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mari marincowitz

[Infographic] 10 Tips To Build Your Professional Learning Community - EdTechR... - 0 views

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    Cool infographic illustrating tips to build your Professional Learning Community
anonymous

Imagining Successful Schools - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • This system has infuriated and shamed teachers, and is a lot of the reason that teacher turnover is so high, causing even many of the best teachers to abandon the ranks.
    • anonymous
       
      This was always a topical conversation and was the reason some of my colleagues left. I saw engineers go from somebody with pride in themselves to saying that they had to leave because they did not like what was happening to them.
  • in order to meet the demands of a global economy, our educational system needs to be re-engineered for much higher performance.
  • No other country believes that you can get to a high quality educational system simply by instituting an accountability system,” he says.
    • anonymous
       
      Accountability is not the answer because it creates an "tick and flick" control mechanism, meaning more of the same.
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  • test-based accountability is “doing untold damage to the profession of teaching.”
  • The main thing that works is treating teaching as a profession, and teachers as professionals.
    • anonymous
       
      Oh gosh, how I wished this was so when I was in there. You do sometimes feel like the proverbial "glorified baby sitter." 
  • That means that teachers are as well paid as other professionals, that they have a career ladder, that they go to elite schools where they learn their craft, and that they are among the top quartile of college graduates instead of the bottom quartile.
    • anonymous
       
      Wow, I'm so with this, as a professional tutor my rate is less than 25% of what a lawyer or accountant would get for the same time.
  • When I suggested that American cities couldn’t afford to pay teachers the way we pay engineers or lawyers, Tucker scoffed. With rare exception, he said, the cost per pupil in the places with the best educational systems is less than the American system, even though their teachers are far better paid. “They are not spending more money; they are spending money differently,” he said.
    • anonymous
       
      When an individual is treated like a professional they raise the bar. I have seen this in all my encounters with students. How they are treated is how they behave.
  • Tucker would not abolish tests, but he would have fewer of them.
    • anonymous
       
      This is great! I don't think we should do away with assessment completely but we should be using them as more of a tool for innovation.
  • And they would have a different purpose: In the high-performing countries, the tests exist to hold the students accountable, rather than the teachers.
    • anonymous
       
      This is what I thought would happen when wanting to become a teacher but then I felt that the teachers were criticised if students did not perform. As a senior English teacher this is definitely the prevailing discourse.
  • When a school falls short, instead of looking to fire teachers, the high-performing countries “use the data to decide which schools will receive visits from teams of expert school inspectors. These inspectors are highly regarded educators.”
    • anonymous
       
      Back to the inspectors, or I would rather say more like advisors who work with teachers improving their craft. I loved the idea of team teaching but a lot of teachers were not open to it, mostly I think due to the fear of being judged but for others it was a control issue too, "no one can teach like I do"mantra, which happens because of a perceived threat to ego that makes individuals more fearful.
  • Tucker envisions the same kind of accountability for teachers as exists for, say, lawyers in a firm — where it is peers holding each other accountable rather than some outside force. People who don’t pull their own weight are asked to leave. The ethos is that people help each other to become better for the good of the firm. Those who successfully rise through the ranks are rewarded with higher pay and status.
    • anonymous
       
      I am wondering whether this only works in private organisations. In public institutions as there is a lack of the profit motif, there is much more of an inclination to remove individuals perceived as a threat to one's status or worldview rather than how they are performing for the company. 
  • Would the teachers’ unions go along with such a scheme? The unions would certainly have to shed some of the things they now have, such as control of work rules.
    • anonymous
       
      This points illustrates something fundamental - you never hear of lawyer or accountant unions, only teacher unions. Why?
  • fixation with test-based accountability
    • anonymous
       
      There is certainly this happening.
  • every other successful country has
    • anonymous
       
      Is this a blanket statement, or a the grass is greener on the other side of the fence or is it true? 
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    There are quite a few of us who are thinking a lot about the future of schooling. What do you think of his recent article?
djplaner

A Design-Based Approach To Teachers' Professional Learning | Canadian Education Associa... - 1 views

