e-Learning Reflections on Learning -- #2

The course "Designing and Delivering E-Learning Environments" is coming to a close.  

You know what that means, reflection time!

Consider the following guiding questions: 

• Do you plan to implement the initiative you developed?  Please be honest.  If yes, what are some specific challenges that you foresee in implementing the initiative you developed?  How do you plan to overcome them?   If you do not plan on implementing your initiative, why not? 
• What other thoughts and ideas do you have for developing future e-learning initiatives in your teaching and learning or professional environment?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

My initiative is very ambitious.  It covers the professional development arc of an entire school year regarding technology integration into the learning environments of every staff member at my school.  While I like the plan, honestly, I am already thinking about revising it.  Here's the reason why... Google.

I attended a Google Summit last week and was immersed for 3 days in Google Apps For Education (GAFE).  This was a direction I was considering for our school and now I am confident that we should be moving forward with it.  This will free us from many of the hardware constraints we have now, put us in 'the cloud', enable strong collaboration opportunities, and put us on par with many schools in our area.  Therefore, my initiative framework is solid, but the content needs to shift to focus on a transition to GAFE.

The foundation is in place as I have applied for and received our school GAFE account.  As the administrator of the account, I have begun to build the framework for the system.  Additionally, I have invited some early adopters on staff to begin using the system.

Before the full initiative goes into place next year, I would like to develop some e-learning opportunities for staff that can be accomplished over the summer.  This way they would be ready to jump right into the more detailed GAFE training at the beginning of the school year.

I especially like the idea of school teams being able to connect and collaborate over the summer.  If the e-learning is more casual in nature, the summer 'work' could be less intensive in content and designed towards building strong collaboration skills to use in the GAFE environment.

As for future e-learning initiatives, I would still like to see components from my original initiative take place with some exploration of tech integration strategies for learning environments.  I would also like to see some of my older students modeling skill sets for younger students in a combined e-learning project (a topic such as cyberbullying, for example, could work).  Other ideas include an online book club, professional development for local educators (easier than traveling to a site), and an "Expert in Residence" series in which a different topic expert hosts a weekly session.

e-Learning Reflections on Learning -- #1

Share your thoughts and ideas about the e-learning initiative you are developing.  

• Have you selected a topic yet, and if so, what is it and why did you choose this particular initiative?  
• What knowledge or skills do you bring to designing the initiative?   
• If you haven't selected an initiative, what are you considering?

During one of our JHU team activities (go WolfPack!), we identified a need for professional development to continue beyond the initial excitement of a workshop.  Our team was disappointed that many times the energy from a professional development activity was not sustained beyond the face-to-face (f2f) workshop resulting in little progress or change occurring.  It was suggested that we capitalize on the collaboration and team-building components that an e-learning environment can provide to promote extending the topics beyond the initial workshop. 

Within my own environment, I would like to create an initiative that extends a topic beyond our annual school-year kick-off meeting in August.  During that f2f meeting time, I have the opportunity to present and suggest methods for integrating technology into the K-8 curriculum.  However, this presentation time is limited, provides no personal one-to-one personalization for teachers, and is mixed in with all the other "getting ready for school" topics. 

Tech integration can be very personal for teachers.  It is dependent upon content, pedagogy, personal style/comfort, required support, etc.  In order to differentiate as I present tech integration ideas to staff, I am considering an initiative that is loosely based on "Speed Geeking" (which you could compare to a Speed Dating model).

"Speed Geeking (also known as Speed Dating) is a large group method to quickly expose participants to a new information about any topic: programs, theory, technology, etc.. It can be adapted to other types of content as well, but the focus is on short exposure to something new as presented by someone with deep, practical experience in the topic area, tool or method."

I believe that I can create short lessons on a variety of tech integration ideas and resources (this is where I would be the resident expert with my knowledge base, resources, and experience).  With an available menu of lessons, teachers could choose what best fits their situation and explore the idea.  This also creates opportunities for me to circle back with teachers f2f as they express interest in particular ideas as they move through the short lessons.

For PD credit, teachers would be required to complete a minimum number of topics.  That assessment piece is still in the thinking stage, but I would like to utilize the collaboration and team-building components by activating an online journal for teachers to reflect together, share, and learn.

Ode to the Brain!

Ode to the Brain! by Symphony of Science

A nice way to learn a bit about the brain, through music.  Anyone using something like this to teach a concept to students?  Either by showing it to them or having them create one themselves?  You can download the videos from the Symphony of Science website.

