Group items tagged

On the Teaching Professor blog, the author starts with: "In May I finished a second edition of my Learner-Centered Teaching book. Revising it gave me the chance to revisit my thinking about the topic and look at work done since publication of the first edition ten years ago. It is a subject about which there is still considerable interest." And that it is. Check out the five characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching helped me to think about my own thoughts of Learner-Centered engagement as a Tech. Coordinator who loves teachers and teaching.

Concise definition of self-directed learning, six bullet points, and a nice infographic of self-directed learning. An important point mentioned: "One of the misconception about self-directed learning is that learners learn in complete isolation from others while in fact the core idea behind SDL is that learning is driven by intrinsic motivational factors  stemming from the learners own desire to learn and drive his/her learning experience beginning with recognizing a need to learn."

This list is considered the "best of the best" by AASL and is comprised of free, user-friendly sites that encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. They also provide a foundation to support AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. The sites offer tools and resources in content collaboration, content resources with lesson plans, curriculum sharing, digital storytelling, managing and organizing, and social networking and communication.

Nice example of how to use Google Forms to capture information by students on how they perceive different aspects of your courses. Class evaluations shouldn't be something to fear, but to welcome as a lifelong learner and give students a voice into your reflection process.

Some great points at how to view engaging teachers who may be hesitant learners/implementers of technology. It may help you get into their thought processes and understand their unique needs in a respectful way. 

Practical tips on how to increase blog comments & the interaction you are looking for as a learner.

Fascinating book on a new pedagogy for the 21st century teacher and learner. Will we continue to ask students to work in an environment of scarcity, both in resources, but also in the learning process, which is locked up by testing and standards? Check it out!

"Thanks to the Internet and the technologies we use to access it, we've move from a world where all of these (information, knowledge, teachers, learning, getting an education) were relatively scarce to one where they're absolutely abundant…" - but how are we at accessing it? How about our students? Seems like a call to train learners with literacy skills

"Building the independence of learners through thoughtful uses of technology" This website is AMAZING. You have to check it out!

Will Richardson explores this idea: "By pairing personalized learning and technology, a teacher can help students learn what they need to learn through the topics that interest them most." How does "personal learning" fit into the structures we have in school learning environments? 

Does your research teaching embrace the 21st century learner? This blog post has great information/lessons on strategies for helping students curate (finding/evaluating/managing) information.

"As learners, we are sometimes challenged (not often enough fortunately) to think big.  We are able to ask the question 'what if' when looking at a challenge.  We are tasked with redesigning, recreating, reimagining or rethinking the entire thing.  Maybe these are more 22nd century ideas. Well, when it comes to our high school system and overall student experience, here are my suggestions:" (Get ready for some out of the box ideas)

"I've had the pleasure to deliver and be part of countless sessions and workshops, and I can tell you from first-hand experience that there is nothing worse than a presenter who doesn't know his or her audience. Adult learners carry with them a very diverse set of skills and needs. To prepare a one-size-fits-all (or most) session does everyone a disservice. Whether you work in a district as an instructional support staff or you provide ancillary development as a contractor, the three tools and tactics featured in this post will provide an effective means to gauge the needs of your audience and chart your course to effectively support them."