  • Yet school leaders and classroom teachers often fail to see a connection between educational theory and research conducted in universities and the real-world, complex and contextually rich teaching, learning and leading contexts in schools.
  • “Best practice, evidence-based practice, and reflective practice all refer to ways of making optimum use of know-how”[3]; however, while necessary, these are insufficient for creating new insights into practice, or “know-why” directed towards advancing practice
  • Design-based professional learning, which builds upon design-based research findings and theories, provides the bridge for teachers to advance practice in a principled, practical way.
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    Article arguing/explaining the value of design-based research to classroom teachers. The link with NGL is that the course uses DBR as the method by which you consider how to apply NGL principles to interventions in your role "as Teacher".
sharonngl

20 Tips for Creating a Professional Learning Network - InformED : - 2 views

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    An article providing some useful tips for setting up network for professionals.
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    A way forward for educators who want to develop their skill and incorporate networks into their teaching
thaleia66

The Global Search for Education: Can Tech Help Students Learn? | C. M. Rubin - 0 views

  • teachers who are more inclined and better prepared for what are known as student-oriented teaching practices, such as group work, individualized learning, and project work, are more likely to use digital resources. But in many cases, teachers were not adequately prepared to use the kind of teaching methods that make the most of technology
  • Overall, the most successful plans were incremental and built on lessons learned from previous plans.
  • There is increasing recognition of the important role of teachers in education. But we need to go beyond the idea that teaching is an art that requires exceptional talent. There are exceptional teachers, but we need to support the professional development of all teachers, and we can do so if we invest in the scientific base of the teaching profession and empower those very exceptional teachers to become leaders who inspire other teachers.Technology offers great tools in this respect. I'm thinking of platforms for collaboration in knowledge creation, where teachers can share and enrich teaching materials; of the amount of data that can be collected to measure students' learning; or of the increasing use of blended learning models in teachers' training, in which online lectures are combined with individualized expert support and feedback from peers. Because they enable feedback loops between theory and everyday classroom practice and are supported by a network of like-minded peers, these models have been found to be much more effective than the traditional model of courses, workshops, conferences and seminars
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  • Integrating technology successfully in education is not so much a matter of choosing the right device, the right amount of time to spend with it, the best software or the right digital textbook. The key elements for success are the teachers, school leaders and other decision makers who have the vision, and the ability, to make the connection between students, computers and learning.I would encourage all educators to invest in their professional knowledge about how technology can improve their work practices.
djplaner

AJET 26(3) Drexler (2010) - The networked student model for construction of personal le... - 7 views

  • Students engaging in networked learning research must be more self-directed
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Raises the question - what about those students who do not possess these skills?
    • paul_size
       
      I agree, if they do not possess these skills then what?  And is that necessarily a bad thing?  How do we support those with the skills at the same time as those without the skills?
  • balance between structure and learner autonomy
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Recognises that particular skills are require and may need to explicitly taught.
  • take an active role in the learning process by making decisions
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Active participation = decision making
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  • If the learner has primary control, the teacher must consider alternative assessments (Pedersen & Liu, 2003)
  • The role of a teacher within a student-centered approach to instruction is that of a facilitator or coach (Wang, 2006)
  • The students in this study are in effect, networked learners in training.
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Love this view of students working to acquire NGL skills - "networked learners in training"
  • A teacher is better equipped to facilitate networked learning if he or she has experienced the construction of such a model first hand
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Just as well we are all taking this course! :)
  • Figure 2: The Networked Student
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      A model of the networked student.  Like how it incorporates all aspects of a students life, not just online!
  • He or she constructs knowledge based on experiences and social interactions (Jonassen et al., 2003)
  • He asserts that learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions, and learning is a process of connecting nodes or information sources (Siemens, 2004).
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Constructivism influences.
    • paul_size
       
      This is a really nice line.  I like the idea that through collaboration we can leverage off diversity.  
  • Technology supports this appropriation as a collection of tools that promote knowledge construction, an information vehicle for exploring knowledge, an active learning tool, a social medium to promote conversing, and an intellectual partner to facilitate reflection (Jonassen et al., 2003). Each of these components is present in the
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Technology SUPPORTS the learning.
  • The networked student constructs a personal learning environment one node at a time. Once these connections are formed, they must be revisited and built upon to facilitate further learning. The personal learning environment lives beyond time spent in a classroom, especially if the learner chooses to activate it. Yet even in the situation where one learner abandons the personal learning environment, if created as an open resource, it becomes a strong node from which others can learn.
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      A nice example of how constructivism works in students construction of knowledge both inside and outside the confines of the classroom.
  • The teacher is necessary to help the students navigate the breadth of content, apply the tools properly, and offer support in the form of digital literacy skills and subject matter expertise.
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      To achieve depth of understanding, students still require teacher assistance and guidance. 
    • paul_size
       