The Wizard of Oz and a shared perception in language

“A baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“For I consider brains far superior to money in every way. You may have noticed that if one has money without brains, he cannot use it to his advantage; but if one has brains without money, they will enable him to live comfortably to the end of his days.”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  

“If you only have brains on your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz  

 

It is not unusual for common references to be used yet not truly understood by students.  Last summer, I took my children and their friends to see The Wizard of Oz performed in the park.  None of them (ages 8-17) had seen it before.  On the way home, my 13 year old son talked about how many of the phrases can be heard in regular conversations, but he never really understood where they came from.  Now he knows.  “There’s no place like home”, “…pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”, “…ding, dong, the witch is dead”, “… lions and tigers and bears, oh my”, “…I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too” are some examples. 

I thought about it and realized that these quotes are more than just words.  They encompass an entire experience, an entire story, in just a few words.  It is a shared experience that is collectively owned by the viewers (readers, listeners) that shapes a perception.  This perception is later recalled with a few words.

In essence, this is how “language stabilizes perception”.  It begins with the correct naming of something and then is tied tightly together with perception.  When that perception is a shared experience, the connections are that much stronger and can become a cultural foundation.

Reflection #2- Fundamentals of Cognitive Development

... in the groove... the Emperor's Groove, that is.

How prepared do you feel to write a literature review on a topic of your choosing?

This question is what I consider to be a loaded question!  To be honest, the amount of reading in this course has been more intense than what I have encountered in any other course (and I have taken a lot of courses!).  It has been a bit daunting at times, but I am starting to find my groove and am fairly confident in taking on the challenge of the literature review.  The hardest part of an assignment like this one is finding enough articles from reasonable sources on the topic at hand.  Especially those that are timely.  Organizing everything into a coherent format will be the next challenge.

Upon completing the course, how might you use the skills that you’ve gained to seek out and apply scientific knowledge about cognition in your own educational settings?

We have a particularly challenging 6^th grade entering the Upper School this fall, cognitively speaking (a group that is bright, but packed with “issues”).  I plan to use some time this summer to better utilize the BTT model in my activity planning for the 2012-13 school year.  After today’s staff meeting, I see that this class will benefit from attention to the specific brain targets.

In our 5-8 grades, 62% of the students are in the top 16% of academic ability compared to the national average according to recent testing.  However, many of them have their own challenges that include ADHD, executive processing issues, anxiety, etc.  I would love to begin utilizing the BTT model and knowledge from my coursework to better help these kids reach their full potential. 

Biology of Mind

"Because of its broad implications for individual and social well-being, there is now a consensus in the scientific community that the biology of mind will be to the twenty-first century what the biology of the gene was to the twentieth century."

Eric Kandel, In Search of Memory

Reflection #1- Fundamentals of Cognitive Development

Write a response to the reflection #1 prompt:

Learning to think "scientifically" about learning, development, and education is no small task. A scientific approach doesn't always fit neatly with our instincts as teachers. Teaching is often described as an art--one based on individual judgment and social interactions. That said, there's a great deal of scientific knowledge out there that can inform the art of teaching. What do you think will be the most difficult part of learning to think more scientifically about educational problems? What do you think you will need the most help with along the way?

 

Why we do what we do

My first thought, upon reading the instructions above, was “which educational problems should I focus on as there are so many?”  Those that can be thought of in scientific terms could include:

·         our culture of over-testing

·         how our “schools kill creativity” a la Sir Ken Robinson

·         the push for STEM training

Fortunately, I work in a private school and we are free from many of the constraints that the public schools face.  Although there is always room for improvement, I do think that we are on-track with much of this “scientific” approach to learning (even if staff doesn’t realize the scientific component!).

What I need the most help with is how to bring this information to colleagues and parents in terms that are vivid, understandable, and engaging.  It is wonderful to now have scientific backup for what our teachers are doing in their classrooms each day.  Being able to communicate that effectively, especially to parents, is crucial.

I would love to have one-page takeaways to give at weekly staff meetings.  I envision them to be very visual in nature (infographics) that could supplement a 10-minute “presentation” on a topic. 

Next, we need to extend this discussion into the home.  Parents are a huge part of the equation for student success and those that are making excuses for their child or don’t educate themselves on how to best help prepare the children are doing all a disservice.

We need parents that are assisting and challenging their children to become independent learners.