online group experience week 3 & 2

I forgot to post my online experience for week 2, so I'm combining the two weeks together. For week 2, Dana and I communicated more than Joseph and i communicated, I must say that Joseph did try to reach out to me, however, i was really during that week, that i was unable to respond. However, Dana and I did communicate through text messages and phone calls. More of the preliminary questions were answered and we search for web hosting sites that we thought would be suitable for the new site, we also modified our flowchart to make it easier to navigate once implemented i the new site. For week 3, Dana and I decided to have her submit the progress report for the week because we had conflicting schedules and could not meet, however, we did decide on our next meeting, we also discussed what we've done and what is left to be accomplished which id basically picking out the best choice for the new site and plugging things in.

online group experience

The group experience this week was interesting, first of all we were missing the third member of the group even though, we communicated with this one person. However, that did not stop the rest of us from working, i would say that we got a lot the tasks assigned accomplished and i was quite satisfied with the amount of work that we got done. The rapport was very good, it was easy to get along and it seemed like we were on the same page as far as the delegation of the tasks went. We were able to brainstorm ideas and put them together. Even though we were missing one member, we were able to accomplish a lot.

Podcasts

The first one i listened to was the teachers' podcasts with Kathy King and Mark Gura, even though it was long, i was able to pay attention to a few things that were discussed. Basically they both talked about new technological innovations for education, their advantages and some disadvantages, however, they mostly talked their advantages. One thing that made it easier for me to keep my focus on their podcast was their enthusiasm about the topics, they are completely pro new technology to make education easier. One of the new innovations talked about was an online environment that will connect teachers and students. If students especially in high school are able to get online and access their homework or projects and see due dates and activities, there will be no more excuses as to why their work was not done. This is also effective for the students that are seriously sick and have to be out of school for a long period of time, that way they are not so behind when they come back because all their assignments and summary of lectures will be available for them. I thought this was a brilliant idea. The second podcast i listened to was about the new environment where medical personnel can communicate across the board about new equipments that are available out there, and also new information, new experiments and results. It basically connects all medical personnel and keeps them up to date about medical issues and information. This was at Health 2.0 and the owner of the company that created this outlet is Lance Hill. I thought this was interesting.

I actually preferred listening than reading because when it comes to reading i tend to browse and not really comprehend what I'm reading, i tend to get the overall gist of the information. Even though i was doing other things, i was still tuned in to what i was listening to. For me it would be listening to the text without visual modality because i found that the visual modality would have been irrelevant.

I actually used to record my professors lectures and used that to study for my exams and i found that it really helped me because it helped me remember and understand more because i could take my time and comprehend. Listening actually helps me understand more about a topic than reading would because somehow i am able to envision my self in the topic and i am more connected than if i was reading the topic.

So yeah, i would actually rather listen than read.

video that motivated me

I loved this video because it basically shows how creativity of children are forced to be in a box. It gives an example of Picasso that was asked to draw a face, however his interpretation of what a face is supposed to look like was not acceptable to the teachers and therefore he was given as F everytime he was asked to draw a picture, but he thought the F meant fantastic. The moral of the video is that what if Picasso realized that the teachers were failing him, would there be a Picasso today? Great food for thought!!

This video which was the first video was my favorite. Even though all three videos were very interesting. The video is a speech by Ken Robinson who is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources. He is also a New York Times Best selling author. His speech emphasized the importance of enhancing creativity in schools, he made it interesting by mixing humor in with his speech. This kept the audience engaged and interested. The speech touched on a lot of importance issues regarding creativity in schools, for example the fact that arts are placed at the bottom of the barrel in schools, and also the stigma that goes along with being "artsy" not to mention the amount of government funding that support the sciences and the lack of funding for music or art. As far as designing instruction goes, it is important that instuctors are able to design instructions that will enhance imagination and creativity without bias and in some way make it easier and okay for kids to explore their minds and express their creativity. He told a couple of stories that inspired me to help with enhancing the creativity in the kids that i work with, my favorite was the dancer story who supposedly had ADD, but in reality she was a dancer. As far as technology being intergrated goes, i feel that the advances that have been made in technology has made it easier for kids and adults to express themselves and i can only imagine waht the future of education will be like with further advances in technology. My question is where would the world be without creativity? Imagination is such a powerful tool in the human development that the lack of it would mean a very boring and uninnovative world.

The second video was the video about different students giving their opinions about the importance of sitting in a classroom and listening to a professor teach. Basically the students question the importance of the education received in schools especially college. I was able to definately relate to a lot of the students because i think about it almost everyday especially now that i am about to graduate. As for designing instructions, professors need to intergrate interactive means that will help stimulate the students in hopes of increasing knowledge. Most of the time students complain about how the traditional way of teaching makes it difficult for them to concentrate in class, what teachers need to do to add more discussions, presentations, group activities that will help the student not only gain an understanding of a topic but also keep the student involved and interested. Some of the students were complaining about how majority of their time in class is spent on facebook as opposed to listening to the teacher, the teachers can intergrate technology like the computer to help keep the students engaged.

The third video was actually my least favorite, however, it shed some light on how technology has progressed from back when form and content were inseparable to now where it is separated. This makes it easier for information to be passed on from source to source, it also makes it easier for people to be connected as far as, ideas shared through blogging or daily activities shared through twitter, or pictures shared through flickr, all these makes it easier for information to be retrieved and shared. As far as designing instruction goes, teacher are about to share more information and communicate better with the students. As for intergrating technology, the internet especially google is the most commonly used search engine for information and teachers are able to assign tasks that can be accomplished effectively and efficiently through the internet.

I tried to make this clearer but i couldn't.

Sorry.

Paper and pen mind mapping

There are several potential benefits of using mind mapping. Here are five:

1) Prepare and deliver presentations and speeches

2) Prepare and prioritize plans

3) Make better and faster decisions

4) Being creative through brainstorming

5)Better note taking and note making skills

Mindmapping

i'm not very excited about this whole mind mapping thing, first of all i'm not computer friendly, for some strange reason they don't like me so i don't like them back. I get really dizzy staring at the computer for hours on end. I usually just check my mail and pay my bills and that's my relationship with the computer. Now, i know a lot of people are saying that mind mapping is very easy, however, i beg to differ because i had never heard of it before, so i had to familiarize my self with it, and i was like oh no! this has to do with one's creative side and i am the least creative person. Anyway, i have to do it because it is part of grade, so i gave it a shot. I think that digital mapping was easier than actually putting it on paper, because on paper i was over thinking the whole thing, which defeats the purpose of mind mapping, but on the computer i just filled out the boxes as my thoughts were coming.

Learning objectives based on Bloom's Taxonomy

OK, so i was reading all about Bloom's taxonomy and i was like of what relevance is this to me because of the fact that i really don't spend a lot of time on the computer. Then, i realized that it is not just related to the computer but to every day life, for example it relates to your place of employment and academic institutions. Following Bloom's taxonomy will definitely help one accomplish their learning objectives and goals. Let's start with remembering, it will be difficult to learn anything if one cannot recall the information. By describing, listing, bullet pointing, searching, highlighting, etc, it helps to gain the basic knowledge and remember information that is part of one's learning objectives and goals. The next one would be understanding, to be able to understand information, one has to be able to describe, summarize in one's own words, explain, comment etc. This is where twittering also comes in, not only does it connect people together, it gives insight into the little things that people do that they don't necessarily want to call or email about. It also gives people the opportunity to comment on other people's post and in order to comment one has to have some understanding. Then comes applying, to achieve one's learning objective, one has to be able to implement, operate, execute what they have learnt. The next one would be analyzing, this is where one has to compare, organize, validate, structure etc, the information to accomplish their learning goals. Evaluating and creating are the final two aspects of Bloom's taxonomy. Evaluating involves being able to criticize, judge, monitor, test etc, information obtained, Blogging also fits here as well as in the final aspect creating. In creating one has to be able to design, construct, program, invent, plan, new information to accomplish learning objectives.

Designing for learners

Aside from learning styles and preferences, i think that we should take into account creating a positive instructor-student relationship. It is very important to gain the trust and respect of the students because it makes it difficult for the students to understand and be accepting of the teacher's approach to teaching. The instructor should take their time in explaining the motives behind the approach that they take, it makes it easier for the student to carry out their assignment without thinking that it is a waste of time, but rather that it is beneficial to them.

I also think that it is important for instructors to consider what the students are used to especially if the instructor is new. The instructor can do this by giving the students a survey, asking them what and how their experiences have been so far as a student, and what and how it can be made better, what worked and what didn't work. This gives the instructor an idea of what the students have been used to and design their curriculum from there.

My Own Myths

This assignment seemed to shed some light on the myths that people have about online learning. Personally i dont knock anything until i've tried it and that was my approach to omline learning and plus i really wanted to graduate faster, and in order for me to do that i had to take online classes. I guess my initial thought was that it was going to be easier, however my take on that, is that it depends on the professor and how enthused they are about the class. I have taken online classes that i only had to log on once a week for the tests and that was it, we did not have discussion forums and interactive activities to facilitate our learning. I have also taken classes where all facets of online learning is utilized. Another myth that i believed was that with online learning you get all the time in the world to get things done especially because the student paces him or herself, sadly i was mistaken. I quickly realized that there were still deadlines just as in the traditional classroom, and infact you get less time to work on material for the class. I think that with discipline and hardwork, online learning is not something to be feared or underestimated.

my experience with the surveys

This week with the surveys was so tidious and long, although it was interesting to know all the learning styles and where i fit in.

Learning Style
The survey stated that i was an Auditory learner, at first i was kind of surprised because i did not see myself being an Auditory learner. I saw myself more as a Kinesthetic learner, one who is more hands on and enjoys practicing to learn new material. However, as i was reading through the descriptions of an Auditory learner i realized that it actually described me more.

The Myers-Briggs
The results showed that i was ESFP, which is distinctively extraverted, slightly sensing, distinctively feeling, and distinctively perceptive. I actually agreed more with this one than i did the first one.

Kolbs Inventory
This one showed that i was an Organizer and i absolutely agreed with this one. It showed that i adapt to changing circumstances and solutions to probelms are done in a trial & error manner. I also tend to be at ease with people, prefer challenges and like anything new.

Even though the surveys were long and tidious, i actually learned something new about how i prefer to learn, the other two surveys kind of confirmed what i already knew. I'm also trying to get the hang of being constantly online and having to keep up with twitter and blog, i'm trying to keep up, but i will hang in there!!!

my expectations for ltec3440

My expectations for this class is that i learn something new that i will be able to utilize in my career, and also to have fun while learning, last but not least to make an A in the class.