      I guess this links in nicely with assignment 1 and our posts on how NGL can inform our roles as teachers.
  • Teacher beliefs about the value of technology as a teaching tool may determine effective integration more than traditional forms of professional development (Mueller et al., 2008).
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Teacher beliefs about the value of technology = successful integration.
    • paul_size
       
      I agree.  The teacher plays such an important role in all of this.
  • Table 1: Patterns for networked learning (Goodyear, 2005, p. 1
  • The personal learning environment can take the place of a traditional textbook
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Interesting concept given Brendon's current textbook debate!
    • paul_size
       
      I like the idea of empowering networked students and by enabling them to transcend the traditional concept of the classroom by user friendly web applications.  What about the implications for the work environment?  As David talked about earlier in once of his posts about his experience and finding, I think it was, USQs tools not as useful as the ones outside of work.  How do we empower ourselves in a limited environment?
  • Traditional, lecture-based classrooms are designed as passive learning environments in which the teacher conveys knowledge and the student responds (Chen, 2009).
    • paul_size
       
      I liked this line - for me it really sums up my work environment at present. It's a passive, top down culture where you are lucky if you are the recipient of knowledge rather than a partaker in the journey.
    • paul_size
       
      I think that using Diigo for me is a great example of were learning moves beyond the passive to an integrated environment.  
  • "He or she supports the students in their search and supply of relevant material, coordinates the students' presentations of individual milestones of their projects, moderates discussions, consults in all kinds of problem-solving and seeking for solutions, lectures on topics that are selected in plenary discussions with the students and conforms to the curriculum" (Motschnig-Pitrik & Holzinger, 2002, p. 166).
  • scaffold the learning process
  • Examples of emerging web applications for each of these categories are highlighted. The Networked Student Model establishes a baseline that begins to address what level of structure is needed to facilitate networked learning while providing a foundation for greater student control over the personal learning environment.
    • paul_size
       
      scaffold the learning process... what level of structure is needed to facilitate networked learning while providing a foundation of learner control. For me this is the reality at the moment with NGL. What structure do I need to support my knowledge development? It's about my PKM as well and already that has changed since my initial blog.
  • Networked learning, constructivism, and principles of connectivism inform the instructional design and provide a foundation on which future studies can explore the impact of networked learning on K-12 students and teachers.
  • It is the combination of these connections, especially in concert with human to human contact, that provide the most powerful learning potential (Goodyear, 2005).
  • The significant connections in Couros' view of the network include colleagues, popular media, print and digital resources, the local community, blogs, wikis, video conferencing, chat/IRC, social networking services, online communities, social bookmarking, digital photo sharing, and content development communities (Couros, 2008).
  • The networked student follows a constructivist approach to learning.
  • The Networked Student Model of constructing personal learning environments is reflected in many connectivist principles.
  • Conversely, in the networked learning environment, blogging is a key component of the personal learning environment through which students respond to and collect the opinions of others. Students identify blogs that target a specific unit of study, and they have the option to respond with opinions of their own. They are taught to discern between fact and opinion and appreciate the value of both.
    • paul_size
       
      I think the key here is being able to discern between fact and opinion.  How is this taught to kids today?  I am not a teacher, on the ground with students so any thoughts on this would be great. 
  • The networked student constructs knowledge that can be built upon in other contexts. That knowledge resides within the network to be activated by the learner at any time in the future. There is always the capacity to add nodes to the network (Siemens, 2009).
    • paul_size
       
      I think this links in nicely with Communities of Practice the construction of knowledge.  The knowledge is held within the community and it is by participation that one moves towards mastery (Wenger, 1988).
  • Ultimately, meaningful learning occurs with knowledge construction, not reproduction; conversation, not reception; articulation, not repetition; collaboration, not competition; and reflection, not prescription (Jonassen et al., 2003).
    • paul_size
       
