Working with my classmates at the university whether online or a campus class, I always try to integrate technology such as Google Docs to collaborate on projects. In my experience, unless the instructor requires it, my classmates look at it as something to humor me with rather than a tool with real value. It usually comes across as extra work and some of my classmates either ignore my instructions on how to set it up or just find that they don’t have the time to set it up (and possibly don’t find the energy as well). They apologetically offer some excuse but I do understand if they are not able to expend the extra time. Some come to see how to use the tool and how it can benefit them in projects. I hope they all utilize it in the future for other academic projects as well as real-life scenarios.
I cannot really blame my classmates for their lack of appreciation of these tools. Most people that I know take online courses because of time restraints. To ask them to use a separate non-required tool is probably like running my fingernails down a chalkboard. In the study (Thompson, et.al.) I read concerning computer-mediated communication, it was “found that learners may only post the minimum amount of messages required…or may post low-quality messages simply to meet the requirements”. In another study, it was noted that in a “goal- and rule-based graded discussion…led to ‘high phase[s] of critical thinking” whereas “a nonstructured ungraded discussion open to all 300 students in the course…only 19 students chose to participate in.” It would make sense that they would focus on the graded or rule-based requirements and let the ungraded, non-required discussion sink to the lowest priority when time is at a premium. I can see that computer-mediated communication could work if the facilitator set up specific rules on using the communication tools. How successful the tools would turn out to be does depend on whether it is used or pushed aside.
In my professional life, I have taken some of the tools we have learned here in this course and utilize them for online collaboration with my Technology Committees at both of my schools. Wiggio is effective but was not without trouble in the beginning. We found that if our school had a block on Facebook, then the Wiggio would not show appropriately in the web page. The IT folks at Wiggio, however, were very gracious and worked with me to overcome this. I have considered Google Docs as a solution for collaboration between teachers and students but mostly because most of the students did not have Microsoft Office at home. Using Google Docs could help with the compatibility problems between what the students do have, which is usually Microsoft Works, and Microsoft Office. I have to temper the technology I have already introduced my staff and the students to, though, before looking at what else I can “feed” them.
We are utilizing a Content Management System (CMS) now at our schools called Moodle. It allows for collaboration between student and teacher. Just like our Blackboard, Moodle allows for the student to be enrolled in different courses and for the student to access these courses through one login. Only a handful of the teachers even utilize the Moodle to collaborate with the students even though that’s the main purpose of using the CMS. The teachers, however, that do utilize the Moodle, in my observation, find the students more cooperative and excited about their work. When they arrive in my Computer Lab, the first thing they ask is “Are we moodling today?” I utilize Moodle for my third through eighth grade classes in collaboration. It can be something as simple as asking a question and having them type in the answer and submitting the answer back to me. One of our teachers has her students writing journals in their Moodle. The teacher is able to give feedback faster because she types it in and the student is able to see her response almost right away.
In these new experiences, we are already seeing what the study “Thompson, et.al.” says about utilizing required technology versus voluntary computer-mediated communication. I added a section about free time work. It involved downloading Gamemaker which is a program to build your own computer game. I threw that in because I figured that many of my students would be interested. A handful of students checked it out but the rest passed it by because it was not worth a grade. This surprised me because I just assumed they would jump at the chance to download this program. Most of the students focus on the graded assignments and then, if we have time left, they will look at the rest of what I have to offer them in my Moodle course.
The one element of a course management system that I do not utilize is messaging or email. Since my students are elementary to middle school, it is hard to keep them on task if they have access to messaging. The students utilize forums instead in Moodle to communicate messages among groups. It keeps the student accountable because they know the teacher can see the entire conversation. Finding other ways to communicate such as the forums instead of the messaging tool in Moodle is one way to utilize flexibility in using technology tools to communicate. It satisfies the students need to communicate with their classmates and the need for the teacher to collaborate with them as individuals and as a group.
In Karpova et.tal., they discuss how students utilize technology when it is controlled, such as what I have done with the Moodle versus an open proposition where the students can utilize any number of technology tools to work on their projects. In the study, some of the groups were limited in their use of certain technology tools such as allowing audio but denying video. One of the student’s complaints was that he could not see the other team members’ facial expressions. (I didn’t have to read further to tell that he was a visual learner.) I do find that with the limited (what can be allowed with my young students) technology choices, it does give me challenges in how to utilize this technology best for my students. For the group that was allowed free reign with the technology tools they utilized three to five different technology tools for different tasks. In our practice in online collaboration in this course, our team found strengths and weaknesses in the different tools we used. Wiggio is great for sending out notes to the whole group just as Google Groups would do but only the administrator of a meeting could show a file on video or even show their face on video. Instead of calling the long distance number prompted to us in Wiggio to form a videoconference, we utilized Skype with Wiggio so we could hear with Skype and see with Wiggio. That also didn’t work well because using them at the same time caused memory problems and an echo in our conversation. We braved it long enough to view the document we were discussing but eventually we finally had to drop the Wiggio in favor of the Skype. Unfortunately, we never tested a videoconference using Wiggio’s conference number, so I’m not sure it would’ve worked out. I may try this with my technology teams at work. There are many technology tools to choose from. I have found that most have a weak spot and utilizing another tool with the first is the best course of action.
