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Malczyk Mirror | Am I an online learner or an online teacher? - 1 views
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Perhaps the mark of an effective teacher is not that there students have all the right answers but that there students know how to ask the right questions.
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I appreciate the chance to reflect and recognize that the “me” that comes out in the blog is different than the “me” in the discussion area. I want my students to have various opportunities to express themselves.
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his has been a great exercise to realize that my personal preferences are not likely everyone else’s preferences and should therefore be thought through.
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I really believe that this course has taught me important skills because I was required to actually use the skills I was learning about.
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when I am able to direct the topic of my learning I am more engaged. It becomes a joy to find additional resources instead of chore. Online courses offer a unique aibilty to have more individually focused learning in discussions that I have greatly benefitted from during this semester.
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. My learning was enhanced when I sat down and made time for the course. Even though it is an online course, I had to treat it at times like a traditional course and block out an hour or two or three as if it were a class time. Then I was much more productive. Setting aside time for online courses is a must as many others have recognized. 2. If my life was sufficiently complex to hinder learning, how much harder it must be for young students who face much more challenging conditions. I have a very supportive wife and family, a car to get from place to place, an office and access to fast reliable internet. Many youth who we criticize for dropping out or doing poorly in school have no such supports or access. They live in unsafe conditions, lack examples and role models and may even be lacking basic necessities of life like food and safe shelter. These conditions are the real hindrances to learning and have been recognized as such for some time.
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Many City Schools Don't Provide Physical Education, Audit Finds - 0 views
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Despite alarming obesity rates among school-age children and a state requirement that all students get some level of structured exercise every week, many New York City schools do not provide physical education, or do not provide it as frequently as they should, according to an audit released on Tuesday by the city comptroller.
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Teachers' Invisible Presence in Net-based Distance Education | Hult | The International... - 0 views
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The stance taken in this paper, then, is constructivist – that conversation is learning in the making.
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Any conversation, that is, draws on heteroglossia (Bakhtin’s neologism) – pools of different ideas whose elements, when exchanged, foster learning. According to Bakhtin, every utterance has a double significance. It is an expression of a 'unitary [common] language' used to conduct the conversation and, at the same time, it builds on the 'social and historical' differences embedded in the heteroglossia (1981, p. 272).
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described conversations as multi-authored texts rather than as multi-voiced heteroglossia (see Bakhtin, 1994,
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fulfilled best when the codes of the speaker and the listener most completely coincide and, consequently, when the text has the maximum degree of univocality” (1988, p. 34). The generation of new meanings occurs when there are differences between the speaker and the listener. Texts used in educational exchanges cease:
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online adult education is not the delivery of texts but, rather, the creation and insertion of ‘thinking devices’ into conversation.
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For this article we have concentrated on teacher and student views of teachers’ role orientations in online courses.
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our intention has been to identify and clarify teaching ‘saliences’ that have emerged in online adult education in Sweden. In a wider sense, however, our analysis is also a response to the question: ‘Whatever happened to teaching in the learning society?’
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When asked about their views, all students felt that teachers played a central role in supporting Net-based learning. Indeed, some of them suggested that moderation in online settings of adult education is more important than in face-to-face settings.
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In this perspective, teachers gave students tasks that activated them and, thereby, fostered their understanding of subject matter.
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Some students spoke about being activated by stimulating tasks that led them to engage with the Web and libraries, with one of them adding ‘seeking by your self is a pre-condition for learning.’ Active searching also meant that students came into contact with information which extended their learning beyond the task itself.
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None of the teachers, however, was entirely satisfied with their dialogic or conference practice. Levels of engagement, dialogue, and initiative-taking were not as high as they had hoped. In response, they tried to promote conversation by encouraging students to react to each other’s postings, by organising tasks where cooperation and interaction was needed, or by introducing new aspects and questions when discussion faltered.
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Further, teachers reported that they also tried to act as models of good behaviour by giving swift replies to student postings and by making their own postings appropriate yet concise.
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felt that sharing different aspects of the subject matter with the teacher and fellow students raised fresh questions. It made them reach beyond the book, evoking learning and thinking along new pathways. Even if they thought that well-chosen tasks were the most effective way of fostering dialogue, they also expected the course leader to participate fully, developing new themes if student postings declined, and remaining alert to student proposals that might enhance the interchange of ideas and knowledge.
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None of the teachers, however, spontaneously offered this view as their primary role or orientation. Nevertheless, when asked whether they had any correspondence with students through private mailboxes rather than ‘conferences’ and ‘cafes,’ some of them said that they occasionally responded privately to correct misinterpretations.