      So meaningful learning comes through knowledge construction.  Not cutting and pasting.  It's about getting out there and into the real world and feeling the experience.
  • Learning potential exists in what the student does with the compilation of content and how it is synthesised.
  • exploring problems, asking questions, making discoveries, achieving new understanding and fulfilling personal curiosity" (National Science Foundation, as quoted by Chang & Wang, 2009, p. 169)
  • The networked student test case follows a single iteration, design based research process (Ma & Harmon, 2009) for analysing a problem, developing a solution, testing a prototype, and reflecting on the results.
  • The students had never participated in networked learning, so a significant amount of time was allotted at the beginning of the project to address digital literacy as well as task and organisational skills that would be required in the online environment.
  • The process and tools are overwhelming to students if presented all at once.
    • paul_size
       
      Here here!
  • Achieving the delicate balance between teacher control and student autonomy is an ongoing challenge when facilitating student use of new technologies for self-regulated learning
  • While the Networked Student Model affords the learner more control and responsibility, the teacher must continually balance this freedom with enough structure to keep students on task and engaged in the learning process.
  • Adopting a networked learning approach would require considerable teacher professional development and a philosophy different from that of most current educators. The implications of the latter on the potential of networked learning are far reaching. They extend to school policy, hiring practice, and pre-service teacher education.
    • paul_size
       
      Makes you think about the future of NGL and implications.
  • cognitive apprenticeship model
  • The Networked Student Model is a work in progress. As web technologies evolve and personal learning management becomes easier, students will gain even greater access to knowledge and more learning control. The construction of personal learning environments has potential; however, extensive research is needed to document best practices, explore the changing role of teacher and student, apply evolving innovations, refine instructional design, and consider pedagogical implications. Social networking and sharing of personal learning environments between students holds further promise as more students participate in networked learning and post their results in an open forum.
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    Journal paper from author also involved in the "networked student" video that appears in this list. "Principles of networked learning, constructivism, and connectivism inform the design of a test case through which secondary students construct personal learning environments for the purpose of independent inquiry. Emerging web applications and open educational resources are integrated to support a Networked Student Model that promotes inquiry-based learning and digital literacy, empowers the learner, and offers flexibility as new technologies emerge. The Networked Student Model and a test case are described in detail along with implications and considerations for additional research. The article is meant to facilitate further discussion about K-12 student construction of personal learning environments and offer the practitioner a foundation on which to facilitate a networked learning experience. It seeks to determine how a teacher can scaffold a networked learning approach while providing a foundation on which students take more control of the learning process. "
ggdines

Educators Need to be 21st Century Learners Too… - 2 views

    • ggdines
       
      Hello all, I think this affirms some of the material we have covered so far and personally I find this reassuring. Despite confusion and being out of my comfort zone - I will push through.
  • Educators Need to be 21st Century Learners Too…
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    "21st century learner" "professional learning network"
ggdines

Reducing the digital literacy divide through disruptive innovation | Simon McIntyre - A... - 0 views

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    This article suggests that educators in HE can generate systemic change by engaging in open and informal professional development outside and beyond their own institutions. An interesting read for anyone in a support role in Higher Education.
djplaner

Mindful or mindless? - Cognitive Edge - 1 views

  • A second problem is an over focus on the individual and insufficient focus on their interactions and the need to engage in those interactions
  • Focusing on the individual in isolation from the community is a form of neo-liberal disenfranchisement
  •  
    The topic of this post is not directly related to NGL. What I think is relevant/important is the quote an over focus on the individual and insufficient focus on their interactions and the need to engage in those interactions Which I think is a perspective/problem that resonates with NGL. NGL at some level is about encouraging, enabling, and thinking about the interactions - the connections. As you are thinking about your DBR projects, consider how, if, and what your project is doing about the interactions between the people and objects within your particular context. For a concrete example, I'll turn to a particular bandwagon of mine. A couple of people have "as teacher" roles that involve helping teachers use digital technologies effectively. Often the problem here is framed as digital literacy. The individual teacher doesn't know enough about technology to fix the problem. The common solution is to do some form of Professional Development so that the individual can develop the knowledge. Which for me, brings back the quote. - "focus on the individual and insufficient focus on their interactions" A NGL solution to this problem would - I think - focus more (but not entirely) on the interactions.
jenleighc