When I started reading the next article by Dockter, I grew excited because it sounded like something that I want to institute in my urban inner-city school where most of the students have no access to a computer at home. Of particular interest on this page was the “The DigMe Program”. See www1.umn.edu/urelate/newsservice/Multimedia_Videos/digme.htm for more information about the program. The program’s “aim was, and continues to be, to increase student engagement and achievement in a high-poverty urban high school, with the goal of empowering students to think critically, build meaning, and deepen their understanding across all subjects by applying project-based learning using evolving digital technologies. This work, we hope, will promote educational equity and relevancy while narrowing the digital divide”[Dockter]. I could foresee such a project at my school with my inner-city students utilizing different technology tools to think critically about their projects. While I doubt that I would utilize Twitter since my students are so young, I’ve learned of a social network tool at the last technology conference I attended in Perrysburg, OH - Free-Tech Ohio - that I could possibly utilize with my students. This could help us teach the students to use social networks such as Twitter and Facebook ethically and judiciously, while keeping them safe on the Internet.
Much was learned from reading the research on technology tools. Much of it was not a surprise but it was nice to see my views mirrored on the pages I read.
Dockter, J. (2010). Redefining Rigor: Critical Engagement, Digital Media, and the New English/Language Arts. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(5), 418-420.
Karpova, E., Correia, A., & Baran, E. (2009, January). Learn to use and use to learn: Technology in virtual collaboration experience. Internet & Higher Education, 12(1), 45-52. Retrieved March 27, 2009, doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2008.10.006
Thompson, E., & Savenye, W. (2007, October). Adult Learner Participation in an Online Degree Program: A program-level study of voluntary computer-mediated communication. Distance Education, 28(3), 299-312. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Using the Situated Learning Theory in my classroom
In my “Using the Internet in the Classroom” class, this week’s assignment is to discuss an education theory of which there are many. The specific theory of education I chose is Situated Learning because it is closer to what I use in my classroom. In the material provide for us to read, I learned that the principals of situated learning are
1. Knowledge needs to be presented in an authentic context, i.e., settings and applications that would normally involve that knowledge.
2. Learning requires social interaction and collaboration. (http://tip.psychology.org/lave.html)
I did a little more research and found that “situated learning was first proposed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger as a model of learning in a Community of practice” (Wikipedia). “Lave argues that learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs (i.e., it is situated).” (http://tip.psychology.org/lave.html). “Situated learning environments are more likely to transfer to real-life problem solving (http://tecfa.unige.ch/staf/staf-e/pellerin/staf15/situacogn.htm).
As my bachelor’s degree is in Technical Education plus my experience in the Navy in training my team, I focus on kinesthetic learning – learning by doing. While in the Navy, there was some rote material that my team had to learn to pass the test but much of the material had to be learned in practice on the job. The part of the team that worked with us full-time, who actually were able to practice the material full-time, did much better on their annual promotion tests than the reservists who worked with us two weeks out of the year. The reservists were able to understand the material but did not have the opportunity to practice as much since the job involved work on a naval ship.
In the years that followed, I started work at a phone company, I had a trainer who first showed me through classroom activity and then sat me with an active worker at the computer. The worker put me in her chair and made me take the phone and the computer and start using what I learned in the classroom. It was intimidating at first but I soon felt comfortable with the job. I’ll always be grateful to her for forcing the issue and allowing me to take over her workstation.
Later, at the same phone company, I watched another trainer as she was training new hires which brought this theory more to the surface. She would work on the computer and have the new hire looking over her shoulder. Once the new hire was put at his/her computer, they were at a loss because they had only observed but had not done any of the physical work. Many left the job in frustration.
In my classroom, I teach middle schoolers how to use word processors, spreadsheets and presentation tools. Instead of rote practice which bores them easily, I try to apply real world activities for their learning opportunities. For word processing, we wrote thank you notes at Thanksgiving and made Christmas cards at Christmas. I also work with the other teachers when they assign essays and reports to the students. They provide the requirements of what the students have to write about and I provide the technical how-to in using a word processor to get the job done. Every year, Directions Credit Union comes in to teach the students about banking accounts and budgeting. We use this time to build our budgets in Excel spreadsheets to see how we can use the spreadsheets in our real world experiences. At the end of the year, we plan a party and they have to use a spreadsheet to budget the party expenses. For presentations, we utilize personal pictures to put together Powerpoint presentations or build slideshows through Moviemaker, all the time emphasizing what these tools can be used for in the outside world. If I were teaching adults again, I could utilize building resumes as a good situation learning example for the word processor.
