LRND6820

Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin? The question invites two standard replies. Some accept the demarcations of skin and skull, and say that what is outside the body is outside the mind. Others are impressed by arguments suggesting that the meaning of our words "just ain't in the head", and hold that this externalism about meaning carries over into an externalism about mind. We propose to pursue a third position. We advocate a very different sort of externalism: an active externalism, based on the active role of the environment in driving cognitive processes.

It is not just the presence of advanced external computing resources which raises the issue, but rather the general tendency of human reasoners to lean heavily on environmental supports. Thus consider the use of pen and paper to perform long multiplication (McClelland et al 1986, Clark 1989), the use of physical re-arrangements of letter tiles to prompt word recall in Scrabble (Kirsh 1995), the use of instruments such as the nautical slide rule (Hutchins 1995), and the general paraphernalia of language, books, diagrams, and culture. In all these cases the individual brain performs some operations, while others are delegated to manipulations of external media.

In these cases, the human organism is linked with an external entity in a two-way interaction, creating a coupled system that can be seen as a cognitive system in its own right. All the components in the system play an active causal role, and they jointly govern behavior in the same sort of way that cognition usually does. If we remove the external component the system's behavioral competence will drop, just as it would if we removed part of its brain. Our thesis is that this sort of coupled process counts equally well as a cognitive process, whether or not it is wholly in the head.

A 2009 Horizon Report sponsored by the New Media Consortium identifies the "personal web" as "a collection of technologies that confer the ability to reorganise, configure, and manage online content rather than just view it; but part of the personal web is the underlying idea that web content can be sorted, displayed, and even built upon according to an individual's personal needs and interests" (Four to Five Years: The Personal Web section, para. 2).

The Networked Student Model adapts Couros' vision for teacher professional development in a format that is applicable to the K-12 student. It includes four primary categories, each with many components evident in the networked teacher version (Figure 2). Figure 2: The Networked Student These include academic social contacts, synchronous communication, information management, and really simple syndication (RSS). Social contacts include teachers, classmates, students outside of the class, and subject matter experts. Synchronous communication refers to video conferencing and instant messaging. Information management activities include locating experts, evaluating resources, accessing scholarly works, and finding other open educational resources (OER). RSS encompasses blogging, subscription readers, podcasts, wikis, social bookmarking, and other social networks. Students will not necessarily make use of every subcategory; however, this list represents the tools available to the student for constructing a personal learning environment on a specific topic of study.

Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families. Make sure that parents and school staff understand that the responsibility for children's educational development is a collaborative enterprise (Mapp, 2004).

When parents are involved, students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or the parents' education level;

The more extensive the parent involvement, the higher the student achievement;

There are a variety of software programs and other products available which can be used to apply UDL principles, but UDL principles can be applied without these products.

I have located a few more articles on the subject that I found relevant to the issue.

3)Affective Networks-The “why” of learning. —How learners get engaged and stay motivated. How they are challenged, excited, or interested. These are affective dimensions.

I do not believe that UDL is the answer to everything, however I would say it will be a great tool and measuring stick to allow us to proceed effectively in the future.

The author mentions that UDL is meant to “level the playing field” for learners with all kinds of disabilities and I think that it has the potential to enhance the learning experience for all types of learners.

As a learning designer I want to take it upon myself to promote this new approach within the learning environments I create in the future.

The author mentions that UDL is meant to “level the playing field” for learners with all kinds of disabilities and I think that it has the potential to enhance the learning experience for all types of learners.

I enjoyed the different formats, but did find the voice to be a little quick when speaking. Made it interesting nonetheless.

I have seen students in a classroom setting that could not apply themselves, but when the teacher changed the method of delivery, the student perked up and began to do well with the material presented to them.

I think that Frank did a wonderful job summarizing the article on Universal Learning Design.

I think that the following statement is important “UDL provides a vision for breaking the “one-size-fits-all” mold and therefore expands the opportunities for learning for all students with learning differences,”

Audio books are hit or miss for me.

I am also still struggling with thinking of certain technologies that can be used to help us recognize patterns. I think that many tools are available that do aid the process, but is there a possibility for something to be developed that exclusively applied to this idea. Something that can be used just for the purpose of recognizing and organizing these patterns and experiences. I wonder if we could better track how we remember things, the connections we make in our brains, or how we mentally store information, if that would make us more aware of what we learn, how we learn, and how we can learn better. I know this seems like a slightly crazy though, but I like to dream.

I truly enjoyed reading "On Intelligence" these past couple of weeks and even filled out the survey. I think it's a something that has more unique ideas than just theories/theorists, tools, technology, etc. I can see myself continuing reading this book outside of class because it really is interesting and is written in a way that's easily understandable. I'm happy that we got the opportunity to read this and take a break from all of the articles. :P

I know that we've talked about UDL all throughout LRND courses, but I feel as if this is an important and relevant topic that could almost be it's own course. Learning how to properly evaluate needs of students, selecting proper tools, and creating a UDL friendly module would be a great experience for LRND students.

Moreover, research discovers that transferring tacit knowledge is challenging when using “traditional e-learning.” It requires shared observation to deliver effective information.

The Affirmative Team’s organization was great with members volunteering for roles. Collaboration effected from the Wiki with Rachel and Misty leading the research effort. Yours truly created and posted the first VoiceThread, with Wes and Melisa providing a succinct organizational statement of Affirmative Team’s supportive research.

Information that took hours to find can now be found in minutes.  We still need to cross check our references for accuracy and authenticity, but that is also true when researching in the traditional sense.

Observation of my own behavior since reading this information has proven this true, however that is probably equally true when researching in the traditional sense

Learning Designers should embrace technology and the power is holds as an alternative to presenting course information in a creative and engaging format.

It was very nice to get to know some of the other student better and more personally.

I just think if my entire team could have sat down in the same room with a few notebooks we could have gotten a lot more done as everyone would have been focused on the project at the same time.

Conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and Elon University’s Imaging the Internet Center.

First off I would like to point out that I am extremely torn about this subject, and am actually more confused after going through this process (haha).

e need to use new and upcoming technologies (like the ones we are researching for our PLE’s) to help students gain the techniques and work patterns that can help them “dive deeper” into the “right” content.

I am personally amused by some of the materials that take an extreme stance that it is either a gift from the gods and answer to all life’s problems or the worst thing to ever happen to teaching.

I believe Carr’s article makes some good points but it goes too far. I imagine if it was a more balanced piece it would not have received as much commentary, hence the inflammatory headline.

Collaboration has never been easier and this hive mind mentality where we can pool all of our resources to create will become even more advanced as more people jump on board. Conversations involving people from all points of the globe will help foster new ideas and innovations and the Internet is the thing that makes it all possible.

I am a bit undecided if I support one ‘side’ or the other……solely.

For some reason it is bothersome to me to read lengthy material on the web.  Maybe I have just taught myself this, but I do think there is some validity to the lack of actual reading that is taking place on the web.

Possibly in the future, maybe you could include a guideline of tasks, allow an extra day in-between rebuttals, and/or allow for peer feedback participation form of sorts within the team.