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This task raises many questions about teaching, highlighting the difference, for example, between instructionist and constructionist paradigms for learning (Wilensky, 1991). Would a too well-planned course be instructionist, thus constraining student influence and the pursuit of democracy? In their postings, teachers in this study felt that there was no necessary contradiction – that well-planned courses could, indeed, strengthen student influence. Nevertheless, busy distance education students, according to the teachers, often appreciate instructionist courses with clearly stated activities and tasks, even if the students are left with limited opportunities to ‘construct their own relationships with the objects of knowledge’ (Wilensky, 1991, p. 202).
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Teacher’s invisible presence is exemplified in taking a stand-by role and/ or being reluctant to intervene. ‘The [teachers’] silence should be deafening,’ one teacher recommended. Although most of the teachers agreed that well-planned courses do not inhibit course dialogue, the fact that in their own online course deliberations they set aside time to discuss this issue may reflect ambivalence in their stance. The question of when and how teachers should intervene remains impossible to resolve, except in practice.
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a second conclusion – that the promotion of learning in an open environment requires an animating or steering presence. Such teaching, however, is not a process of instruction. And for this reason the word teacher may no longer be appropriate. In English, the word tutor is commonly used in adult education, because it has connotations of ‘supervision’ and ‘guardianship’ as well as ‘instruction’ (see Oxford English Dictionary). More recently, Salmon has suggested ‘e-moderating,’ but even moderation carries instructionist connotations – to exercise a controlling influence over; to regulate, restrain, control, rule (OED) – that may not be appropriate to all forms of liberal education. In the context of mainland Europe, the word pedagogue may be appropriate since, etymologically, pedagogue denotes someone engaged in 'drawing out.'
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Intellectual development, however, can be an intra- as well as an inter-personal phenomenon. That is, learning may not come directly from teachers but rather from their absent or invisible presence. Online pedagogues, therefore, can be present in different ways. They may be present in person, participating in learning conversations. They may constitute an absent presence that, nonetheless, is embodied in the learning resources directed towards students (e.g., the selected readings or activities). Or pedagogues may exist merely as inner voices, inherited from the language of others, that (invisibly) steer the desires, self-regulation, and self-direction of learners. Indeed, this last pedagogic position ‘auto-didacticism,’ has always been central to the post-Enlightenment ideals of liberal adult education.
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An Exploratory Study on the Use of VoiceThread in a Business Policy Course - 0 views
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Abstract: This paper reports on a two-phase exploratory study that involved student use of the asynchronous multimedia communication tool VoiceThread within a business policy course. In the first phase, students participated in a VoiceThread exercise consisting of an exam review followed by a survey on the use of VoiceThread. Of the 22 participants (from a class of 61 graduating seniors), 64% specified they would like to use VoiceThread for future learning activities, and 73% indicated they would recommend VoiceThread to peers for the purpose of delivering presentations. In the second phase, 13 of the 22 respondents to the first phase were sent follow-up questions to elicit their perspectives as to whether the use of VoiceThread satisfied Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. Eight of the 13 students responded, with almost all responses being positive with respect to the Seven Principles. The results lend some initial support to the idea that VoiceThread can be an effective tool for facilitating learning activities in business and other courses.
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My Home | dailymile - 2 views
DietBet | Set Up Or Join A Weight Loss Game. - 0 views
The Game on Diet - Home - 0 views
Fitocracy | The Fitness Social Network To Level Up In Real Life - 1 views
SuperTracker and Other Tools - 0 views
www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools.html
apps weight health diet calories exercise calculator journal
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LBM: Body Weight Simulator - 0 views
Map Fitness Training and Track Fitness Workouts | MapMyFitness - 0 views
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BBC NEWS | Health | Internet use 'good for the brain' - 0 views
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A University of California Los Angeles team found searching the web stimulated centres in the brain that controlled decision-making and complex reasoning
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"Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."
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The researchers said that, compared to simple reading, the internet's wealth of choices required people to make decisions about what to click on in order to get the relevant informat
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"A simple, everyday task like searching the web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults, demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older."
Running, Running Maps and Running Routes, Runners Community | MapMyRun - 0 views
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elearn Magazine: Transition from Tradition: 9 Tips for successfully moving your face-to... - 1 views
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erms of what would fit on a phone screen for students to read while they're waiting in line for a latte.
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Short virtual lectures of 10 minutes or less used to orient students to the course, to introduce a module, or to demonstrate how to solve a particular style of problem are efficient teaching tools that students can access again and again.