Guest Post: PD For the Teachers By the Teachers - 0 views

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    Differentiation called for in teacher PD.
Charmian LORD

Critical Theories on Education and Technology - PhD Wiki - 0 views

  • Feenberg and other critical theorists such as Ellul, Ihde and Irrgang maintain that technology is neither neutral nor autonomous but ambivalent. Ambivalent technology is distinguished from neutrality by the role it attributes to social values in the use and the development of technical systems.
  • technology is not a thing in itself but is inherently a process of social, historical and political cultures.
  • technology mediates experience, and through this mediation, it alters the experience of the phenomena.
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  • Arisaka (2001)
  • The future development of educational technology will not be determined by the technology itself, states Feenberg, but rather the politics within the educational community and national political trends. In taking a dialogic approach, he stresses educational technology of an advanced society should be shaped by educational dialogue rather than the production-oriented logic of automation.
    • Charmian LORD
       
      If this is the case, I may be "won over" by Feenberg's dialogic approach.  Let's see :)
  • According to Feenberg (1991), critical theory explains how technology is embedded in society through ‘technological code’ that is dialectical, contextual, aesthetic, and humanly, socially, and ecologically responsible.
  • In summary, Feenberg (2002; 5) calls for a profound democratic transformation of technologies, asking “can we conceive an industrial society based on democratic participation in which individual freedom is not market freedom and in which social responsibility is not exercised through coercive regulation?” He argues a good society should support the personal freedom of its members enabling them to participate effectively in a range of public activities. This can be manifest in democratizing technological design; pursuing a ‘democratic rationalization’ where actors participate in the technological design processes. For Illich (1973), ‘tools of conviviality’ produce a democratic and convivial society in which individuals communicate, debate, participate in social and political life, and help make decisions. Convivial tools free individuals from dependency and cultivate autonomy and sociality.
  • Don Ihde (1990)
    • Charmian LORD
       
      I think he missed the idea that some people like to learn online.  It may have come about for (mostly) financial reasons but has been put to good use by many.
  • E-learning literature increasingly perceives the role of the tutor as facilitator (Salmon, 2004), whilst in a connectivist learning environment, it may become further marginalised or even obsolesced (Siemens, 2004). This emphasis on informal and autonomous learning and student engagement with experts outside their formal educational institutions also recalls Illich’s (1970) community webs. Critical educators such as Freire and Feenberg are critical of the diminishing of critical engagement by the tutor and believe it is essential that teachers continue to have a directive role.
  • Friesen (2008) explores three myths pertinent to current e-learning literature: Knowledge Economy Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime Learning Technology drives Educational Change
  • Kellner stresses that multiple literacies, such as media, computer, and information literacies are required in response to emergent technologies and cultural conditions to empower students to participate in the expanding high-tech culture and networked society.
  • Karlsson (2002) however, suggests so called web literacies should be recognised and studied merely as print literacies that appear on the web. Feenberg (2002) reminds us arguments emerging around new educational technologies are nothing new. He suggests writing was one of the first (narrow bandwidth) educational technologies, and describes how Plato denounced writing as destructive to the dialogic relationship between teacher and student evident in spoken discourse. (Noble (1997) points out the irony in Plato using written text to critique writing, suggesting that similarly, the majority of current attacks on web-based media circulate online.)
  • What originated as a hastily-conceived title for a conference presentation has since become a catch-all term for a range of ‘ontologically non–compatible’ elements (Allen, 2008). In an attempt to conceptualize the meaning of Web 2.0, Allen identifies four key components: Technological implementations that prioritise the manipulation and presentation of data through the interaction of both human and computer agents. An Economic model. Using the Web to put people and data together in meaningful exchanges for financial gain. Users are perceived as active participants, engaged in creating, maintaining and expanding Web content. The politics of Web 2.0 are expressed in traditional democratic terms, which emphasises freedom of choice and the empowerment of individuals.
  • Under a critical perspective, the democratic forms of media consumption and production of Web 2.0 are challenged by the underlying “dictates of a neo-liberal socio–political hegemony” (Jarrett, 2008), as evidenced in the exploitation of user–generated content by major corporations (Petersen, 2008). As Silver (2008) reminds us, “when corporations say community they mean commerce, and when they say aggregation they mean advertising.” Scholz (2008) contends the Web remains largely the domain of “professional elites that define what enters the public discourse,” In addition, social conditions inherent in Web 2.0 practices such as personalization (Zimmer, 2008) and participatory surveillance (Albrechtslund, 2008) require a rethinking of traditional notions of identity, privacy and social hierarchies. As educationalists demonstrate an increasing determination to tap into the apparent technological and sociological affordances of Web 2.0, these are issues that cannot be ignored.
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    PhD students article summarising critical theories.
laurac75

