Module Six: Learning in a Digital World

Technology has a significant impact on the way I learn. I learn through conducting research online, viewing vodcasts, and completing daily Internet searches. I learn at my own pace in an online environment rather than in a face-to-face environment. I am also more comfortable in the online environment because I decide when I “go to class” and not worrying about the trivial issues with face-to-face learning environment such as traveling to school, parking, consumed in a classroom for an extended amount of time. I have the ability to be “in class” whenever it is convenient for me and for however long I decide to be online. As a learner, I am also afforded more time to respond to questions that are posed by my instructor and classmates, which I feel is important. It allows me the opportunity to consider my response and complete any necessary research before posting a response.

I believe that it is critical and non-negotiable for instructors to be flexible and for learners to be open-minded and active in their learning. An instructor should be flexible in order to be effective because an online environment has some of the most diverse learners in different area codes and countries with different backgrounds and cultures. The instructor must be aware of this when creating assignments, responding when students make contact, and providing feedback. For the learner, it is critical to be active in the learning environment consistently, the learner must take responsibility for their own learning.

EDUC 7105 Module Five: New Technologies

There was a time when I encouraged my students to complete an assignment using Microsoft Excel. The results were very disappointing. Nearly half the class admitted to having little to no experience using Excel. Not only that, they were not too thrilled with me teaching them how to use it. The students were very resistant and simply wanted to create their graphs and complete their math with their calculators only rather than learning how to use a program that was unfamiliar. I had some students gripe under their breath, some others asked if they could complete the assignment without using the program. I also had a few students that were happy to use Excel and offered to assist some of their classmates that were struggling.

According to John H. Keller’s model of motivation, performance, and instructional influence, there are four conditions for motivation of the learner, which are Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (Driscoll, 2005). I would have changed the motivation of my students through the use of Keller’s model by first gaining my students’ attention. I could have gained their attention with a scenario that clearly illustrates the relevance of the program that I advised them to use. I could have shared my personal experiences with Excel. Next, I could have continued with a real-world connection, for example, I could have had mentioned the different uses of Excel as well as some of the careers and jobs that require the use of Excel and how the program is directly tied to Microsoft Office, and how developing skills with Excel can be listed on a resume. By doing this, it would have increased student confidence in Excel and allow them to use their newly acquired skills in the workforce. Bill Ferriter (2012) stated to offer students the opportunity to complete activities that directly effect and matter to them. By acquiring these skills in school, students will be able to apply them in class and increase their chances for success in the future.

Reference

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning  for instruction (3^rd Ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Ferriter, B. (2012). Are kids really motivated by technology? Retrieved from https://smartblogs.com/education/2012/08/17/are-kids-really-motivated-technology/

Module Four: Connectivism

My learning is more self-directed and collaborative. I learn more from people now than I ever had. As a student, I learn from collaborating with classmates online through the use of discussion boards and blogs. As a professional, I learn through the use of Google Docs, and Dropbox. We use Google Docs to share and make changes to student data for various purposes (Crockett, 2013). My students teach me the latest terminology that their generation uses and I also tend to learn new ways to use technology such as my iPhone, MacBook, etc.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Google search best facilitates learning for me. When I have questions, in order for me to learn new knowledge, I frequently complete a Google search for information. A Google search results in YouTube videos, PowerPoint, Wiki pages, etc. I tend to select the pages that are sponsored first because those are the pages that are reliable.

Reference

Crockett, R. (2013). 50 Education tools every teacher should know about. Retrieved from http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/03/26/50-education-technology-tools-every-teacher-should-know-about/

TeachThought. (2012).100 Best digital learning tools for 2012. Retrieved from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/100-best-digital-learning-tools-for-2012/

EDUC 7105: Module Three Collaboration

I believe that humans have an instinct to interact with one another and work as a group. For example, humans hold discussions all the time rather that is in the classroom, water cooler at work, in a social setting, etc. The abilities of Wikipedia allows volunteers to contribute to history by authoring material that is available worldwide in hundreds of languages (Rheingold, 2005). Anyone can contribute to Wikipedia by editing the information that is available and/or creating personal wiki pages through open source production. Technology can facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructive principles by the amount of information that is available through technology through various sources, a good source for problem based learning,and technology allows the learner to come to their own conclusions.

http://books.google.com/books?id=1L9q4LUvmiAC&dq=collaboration+tools+in+education&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s

                                                          Reference

Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from  
http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1L9q4LUvmiAC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=collaboration+tools+in+education&ots=Q3XfFkJUdr&sig=KYQXFR4Wnsy7lCC8PtarQmuG9Hc#v=onepage&q=collaboration%20tools%20in%20education&f=false