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As the first activity in your course, create a short orientation video using one of the programs mentioned above to show them how and where to find materials, calendars, quizzes, assignments, discussion boards, e-mail, announcements, drop boxes, etc.
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Create a mandatory orientation module that has your syllabus, orientation video, and short exercises that let them practice turning in assignments, similar to what they'll see later down the road
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2001 Beder - 0 views
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Their most commonly expressed intention was to meet learners' needs.
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In contrast, the data from our 40 observations portrayed a type of instruction that was the near antithesis of learner-centered instruction. In each and every case the organizing unit of instruction was a teacher-prepared and teacher-delivered lesson. There was virtually no evidence of substantive learner input into decisions about instruction. Communication was overwhelmingly teacher-to-learner, learner-to-teacher. Learner-to-learner communication rarely occurred unless the teacher directed it to occur through such things as peer coaching exercises.
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They enabled the teacher to determine if learners had "learned" the lesson and they supplemented the content of the lesson by reinforcing learners' correct responses and demonstrating the correct answer to learners whose responses were incorrect.
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Although adult literacy teachers intend to be learner-centered they, teach in teacher-directed ways. Why? Although it could be that teachers were induced to teach in teacher-directed ways by supervisors or other forces, we found no evidence of this. Rather, we conclude that there two reasons. The first pertains to the socialization process that all teachers and learners are products of. The roles of teacher and student are two of the most intensely socialized roles in our society. The great majority of the teachers we observed were certified in K-12 education. For them, socialization into the teacher role began in grade school and continued through their teacher training. For learners, socialization into the student role also began in grade school and continued until they dropped out of school.
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We infer that teachers taught in teacher-directed ways because that that way of teaching was a deeply ingrained product of their socialization.
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teachers believed that their learners were primarily motivated toward obtaining their GEDs, and the perceived benefits of doing so, in the shortest possible time
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education. Thus teachers wanted to maximize efficiency and believed that teacher-directed, basic skills-oriented instruction was the best way of doing so.
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Most teachers maintained a helping posture in class. Thus, there appears to be a duality to the meaning teachers of adult literacy education ascribe to their teaching. While their instruction is teacher directed, their learner-centered values and beliefs are manifest in their affective relations with learners. In this sense, for adult literacy teachers being learner-centered is not a teaching technology or methodology. Rather, it is a set of values that guide teacher-learner interactions.
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Teachers liberally praised learners for correct answers and rarely sanctioned learners negatively for such things as being tardy or tuning out.
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If teacher-directed instruction is indeed a product of intense and protracted socialization and commonly held beliefs about learners' motivations, then changing teacher-directed behavior will be a very difficult task, perhaps requiring re-socialization. Such an effort may be beyond the means of the current professional development system in adult literacy education.
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I think it is beyond the means of the current professional development system in adult literacy education because there is a high rate of turnover. I think once someone has a certain degree of skill or education, they are seeking out another position. I think this report should have been followed up/accompanied by a survey of the teachers.
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Equipped for the Future (Stein 1999) advocates a form of adult literacy based on what learners need to do in their roles of worker, parent and citizen.
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Gillespie (1989) advocates an instructional model for adult literacy that emphasizes critical thinking.
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the amount of time available for instruction was relatively short in comparison to elementary, secondary or higher education
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How Do I Invest? | Beginning Investing - 4 views
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What is investing?Any time you invest, you're devoting your own time, resources, or effort to achieve a greater goal. You can invest your weekends in a good cause, invest your intelligence in your job, or invest your time in a relationship. Just as you undertake each of these expecting good results, you invest your money in a stock, bond, or mutual fund because you think its value will appreciate over time.
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Very useful site for my course in personal finance. The site explains personal finance in very simple terms. Most anyone should be able to relate to how the information on investing is presented. Great information on topics such as investing, goal setting, active and passive management, etc., that correspond to many of my course's learning objectives.
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Planning and setting goalsInvesting is like a long car trip: A lot of planning goes into it. Before you start, you've got to ask yourself: Where are you going? (What are your financial goals?) How long is the trip? (What is your investing "time horizon"?) What should you pack? (What type of investments will you make?) How much gas will you need? (How much money will you need to reach your goals? How much can you devote to a regular investing plan?) Will you need to stop along the way? (Do you have short-term financial needs?) How long do you plan on staying? (Will you need to live off the investment in later years?