Week 3 Reflection on Me as a student | Learning to learn with NGL - 1 views

  • digital natives and digital immigrants as defined by Prensky (2001).
    • laurac75
       
      Using ideas and principles from other sources
  • The answer is that I have been exploring where I fit both as a student and as a teacher.
  • ...17 more annotations...
    • laurac75
       
      Reflecting on my own practice
  • In my last post, I introduced Helsper and Enyon’s (2009) idea that exposure to, and experience using, various digital technologies can have more of an influence that generation age on determining whether a person has the characteristics of a digital immigrant or a digital native. Of course, nothing is ever so clear cut. In his blog, Wesley Fryer discusses this, and expands the immigrant vs native classification into four categories, as shown below.
  • Personally, I think even this is a simplification, and that a person’s classification may vary depending on the technology referred to. For example, until recently I was a digital refugee with regards to smart phones and associated apps – and yet reading news report on-line is an integral component of my daily routine. I would probably class as a Voyeur with regards to Twitter and Flickr in that I am aware of them, and will use them to gain information but I do not follow anyone, or actively participate myself. Thus there are multiple shades of grey.
  • Goodyear, Carvalho and Dohn (2014, p 140) state that networked learning “ is no longer exotic”, however, I would argue that this very much depends on on one’s own perspective, which in turn would be shaped by personal experience and knowledge (aka the whole digital landscape debate).
  • (see Koutropoulis, 2011) Prensky’s division
  • I would generally agree that as a student, I tend to be quite focused, like an ordered approach, and work better as an individual than as part of a community. The concepts of ‘shared learning’ is quite alien to me – as is the concept of allowing the “mess” to be apparent. It is quite contradictory to my scientific researcher – the data is analysed, the results and interpretation finalised, and the presentation polished before the work is released to the world at large (typically via a published paper or article). Only those directly collaborating on the work see the mess, being asked to share this process on-line is really quite intimidating to me, and conflicts with my view of professionalism (as well as my tendency towards perfectionism).
  • So, as a student, I think I challenges on several fronts, not just learning the technology, and associated pedagogy, but also challenges to how I perceive and present myself to the world, and what that means to me as a person, and as a collaborator.
    • laurac75
       
      Using other resources; linking concepts and ideas
    • laurac75
       
      NGL principles in a brpader context; Using other sources
  • about herself in the capacity of being a student,
  • smiss this message
    • laurac75
       
      Use of other sources
    • laurac75
       
      Use of other sources
    • laurac75
       
      Personal reflection on NGL principles
  • So, as a student, I think I face challenges on several fronts, not just learning the technology, and associated pedagogy, but also challenges to how I perceive and present myself to the world, and what that means to me as a person, and as a collaborator
    • laurac75
       
      Reflection of future development
    • laurac75
       
      Personal reflection of involvement in NGL
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    An attempt to demonstrate how (if) I am meeting the assessment criteria for Assignment 1. I think the grading is rather oblique - how does one distinguish between acceptable and exemplary? Where does this post fit? Feedback or thoughts on this would be welcome.
  •  
    An attempt to demonstrate how (if) I am meeting the assessment criteria for Assignment 1. I think the grading is rather oblique - how does one distinguish between acceptable and exemplary? Where does this post fit? Feedback or thoughts on this would be welcome.
anonymous

FuturistSpeaker.com - A Study of Future Trends and Predictions by Futurist Th... - 0 views

