Module 4 Connectivism/ Social Networking

Responses for Mod 3

I responded to Burian and Krista's posts.

Module 3 Assignment

Reflect on Rheingold’s video, and then respond to the following:

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia? How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?

To some extent I believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group. I think some individuals need to know that what they are learning is valid and they seek validation sometimes through others. Many of the theorists we have studied in the course thus far seem to share the belief that individuals learn from their experiences. Constructivism is a theory of knowledge (epistemology) that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from their experiences. It helps construct our understanding. We must ask questions and explore to build upon what we have already learned to further develop our understanding. This is often achieved through our interactions with others as our knowledge is expanded further. When individuals share their ideas, it creates an opportunity to reflect on others ideas and talk about what is being learned. The recipients of this interaction may be challenged to view and consider the perspective of others thereby changing his/her original perspective. Today, social networking and virtual simulations have the ability to facilitate collaboration among learners as well as allow them opportunities to problem solve from various settings in a collective format.

Reference:

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/index.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2008). "Way-New Collaboration." featuring
Dr. Howard Rheingold [http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard rheingold on
collaboration. html.]

Module 2 Responses to Classmates

I responded to Krista Crawford and Natalie Moore.

Module 2

“Learning Theory and Cognitivism”
A resoponse to blog postings by Bill Kerr, Stephen Downes, and Kark Kapp.

I think the various”isms” have their respective place in education and learning. I also think at some point in our teaching we have subscribed to probably all of them. For me I think it would be difficult to limit myself to just one theory as an educator because they all bring something different to the table and diversity and differentiation is what we need in the educational setting. I also believe the various learning theories provide valuable information regarding how we learn as well as a foundation for future studies on how we acquire knowledge. The only way to learn what works best is oftentimes discovered through trial and error which is what I think Bill Kerr, Stephen Downes, and Karl Kapp suggest in their blogs. Many of my successes in the classroom are a result of a combination of the theories and particular components applied in the situations purposefully and coincidentally.

I responded to Krista and Amanda

Learning Theory and Educational Technology

Module 1 Blog

Beliefs about How People Learn

I believe learning is a process that takes place over a lifetime not only in a classroom but in everyday experiences. I believe as a teacher it is important to help students learn about themselves and the world in which they live. I also think people learn best from modeling and by using a hands-on approach because it allows the learner to experiment. It also allows learners to develop skills and clarify concepts. Instructors should seek to ensure there is a balanced mix of guided and self- directed learning. From a previous course taken where students had to consider their philosophy of teaching and learning, I believe the learning theory I incorporate most in my teaching is probably that of the Constructivist approach because of its hands-on style of teaching and learning. It involves discussing meanings and ideas with others, and it isn’t learned in isolation. Siemens (2008) points out how constructivism covers a broad spectrum of research overlapping with cognitivism which suggests learning involves each individual learner making sense and constructing knowledge within his/her own context. I believe that the theories of learning can serve as a guide for instructors as they deliver content to students. I think technology can be the tool utilized in the process of learning to encourage risk taking while creating a new level of imagination.

Siemens (2008) further illustrates the roles that instructors/educators take through the use of metaphors. He likened educators to master artists, network administrator, concierge, and a curator. I believe that throughout teaching and learning educators who are serious about their involvement in the learning process take on all of these roles at some point to ensure that content is being mastered. The role that immediately comes to mind when I consider my instructional methods is that of curator because rather than always dispensing knowledge I enjoy seeing students create the environment for learning and explore and create knowledge and adding information to further assist as needed. I would add educator as creative consultant to the list of metaphors because I think some students who may not be very creative when learning or sharing their knowledge would benefit from suggestions and examples of what is being taught.

References

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf