TQ#7 Gapminder Experience

Gapminder is an amazing program.  

What a Difference a Teacher Makes!

The night after my team played with Elluminate Live, our entire class met via this web-conferencing program for a session facilitated by our instructor. He led us through an organized, logical introductory session covering the major interactive features of this program and ending with an interesting website to explore (GapMinder).

This positive experience was the best antidote for the frustration I had experienced the evening before when we explored the same program on our own. Yet this session was truly facilitated, not dictated, since he invited us several times to play with the features and experiment for a few minutes with what they could/could not do. His style made this session feel like the instruction book for Elluminate that I had longed for during our team session.

I also liked the way that he left us at a web desitination....feeling a bit empowered by our experience and the instructor's orientation to this site, I explored it more than I would have if I'd simply been given the URL to check out.

Obviously, what I felt here was the power of scaffolding....offering the right amount of support to the students so they don't flounder, but they also still have some independence and choice within an instructional setting. The challenge would be figuring out how to offer various levels of scaffolding to each student or group of students. Obviously, we have a wide range of knowledge and skill in technologies like this. One person's scaffold could feel to another like a cage. I'm going to read some entries from my classmates to see how they felt about this session as well.

TQ#6 - Team's Preview of Elluminate Live

This week's assignment was to experiment with an online communication and collaboration program. My two team members and I decided that we would explore Elluminate Live, a program that NCC purchased a few years ago and I have used a little. I have participated in several sessions before and even facilitated one for some industry partners. Every session I had seen had used the whiteboard for PowerPoint only; I had never explored all of the features.

Kristin set up a v-room and sent the directions out to Corrinne & I. When that appointed meeting time came, I was the last to enter our "room" and was surprised to literally "see" both of them; I didn't know that Elluminate had video capabilities like Skype! However, shortly after I joined the video conference and we had all three of us on the screen, we suddenly lost video connection with Corrinne. We could still hear her (and her husband) checking out her webcam. We kept trying different things to get her back on video, but nothing seemed to work. We all started playing with various features when a loud, obnoxious sound started. It sounded like the feedback that happens when two microphones get too close to each other. We could all hear it and it was very distracting.

Kristin's daughter tried to help as well, but at some point, I inadvertently shut off my video feed as well. I could still see Kristin, but I couldn't figure out what I had done, so I couldn't figure out what needed to happen in order to get re-connected. In fact, I was worried that I would not be able to work the video portion if Dr. Garrigan were to ask us to do that during our Elluminate Live class meeting scheduled for Thursday. Seems a bit frustrating.....maybe I should "read the directions!"

TQ#5-Trying to Get this Concept

Concept mapping is obviously very constructivist. Building charts with bubbles of meaning to the creator(s), starting "where they are" and spreading out from there connecting new information to the existing structure. I like it, for brainstorming. However, I find it way too messy for my tastes as a way to learn everything. I'm sure that it works better for some people, but I much prefer outlines that don't require a "label" be placed on the relationship. That was the sticking point for me. I'm not sure that I'm learning or just getting frustrated when I have to place a word on every link.

I do like the flexibility and agree that it is an invaluable tool for group work. The computer allows the users to gather whole sections and move them to other locations, linking them in a totally new way when called for. Eventually, though, the information needs to be gathered into something more universal. A paper or a chart or something that anyone can easily understand is a better final product than a confusing jumble of information connected according to someone else's thinking patterns.

I also do not understand exactly what Jonassen meant when he said that "the students are teaching the computer."

Results of My Survey on Education Programs at Lehigh

Q1) What degree are you pursuing?
MS – 4 people
PhD – 2 people

Q2) What is your major?
Education
Instructional Technology
Special Education
LST – 2 people
Teaching and Learning Technology

Q3) What have you liked best about LU’s education programs?
The dedication of the teachers. Preparation for class.
The reputation of the school in the eyes of employers.
Research-based classes and on –the-job learning where the school I’m at is considered
a “laboratory school.” I get to do all of my projects at Centennial, using students I know.
The quality of instruction and instructors as well as the academic reputation of the
university.
Hands on instruction.
Excellent instructors.

Q4) What have you liked least about LU’s education programs?
Feedback is not promptly given. Inconsistency in the use of Blackboard by professors.
At times, a lack of real world perspective on the field.
The amount of work that is required (not necessary).
The fact that there are very few online or distance learning opportunities.
My diversity course : )
Too much lecturing.

Q5) What could be done to improve LU’s COE courses?
Have all teachers trained in using the university systems effectively.
Emphasize what I stated in #4 above (more of a real world perspective).
More explicitly planned out so that I know what courses and many other requirements
are necessary for each semester, instead of figuring out some of the requirements
last minute.
Let’s get to the 21st century and start offering distance learning courses more regularly.
(Or split courses – half in classroom, half online).
I like to see a second course devoted to technology tools in the classroom. There are so
many out there that warrant an in-depth look and discussion.
Let us truly experience constructivist education by having more class time devoted to
doing rather than listening. I'd like to see best practices in action rather than simply
reading about them.

While Rome Burned.....