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The car trip analogy that the authors use in this article for planning & setting personal financial goals, is something everyone can relate to. This gave me some excellent ideas that will definitely be of use to me in my course since financial goal planning is another one of my learning objectives. I felt that the car trip analogy used on the site will assist with understanding the planning that goes into creating medium and short term goals was brilliant, and something everyone should be able to relate to. Creating medium and short term goals are also learning objectives in my course, (module 3). It should be an excellent way to engage students, since most everyone travels and has to put energy into planning out their trips, for example what to bring on the trip, how long it will take, how many stops there will be along the way, etc.
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Another one of my learning objectives is understanding cash management and cash flow and having the students understand how important it is to save, and put that money to work. Site has some very useful examples on how to save and put away money automatically in a disciplined fashion.
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Active and passive strategiesThe two main methods of investing in stocks are called active and passive management, and the difference between them has nothing to do with how much time you spend on the couch (or the exercise bike). Active investors (or their brokers or fund managers) pick their own stocks, bonds, and other investments. Passive investors let their holdings follow an index created by some third party.
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Another one of my learning objectives is understanding the difference between active and passive management. This site will definitely be helpful in refining some of the learning objectives in my course. It might also be a good site to post a link to for more information on specific person investing topics.
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Alex I plan on using this Motley Fools web site which focuses on investment basics since the personal investing terms and strategies are presented very clearly, simply and with humor and relate directly to learning objectives in my modules; such as active and passive strategies in relation to investing (module 6), cash management/cash flow (module 2), and short and medium goal planning (module 3). The site will be an excellent resource for the students. This will also introduce them to the Motley Fool web site which should be helpful to them throughout the course and afterward. I felt that the car trip analogy used on the site to help understand the planning that goes into creating medium and short term goals was brilliant and something everyone should be able to relate to. Creating medium and short term goals are also learning objectives in my course, (module 3). It should be an excellent way to engage students, since most everyone travels and has to put energy into planning out their trips, for example things like what to take on the trip, how long it will take, how many stops there will be along the way, etc. I added some comments under the highlighted areas in Diigo with sticky notes (you should also be able to view them on the site) that reference a few of my learning objectives. By the way, I did find some useful sites on Merlot & OER, but many of linked to PDF files. A link on Merlot led me to the Motley Fools web site. I hope this helps! Hedy
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this looks great Hedy! thanks! not sure what you meant by the comment about pdfs. you should be able bookmark pdfs... : )
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I am under the impression that you cannot highlight text & create sticky notes in PDFs (just tested again), that was why I was having a hard time finding an acceptable site for the assignment in Merlot, most were PDF files. I guess I could have bookmarked them in Diigo and entered my comments write on the Diigo site instead of on the actual URL. I was thrilled once the Merlot site linked to the Motley Fool site!
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ahhh. yes, that is true, put you can bookmark the resource, and annotate it on the diigo site - exactly as you describe! just wanted to be sure you knew that : )
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I thought you might have wanted us to do highlighting and sticky notes for the assignment and right from the actual URL site. I must say that in the past 24 hours I have became much more familiar with Diigo, sink or swim, but I still need to work with it. Love the tool! Will we have access to Diigo after the course? Thanks and get some rest!!
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yes. i want to be sure you can use this tool, so i am glad you persisted!! and i am really glad you love the tool. me too! yes you will have access to this group and this tool beyond the end of the term. that is one of the reasons i use the tool!
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Excellent!! Be great if students continue to use it. Looks like these messages b/t us are not for public viewing. Is that a setting you turned on? I know there is public/pvt setting for sticky notes when you first create one (that's what was giving a bunch of students issues), but I do not see that setting on these notes. Hope this makes sense. Thanks& hope swimming is going well! Hedy
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My Online Teaching Journey | ETAP 640 - 1 views
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I learned that the more you understand and grow the more you can offer your students.
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I found it is the revisions and creation of the product that you learn, you learn in the doing… the applying and the creating.
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I learned that you need to have a solid foundation to start by assessing skill levels and giving students the fundamentals is an essential process. You need to break learning up into manageable part but embed learning exercises to enhance knowledge. You have to know your audience and be aware of your assumptions. When designing a course you need to use best practices to enhance your course design. You will put a lot of time and effort in the design process… as a result expect a little blood sweat and tears (there is no guarantee you will look the same at the end :). It is important to remember a students way of learning evolves, that means your teaching style will have to evolve too. Don’t be afraid to try new things…the more you learn the more you can offer your students. Learn to be a self-reflective, dig deep into yourself but more importantly I learned there is a great thing to be gained in the perspective of others, value that and seek that out. This course is more than a process it is a journey!