EdTec_467

I think that this is a very interesting point! When reflecting on how my district views technology integration, I often think about the last few inservices we had. During those days, we sought video clips and websites to use in our lessons as activating strategies. Most of the time, these resources became extra visual aides in our lessons. The idea that we are using technology through this manner was expressed as the goal. After reading this, I see that the use of technology means something completely different!

Marie, I agree with you.  It reminds me of the reading assignment we had earlier in the semester where technology in classrooms were equated to fancier word processors.  Often, the tool has changed but our purposes for the tools has not.

One way that people need to change their thinking about the Internet is the idea that surfing around is inherently time wasting. Reading articles or posts can be just as educational as more traditional forms of learning. My Mom and Dad get their news from the newspaper, and I get mine from the Internet. We end up in the same place knowledge-wise, but we just get there differently.

Standardized education results in standardized minds. School settings are important for teaching social skills and how to exist with other people in a society, but it also teaches how not to upset the social order.

I was just reading about this period in educational history in the curriculum overview class, and what I thought of as a recent reform in schools of using corporate models is not recent at all. People were trying to use industrial priorities and methods to change education a hundred years ago! Maybe it's important to think of digital education as an evolution of mechanized education, just a computer is a digital evolution of a mechanical adding machine.

This is so key in education and speaks to the Sir Ken Robinson's video, "How to Escape Education's Death Valley".

Again, this discussion parallels Sir Ken Robinson's talk "How to Escape Education's Death Valley" where he discusses command & control (standardized testing) vs climate control (that promotes an active engagement in learning by the student).

I wanted to tag our class blogs and post by author but I haven't figured how to do it. Does anyone in this class know and willing to give a few quick steps on how to? I am able to tag in the dashboard but only my own post :( Thanks in advance

I have been thinking about the idea of play and how it relates to college aged students. For many, games provide the same type of learning experience. In lab environments, we often play games such as simulating an epidemic or watching evolution in action by making and flying paper airplanes (these are some cool labs that I won't bore you with the details). But, I have found that my students love online games that can be found on some websites. For instance, no one cares about the science of blood typing until they have to pretend to be the medical professional and decide what kind of blood to give a patient (nobelprize.org offers this game and many others). I think about how much time I used to spend playing video games and how cool it would have been to incorporate that into my learning. So, my point is that play is important to children, but it is also an effective strategy for adult students.

I'm very fond of game-based learning, expecially after my experience in one of my educational leadership classes. A group of researchers developed a board game that simulated realistic scenarios of what it takes to make systematic change in an organization. Seeing the real-like consequences of my decisions helped me learn the textbook information in a dynamic, genuine fashion. I also think our mode of thinking can be playful when faced with a problem. For example, multiply the numbers 15 and 31. Skip the rote algorithm with pencil and paper, and creatively multiply 31 by ten, taking half, and adding it to the first product to arrive at the answer. When faced with any kind of problem, tinkering with the options in this fashion of exploration and with no fear of failure or judgement or need to have the answer right away can inspire insightful solutions.

This idea that you need to care about something, find meaning in it, has a definite basis in memory. Students remember something better if they can find some personal significance to the information. I also find that can remember something better if you tell a joke about it, but that is a different idea entirely. But I really try to point out "why do I care" moments in my teaching as these are the concepts that the students will remember. No one cares about all of the steps of blood clotting, but if you explain how those steps relate to a blood disorder like hemophilia, the students can find a reason to care about all of those steps.

As a math educator, balancing between explicit and tacit knowledge is difficult. Some of my students may never use math beyond high school, while others may use it to find the cure to a form of cancer. Solving problems that are open-ended, real-world, and relevant to students is one key way that I can convey the tacit significance even to students who will not pursue STEM careers.

I like how the author presents the important dimension of where "context and content interact." About this statement "Our teaching institutions have paid almost no attention to the tacit" - I think our professors are trying to let us create tacit content when they give us projects with a choice on the context for the application of our learning. What is important to me is often "how do I apply this knowledge at work" Btw, how Melissa and Justin draw their students into learning with the examples given here shows how IDs can make instructions in a courseware more engaging - by giving them meaningful context. I've not been a teacher and so I need to draw from the experiences of those who teach. Thanks

WOW! This quote from Douglas definitely defines how I feel as a third year teacher. We constantly are teaching our curriculum to fit the timelines set by the district and state. We test our kids to death to see if they are mastering the "core" content. Where in the world do they even have time to express their interests? I struggle with finding time to answer and investigate student questions that arise in "lectures!" If only we could allow students to learn through their best way! Being driven by self-motivation and their own inquisitiveness towards concepts directly related to them, will only yield higher level thinkers!

Does this line really have the world play in it? There is so much that can come from students being able to play and explore. When did things change so much that we had to eliminate the inquisitive nature of students? The ability to explore, discover, and PLAY!!

Today, we are creating a society of rote memorizers. It is hard for students to grasp the imaginative side, the problem solving side, the risk-taking side. It is amazing that even at the primary grades, I see so many students who are afraid to try something; afraid to create on their own. They look to me for directions, samples, expectations! It is hard to reverse the thinking in some of the students. To allow my students to know that experimenting and being "wrong" is okay!

Marie, I can relate to your observations.  After talking with my 13 year-old daughter, I see where "wrong" and "bad" are often conflated with "failure".  It is a hard mindset to untangle when it seems to be reinforced in school.

I think technology especially is learned best through just playing with it. I always tell people who are uncomfortable with new software or electronic searching to just sit down and play with it. Time and use creates a sense of comfort, and I think using the word play changes the way that they think about their learning experience.

Karen, I agree with your observations.  I think it also changes the expectations of and attitudes towards the experiences.  

This is such an "ah-ha" moment for me and highlights the contrast between Learning 1.0 and Learning 2.0 - Learning 1.0 = Creating Content while Learning 2.0 = Reshaping Context.