  • how much training should be required prior to taking a job, and whether the investment of time and money spent on training should be optimized around the company or the employee, knowing there will always be some in-house training required.
  • When we look at the bigger picture of retraining for this and many other professions, knowing that people will be rebooting their careers far more often in the future, with time being such a precious commodity, how do we create the leanest possible educational model for jobs in the future?
  • Micro-Colleges are any form of concentrated post-secondary education oriented around the minimum entry point into a particular profession. With literally millions of people needing to shift careers every year, and the long drawn out cycles of traditional colleges being a poor solution for time-crunched rank-and-file displaced workers, we are seeing a massive new opportunity arising for short-term, pre-apprenticeship training.  Many Micro-Colleges will fall into the category we often refer to as vocational training, a term poorly suited for the professional craftsmen, artisans, and technicians they will be producing. Since status and credentialing are critical elements of every career choice, any training producing specialized experts will need to come with industry-recognized certifications and titles.
    • anonymous
       
      We will always need some kind of industry-recognised certifications and titles. I think so as it would be ridiculous if someone could label themself as an engineer without showing that they have completed some kind of certificate outlining their skills. An individual could claim anything but would need social validation that they do indeed have the skills.
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  • On the other side of the equation are people who go through all the work of getting bachelor and master degrees and still not having the skills necessary to gain employment. Traditional colleges, for the most part, do a great job, but they are all oriented around seat time. They also come with the overarching philosophy that nothing of value can be learned in less than four years, a timeframe woefully out of sync with someone needing to change career paths. So at what point is education “too lean,” and conversely, when is it “too fat?”
  • The Micro-College approach to training brewmasters would be an intense 2-4 month training program with a designated apprenticeship period learning on the job.
  • Since my coursework happened in the pre-computer era, most of the skills I needed after computers were introduced were primarily self-taught.
    • anonymous
       
      This is an example of situational learning. He is learning in other contexts, not just formally.
  • Perhaps the most valuable courses with long-term relevance were classes in writing, English, speech, art, design, and the special research projects that forced me to find my own answers and write a final report. The art helped me understand that engineering was a form of creative expression.
    • anonymous
       
      Creative expression is essential for understanding.
  • If the school were tied to an industry-specific apprenticeship program with a near-perfect handoff between academia and real-world work happening inside the industry, what would a super-lean engineering program like this look like?
    • anonymous
       
      I remember in my first year of teaching saying to myself "this is what I have spent four years training for." I though something is seriously wrong when I was trained to be more of an academic than someone to manage a classroom.
  • It’s easy to imagine that as traditional colleges see their student base decline, many will begin to partner, merge, and purchase fledgling Micro-Colleges and begin incorporating these new areas of study into their own catalog of course offerings. 
  • Since existing colleges bring with them credit-granting accreditation, along with status, credibility, and the ability to offer student loans, in-house Micro-Colleges will likely become a rapidly growing part of campus life. Many colleges will find the Micro-College niche they take on to be the key differentiator between them and other schools.  Using the school-within-a-school approach, core Micro-College programs will become feeder mechanisms for additional types of credentialing.
    • anonymous
       
      Very interesting idea. Judging by what I have heard from students this would be preferable. 
  •  
    The concept of "micro colleges" - colleges that offer qualifications at a fraction of the time and cost. What do others think about this? I'm certainly interested as I think the teaching degree of four years is way to long.
Anne Trethewey

Educational Leadership:For Each to Excel:Preparing Students to Learn Without Us - 3 views

  • The reality is that despite having talked about personalized learning for more than a decade, most schools and teachers have been slow to discover its potential through the use of the social web, interactive games, and mobile devices.
    • anonymous
       
      Comments like this make teachers appear lazy. Using the word "slow" implies that teachers are ignorant and not proactive. I have seen many teachers wanting to integrate these technologies but finding the curriculum and day to day life of being a teacher as exhausting.
    • mari marincowitz
       
      I totally agree on this, Annelise. The problem is that the whole school system has not kept up the way technology has changed our daily lives and ways we interact and learn. For example, I'm teaching the IB Visual Art curriculum, a rigorous 2-year course for grade 11 and 12 learners. The sheer amount of work that need to be achieved in a very short period, makes it impossible to spend hours integrating new technologies that are not directly related to achieving the objectives set out by the IB to pass this exam. My husband teaches IB Psychology and the final examination is a traditional written exam, mostly based on students' ability to memorize large amounts of work. This means that students need to practice writing traditional pen and paper tests. This leaves little space for interactive games or application of new technologies. The curriculum will need to change before teachers can effectively discover the potential of these new technologies and consequently redefine their teaching.
  • schools see the eruption of technologies and environments that allow for personalized learning as a "disruptive innovation
    • anonymous
       
