use their webcam when available, but they seem a little shy for that. Tonight, we were discussing the definition of Literacy and New Literacies.  I began the discussion but asked students to use their webcams when they responded. It was slow at first, but most of them allowed us to see them as they spoke. I shared the screen with them for while, but eventually turned it off and the light "only shone on them." I spoke to provide some direction occasionally, but found that just sitting quietly when students weren't talking was quite successful because teachers can't stand "Dead Air" and they rush to fill the void.

As class proceeded, the students took over. See the screenshot ↑↑↑↑↑ UP THERE ↑↑↑↑↑ The students are in charge and Dr. Z is no where to be seen.    HOOORAY!!!

It was a successful evening and I look forward to our future discussions.  Many of the students mentioned that they enjoyed the process and looked forward to doing it next week and in the future.

I believe that this is a significant step in my journey to make my online courses more student-centered.  Online learning is not necessarily 21st century learning.  It can be just as 19th century as boring lectures in the flesh only they can do more damage across a larger stretch of land.   =-)

The key is in the pedagogical design that places students at the center of their learning experiences.

What do you do to help your students take control of their learning in your online courses?

Z
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Saturday, January 26, 2013

EduCon 2.5 in Philly this Weekend!!!

EduCon 2.5 is happening in Philly this weekend!!!!Educon 2.5 is a national conference in Philly this weekend. It has some of the leading minds in 21st Century education attending. http://educonphilly.org


Here are the guiding principles behind EduCon
  1. Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members.
  2. Our schools must be about co-creating — together with our students — the 21st Century Citizen.
  3. Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
  4. Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate, and collaborate.
  5. Learning can — and must — be networked.
  6.  
At this time, there are 278 attendees.  Here is a link to a page with their names and photos. http://educonphilly.org/attendees

You can see the schedule of presentations down the right side of the page. 

Wish I was there, but instead I can watch the conversations through live streaming video.  You can TOOO!   

  1. You have to begin by signing up and creating a profile. http://educonphilly.org/register
  2. Go to the Conversations and find ones that interest you. http://educonphilly.org/conversations
  3. You just need to select the conversation and then sign-in.
  4. The list of conversations look appetizing and the people presenting them are leaders in our field.  These aren't lectures, they are interactive sessions with attendees discussing ideas and the presenters facilitating discussion.
  5. You can watch it occur as it happens because they are using YouTube Broadcast to stream the presentations.  The greatest part is that if you miss a session, the session is posted immediately for your enjoyment.
You can also follow some of the happenings through Twitter using #educon

This is a MUST experience.

Good luck and enjoy your first Virtual conference.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

End of the Semester Humor

Does this sound like your interaction with some students?

Brittany and her professor discuss her success in class.




Another student complains about his grade.

 

 Hope you had a good semester. 

 Z

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Your Class Might be Learner-Centric If . . . (a work in progress)

flickr.com/superkimbo

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 I woke up this morning thinking about learner-centric learning environments. Hmmm, is that dedication or distraction if you dream about 21st century learning? 

Anyway, I had the opening phrase "Your class might be learner-centric if . . . " on my lips when I awoke. I am interested in making a conscious effort to make my courses learner-centric.

Many of my activities and my teaching philosophy tends to be learner-centric, but I want to finding a set of guidelines that I could use in refining my courses. 

So I began my search for such a list and composited the list below. This is a work in progress, so please provide me with feedback or your ideas about the list.

Please note that I have stated that your class MIGHT be learner-centric if it has these characteristics. A learner-centered learning environment is more than a few characteristics.  It is an overall learning experience that can be created when these characteristics are present.

Add your ideas to the comment section down below.

Your class might be learner-centric if: (apologies to Jeff Foxworthy . . . )

  • ·      Your students talk more then you do in class.
  • ·      Your students are working harder than you.
  • ·      Your students are explicitly learning the required thinking skills for mastering material in the discipline.
  • ·      Your students are reflecting, analyzing and critiquing what they are learning and how they are learning it.
  • ·      Your students have some choice about which assignments they complete.
  • ·      Your students help create the assessment criteria/rubrics.
  • ·      Your students are collaborating as learning communities.
  • ·      You share the learning commitment with your students.
  • ·      You and your students see learning individually and collectively as the goal of education.
  • ·      Your students demonstrate their knowledge in unique ways.
  • ·      Your students are actively engaged in individual and group learning activities.

What do you have to add?