Reflection: Final Blog Posting for EDUC 6711

I do not believe I have modified my personal theory of learning during this course as much as I have refined it further. I would say that I was doing a good job achieving the social constructionism that I sought for my classroom. The new applications that I was introduced to in this class will enhance this collaborative learning environment I seek.

I would like to introduce my students to both concept mapping (Bubbl.us) and online collaboration (Voice Threads). Both of these tools allow students to construct an image of their learning as they see it. For so many years I have told my students that they needed to ask more questions because I couldn't see what they were thinking. With these applications I can start to "see" what they are thinking. This makes guiding learning and correcting misconceptions more possible.

My two long-term goal changes both involve time and patience. The first is to make sure that I am using technology as a learning tool in my classroom at least once a week. I am afraid I have been guilty of using it as an instructional tool to perform old tasks in new ways instead of looking for new tasks. The second is to challenge students to bring what they discover in their collaborations back to the classroom once a week for a debriefing of some kind. (This could be a good old fashioned discussion or a blog posting. There are many options available.) I think by setting my goals as once a week for both of these I will get students involved and comfortable with both soon after the year begins. I would like technology to be the way we learn in class by the end of the year, not the new thing that students want to play with.

Voice Thread

Voicethread.com/share/550480/

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

"When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others" (Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000). Our goal in education should be to have students construct meaning for themselves. I find that if something I am studying isn't meaningful to me, I may remember it short term but I am unable to access that information in my memory long term. (This goes back to the brain research we study in week 1 of our course.) Many of our students thrive on the interaction of their peers. We are social animals, and it makes sense to harness our learning to that drive to be social.

In using technologies within the cooperative learning framework, we are opening up the possibly of students teaching and learning from others that they have never met, that may be experts in their field. "Teaching others helps the learner develop a deeper understanding of the content" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Deeper understanding is what leads students to remember and make more connections with other things they will learn. The use of Blogs, wikis and social networking sites opens up amazing possibilities for students to share with other cultures and beliefs as well. This is a piece missing from the cooperative learning model set in a classroom's four walls. How do we as educators make the most of this rich teaching opportunity while still keeping our students safe from the negative activity that is bound to come up when working without walls?

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., & Stanne, M.B. (2000). Cooperative learning methods: A meta-analysis. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 4, 2006, from http://www.co-operation.org/pages/cl-methods.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Program eight. Social Learning Theories [Motion picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Orey.