Using the Situated Learning with Internet applications is a small leap from what I usually teach. Next year, I plan to institute Google Docs for our middle schoolers for a more collaborative application of word processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools. Google Docs allow for the student to share their work with their teachers including allowing the teachers to edit their work. I also believe utilizing the Google Docs will allow more affordability and flexibility in being able to share their homework. Right now, I have to specify that the students save their work in *.rtf format in word processors because most have Microsoft Works instead of Microsoft Word which is what we have at school; or the student has a new computer with MS Word 2007 which doesn’t play well with older versions of MS Word. Most of the students do not have spreadsheet tools but the Google Docs will change that.
In the “real world” where teamwork is favored, I believe my students will have a better head-start on collaborating in online teams by utilizing tools such as Google Docs. Instead of having each student have a separate spreadsheet as we do now, our students can plan our end-of-year party with a wiki using a Google Doc word processing document, share one spreadsheet to plan the expenses, and possibly even use the presentation tool to put together a fun slideshow of the year in review. Instead of boring, I can see where the students could have a lot of fun with this activity and use what they’ve learned for their future endeavors.
1. Knowledge needs to be presented in an authentic context, i.e., settings and applications that would normally involve that knowledge.
2. Learning requires social interaction and collaboration. (http://tip.psychology.org/lave.html)
I did a little more research and found that “situated learning was first proposed by Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger as a model of learning in a Community of practice” (Wikipedia). “Lave argues that learning as it normally occurs is a function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs (i.e., it is situated).” (http://tip.psychology.org/lave.html). “Situated learning environments are more likely to transfer to real-life problem solving (http://tecfa.unige.ch/staf/staf-e/pellerin/staf15/situacogn.htm).
As my bachelor’s degree is in Technical Education plus my experience in the Navy in training my team, I focus on kinesthetic learning – learning by doing. While in the Navy, there was some rote material that my team had to learn to pass the test but much of the material had to be learned in practice on the job. The part of the team that worked with us full-time, who actually were able to practice the material full-time, did much better on their annual promotion tests than the reservists who worked with us two weeks out of the year. The reservists were able to understand the material but did not have the opportunity to practice as much since the job involved work on a naval ship.
In the years that followed, I started work at a phone company, I had a trainer who first showed me through classroom activity and then sat me with an active worker at the computer. The worker put me in her chair and made me take the phone and the computer and start using what I learned in the classroom. It was intimidating at first but I soon felt comfortable with the job. I’ll always be grateful to her for forcing the issue and allowing me to take over her workstation.
Later, at the same phone company, I watched another trainer as she was training new hires which brought this theory more to the surface. She would work on the computer and have the new hire looking over her shoulder. Once the new hire was put at his/her computer, they were at a loss because they had only observed but had not done any of the physical work. Many left the job in frustration.
In my classroom, I teach middle schoolers how to use word processors, spreadsheets and presentation tools. Instead of rote practice which bores them easily, I try to apply real world activities for their learning opportunities. For word processing, we wrote thank you notes at Thanksgiving and made Christmas cards at Christmas. I also work with the other teachers when they assign essays and reports to the students. They provide the requirements of what the students have to write about and I provide the technical how-to in using a word processor to get the job done. Every year, Directions Credit Union comes in to teach the students about banking accounts and budgeting. We use this time to build our budgets in Excel spreadsheets to see how we can use the spreadsheets in our real world experiences. At the end of the year, we plan a party and they have to use a spreadsheet to budget the party expenses. For presentations, we utilize personal pictures to put together Powerpoint presentations or build slideshows through Moviemaker, all the time emphasizing what these tools can be used for in the outside world. If I were teaching adults again, I could utilize building resumes as a good situation learning example for the word processor.
Using the Situated Learning with Internet applications is a small leap from what I usually teach. Next year, I plan to institute Google Docs for our middle schoolers for a more collaborative application of word processing, spreadsheet and presentation tools. Google Docs allow for the student to share their work with their teachers including allowing the teachers to edit their work. I also believe utilizing the Google Docs will allow more affordability and flexibility in being able to share their homework. Right now, I have to specify that the students save their work in *.rtf format in word processors because most have Microsoft Works instead of Microsoft Word which is what we have at school; or the student has a new computer with MS Word 2007 which doesn’t play well with older versions of MS Word. Most of the students do not have spreadsheet tools but the Google Docs will change that.
In the “real world” where teamwork is favored, I believe my students will have a better head-start on collaborating in online teams by utilizing tools such as Google Docs. Instead of having each student have a separate spreadsheet as we do now, our students can plan our end-of-year party with a wiki using a Google Doc word processing document, share one spreadsheet to plan the expenses, and possibly even use the presentation tool to put together a fun slideshow of the year in review. Instead of boring, I can see where the students could have a lot of fun with this activity and use what they’ve learned for their future endeavors.
Friday, March 12, 2010
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