Archive for August, 2008
This summer has been a true educational journey. I have enjoyed working and learning with my classmates and instructor. I think the biggest accomplishment for myself as a student and as a teacher this summer was to create my own online course. It was a challenging yet enlightening experience. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to implement my course in the near future whether it be online or as a technology based tool in the classroom.
To view my online course click on the link below:
Life Cycles 101
Enjoy!
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August 18th, 2008
According to Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia student centered learning is an “approach to education focusing on the needs of the students, rather than those of others involved in the educational process, such as teachers and administrators”. In my teaching philosophy I have always been a supporter of a student centered learning environment. My ideal teaching environment would be a place where my students are part of a community of learners where their individual voice, interests, learning styles, etc are not only respected but nurtured as well.
In a student centered learning environment, students are initially at the forefront and learning is an added bonus. Rather than creating lessons where a teacher instructs from the front of the classroom and students absorb information, in a student centered classroom the teacher creates ands on and minds on activities. The students are encouraged to explore lessons visually and tactiley and therefore develop the skills to think critically and problem solve. This type of learning environment sets the stage for the nature sense of inquiry where the student learns that school work has a purpose and accepting challenges becomes an award. In this kind of learning environment the teacher values the importance of a teachable moment rather than sticking to a strict schedule.
In the You Tube Video “A View of Students Today”, Michael Wesch wants us as viewers to consider “If students learn what they do, then why are they sitting here?” As I reviewed this video and thought about what it means to teach in a student centered learning environment, it became apparent to me that if students learn by constructing meaning it is important for us as teachers to create learning environments that connect new content to things that students are interested in. I think technology holds the key to these types of lessons, it is just up to us as teachers to think outside of the box and create relevance lessons that tap into our students strengths and interests to bring them to a higher level of thinking and learning.
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Works Cited
Wesch, Michael. A Vision Of Students Today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o. Retrieved August 18th, 2008.
Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student-centered_learning. Retrieved August 18th, 2008.
August 18th, 2008
Community of Inquiry Framework
While reading the article Online Community of Inquiry Review: Social, Cognitive, and Teaching Presence Issues by D.R. Garrison, I realized that the dynamics of social, cognitive, and teaching presence in an online course are similar to that of a face to face classroom. However, they must be established and consistent early on in the course to prevent misconceptions of the course and to allow the student to perform at their personal best.
The diagram above illustrates the Community of Inquiry Framework within a student’s educational experience. The combination of social, cognitive, and teaching presence enhance the student’s learning experience. Students build their social presence through working together in a community and engaging in educational discourse with classmates. Students build their cognitive presence through exploring data, constructing meaning, and collaborating with others. The glue that seems to bridge the social and cognitive presence together is the teaching presence. The design of the course, teacher interactions, teacher instruction, the structure of activities and course expectations make up the teaching presence of a class. Without a sound teaching presence, social and cognitive presence would not be effectively established.
As I reflected on my teaching experiences, I realized that social, cognitive, and teaching presence is the foundation of my classroom whether they are online or face to face. Prior to walking into my classroom on the first day of school my goal would be to create a schedule of events for the students, review the organization and structure of my classroom then present my expectations to the students, get to know my students and allow my students to get to know each other. Once this is established the student is then able to begin their learning adventure. I noticed when I began creating my online course, the teaching presence I created was set up in the same fashion, however it was more elaborate and detailed considering I would not be with the child face to face to present this information.
At the end of each school year, I look back and reflect on my teaching and my students. Some questions I ask myself are: what would I like to do differently this upcoming year? How might I incorporate new team building activities into my teaching? How might I incorporate more hands on minds on learning opportunities? As I reflect on the online course I created, it is difficult to predict how my classmates might perceive my course or how my future students might embrace the lessons and activities. I am looking forward to any constructive feedback that comes my way! 
Garrison, D.R. Online Community of Inquiry Review: Social, Cognitive, and Teaching Presence Issues. University of Calgary. Pages 61-72.
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August 5th, 2008
Last Tuesday, I reviewed my course by using Professor Pickett’s Course Checklist For New Online Faculty. I found this Course Checklist to be a helpful guideline to follow. It made me realize features I must add on to my course, areas I should clarify and other aspects I must fine tune as I construct my finished product.
Since Tuesday, I have been diligently fine tuning my online course. I must say at this point I am finally feeling confident and proud of my final product . Although there are some areas of this course, as a designer I would like to change or add on to some things, but I realize that my course is always going to be a work in progress, so I am not going to sweat the small stuff.
One area of my course I spent a great deal of time on was the presentation and tone I wanted to establish with my students. Since my course is intended for a young third grade audience, tone and user-friendliness was one of my greatest concerns from the very beginning, so this is an area I know I needed to clearly think out and organize. Through our class readings, presentations and discussions I realized that elaborate lingo and wordy directions were not going to work with my audience. Although I wanted to make my point clear, I had to be mindful of my language and length of my discussions/directions because I do not want to discourage or confuse my students.
I also wanted to make the course appealing to the students. I tried to incorporate a number of visual aids and included voice threads, you tube videos, a webquest, and website exploration so that the students learn the information by exploring different mediums. My goal for my students is to learn the information constructively rather than just reading and writing.
While taking this course I have learned a great deal about myself as a person, a student, and as an educator. As a person, I never realized how long I could sit in front of the computer. I have worked for hours on end, fixated with creating this course. I never realized that five hours could feel like fifteen minutes once I get engaged in my work. As a student, this course has been a phenomenal yet frustrating experience. Teaching myself how to create links, discussion forums, find relevant information, etc. on a deadline has been an overwhelming challenge. However, once I learned how to do these tasks, I don’t think I have ever felt so proud or accomplished, which is a great feeling for a student, and I hope that the lessons I create will give my students that sense of learning satisfaction. I thank my instructor and classmates for their comments, suggestions, and assistance with learning new material. As an educator, this has been an amazing learning experience. I have learned how to organize and reflect on what I am teaching in a new light. Learning how to use new technology based tools has been so enlightening. I can’t wait to incorporate the course that I have created as well as some of the tools I have learned how into use into my own classroom.
My course continues to be a work in progress, but one that has been an amazing learning experience that I am proud of. I can’t wait to share my course and receive feedback from my professor and classmates. I am also very excited about having the time to explore and reflect on the courses my classmates have created throughout the next week.
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August 3rd, 2008