      Not in the schools I have been in.
  • we need to fundamentally rethink what we do in the classroom with kids
    • anonymous
       
      True, we do need to rethink but I think the model is fundamentally flawed.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • are we preparing students to learn without us? How can we shift curriculum and pedagogy to more effectively help students form and answer their own questions, develop patience with uncertainty and ambiguity, appreciate and learn from failure, and develop the ability to go deeply into the subjects about which they have a passion to learn
    • anonymous
       
      This is what the subject NGL is encouraging. We learn without teachers, where we answer our own questions, develop patience with uncertainty and ambiguity, appreciate and learn from our "mistakes," and follow our passion.
  • writing blog posts
    • anonymous
       
      A very good idea and something I was doing with my year 11s and 12s. Some loved it and others wanted the "paper and pen" approach. I found female students were more resistant as they were not as active in online forums as the males, but this is only my experience. I had many females complain, even some to their parents saying that they wanted to receive everything I did in hard copy, despite even the parents having access to all the online materials.
  • model the learning process together
    • anonymous
       
      A great idea, modelling active learning.
  • Assessment changes as well. Donhauser says that the emphasis moves to assessing in the moment rather than at the end of a book or unit. "Rather than having a defined product that I receive from 25 students," she says, "I receive 25 individual assignments with their own unique content, insights, and styles." Using Google Docs, students continually update their progress, and she provides regular feedback. Students also give one another feedback on their plans as they go. Everyone follows a rubric that covers such areas as standards, learning outcomes, artifact explanation, blog posts, learning activities, work ethic, and research. Personalized learning like this requires students to reflect deeply on their effort and assess their work and progress, a fundamental part of developing the skills and dispositions to continue learning after the class ends.
    • anonymous
       
      I can see how it will take very brave souls to implement this approach in the current schooling model. I have seen massive resistance, and mostly because it is seen as "extra" on top of everything else. Education is like a "black hole" - never ending and constantly growing. :0
  • the truly personal, self-directed learning that we can now pursue in online networks and communities differs substantially from the "personalized" opportunities that some schools are opening up to students. Although it might be an important first step in putting students on a path to a more self-directed, passionate, relevant learning life, it may not bring about the true transformation that many see as the potential of this moment.
    • anonymous
       
      I think the demand for personal learning is increasing, particularly amongst male students. The proliferation of information on the web and the active engagement. Argghh, I just found out that Robin Williams has died. I'm heartbroken, i loved him.
    • djplaner
       
      You're not alone in that feeling.
    • djplaner
       
      On a less important topic, how would personal learning fit within a school setting with set curriculum etc? I can see a distinct difference with what is possible in NGL and what could be done in my undergraduate course.
  • By pairing personalized learning and technology, a teacher can help students learn what they need to learn through the topics that interest them most.
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      An interesting statement - especially in light of many of the restrictions now placed on teachers in Australia with the new national curriculum, especially P-6.  Over the last few years, the explicit teaching focuses and prescriptive nature of many subject outcomes has seen my teaching change fundamentally, and I do not believe for the better. I know longer have the same scope and professional leeway to tailor learning to needs and interests of my students.  One-size DOES NOT FIT ALL!
  • Finding Their Passion
    • Anne Trethewey
       
      Have explored 'Genius Hour' with my students in an attempt to introduce more opportunity for my students to engage in learning that is more in turn with their interests and passions.  Find time in a very hectic curriculum and timetable is the greatest hurdle!
  • It requires a totally different skill set on the teacher's part," Stutzman says. "We have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, because we don't know the exact direction that a class will go when we walk in.
  • Personal and autonomous learning is self-directed and self-selected according to the learner's own needs, preferences, and learning arrangements … Truly autonomous and personal learning means making our own choices about what we wish to play or learn with, whom we wish to learn with or from, where we want to do this learning, when we prefer to learn or play, and how we want to learn. (personal communication, October 3, 2011).
  •  
    A very good article on encouraging students to personalise their learning to their personal interests, just as NGL is doing. It illustrates how learning should be self-directed.
  •  
    A very good article on encouraging students to personalise their learning to their personal interests, just as NGL is doing. It illustrates how learning should be self-directed.
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