"Civilization" has a steep learning curb. At first it didn't seem so bad. I really liked the primative music and started setting workers to tasks like creating irrigation, etc.

Then I started exploring. Leaping into the darkness to illuminate more of the surrondings, getting further & further from "Rome." I noticed fish in the water off the coast and started working on figuring out "who" could catch them and "how." I was the stereotypical "noob" who didn't even notice that I should have been simultaneously watching my back.

Suddenly a warning popped up with a vivid shot of my city on fire! Black smoke billowing, while I impotently tried to "fix" it. That was when I decided I had had enough.....and went to bed.

My "Rome"....before the fire!

My 2nd SIMS session: The Wancas go about their business in their "half-baked house."

TQ#3 - Getting into Gaming

I was amazed how easily I got sucked into "The Oregon Trail." Once I was on the way, I quickly learned the value of pacing and resting; an unexpected lesson, but one with positive benefits when applied to real-life situations as well. At first I was a bit annoyed at how little distance could be covered by the oxen in a single day, but then it occurred to me that this might have been quite intentional....the game creator's way of getting the player to slow down to the pace of that era and even start to experience the same frustrations that probably plagued the explorers.

It soon became evident that I had made some very fundamental errors in my initial decisions, but I chose to keep going and going and going until we died. If we had had more time, I would have immediately started over. And this game was very simplistic (aka "boring" to the young game addicts I recruited in my study) compared to the other games I later played.

When I played the SIMS Superstar game with my daughter, I was dismayed to learn that the major way to get money to build a house (an early task) was to "use a cheat." I was appalled that this would be the best way to win. This fact, paired with the obvious stereotypical outfits, hairstyles, etc. available for my "family" made me begin to worry that the lessons being learned in these games were actually being used by someone wanting to hasten the disintegration of society as we know it.

However, as we continued to play and talk with my daughter about about her "former addiction" to this game, it became clear that there were many positive aspects to her involvement as well. The most amazing thing to me was how persistent she would be when engaged in these games. An added bonus, as Marc Prensky mentions in his writing is the connections that they make to what they are doing now and what they may need later (secondary consequences) based on their past experiences (failures, that like mine in the OT game only spurred me to want to try again and "do better.").

In later discussions with a college student who works for the NCC HelpDesk, I also confirmed other aspects of Pensky's contention that positive lessons come from gaming. One question posed to this young man about games led to a 1/2 hour monologue from him about the plusses and minuses of various MMORPG's (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), in which thousands or maybe millions of young people come and go, playing daily at least while rarely "sitting out that night." The most striking was how the players that reached the highest levels of proficiency in games like "Guild Wars" would reach out to "noobs" to share strategies and "cheats" and so gain great credibility. I had no idea that this young man in my office had years of "teaching experience" on line. When this "Guild Leader" was not helping others, he was joining with others to complete difficult tasks, or help others in need. His story proved in my mind the following statement from my reading that 'What keeps the kids playing these games is....the ability to work together with others to achieve more and more difficult goals." (Prensky, 2004)

References:

Prensky, M., 2002. "What Kids Learn That’s POSITIVE from Playing Video Games," Retreied February 4, 2009 from http://www.marcprensky. com/writing/default.asp"

Prensky, M., 2004. "How Kids Learn to Cooperate in Video Games," Retreived February 5, 2009 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/default.asp

WISE Exploration

On the student side of this website, I explored the "Global Warming: Virtual Earth" Activity and was appalled to learn that my lifestyle needs almost 8 football fields of land to maintain per day.

Since I signed in as a teacher, I was also able to explore the Teacher 's Portal & Educational Toolbox (Teacher's PET).

WebQuest Assignment

I explored the White Water WebQuest which is still listed on the WebQuest.org website but is currently housed on a server at Iowa State University. You can find it at: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~jamaiers/webquest/introduction.htm

This WebQuest would best be done with high school students for a unit on economics because the task is actually to plan many aspects of running a whitewater touring business in the Western part of the USA. The students work in groups of four, with the following roles: Guide, Map Maker, Nutritionist and Media Specialist. The guide & the map-maker work closely together to choose the river for a one-week whitewater tour and plan the exact route to be travelled. The nutritionist plans all the meala for a one-week long river trip. The media specialist is responsible for creating a brochure selling the tours that includes a map of the route drawn by the map maker and the menu, planned by the nutritionist. Really clear directions in the process section and rubrics in the evaluation section provide scaffolding for the students. Total instructional time needed would be 4-5 class hours for planning and research before group presentations could begin. However, I didn't like having to scroll all the way back to the top once I reached the bottom of a particular page. The designers may want to consider placing the navigation bar on the side instead. I really liked that this task was so gender-neutral, but the resource list should be less biased toward the Grand Canyon and instead provide more sites for discovering unique river trip sites.

In addition, I also checked out part of Dr. Bodzin's Coastal WebQuest about the controversial move of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse found at http://www.ncsu.edu/coast/chl/index.html This one grabbed my attention since we visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina every summer.
This WebQuest has much less structure than the other one, but this may allow for even more open exploration within the rich resources of the site.

Please take this survey - Your input is important!

Please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=McFB0Cy5AvxUO7voHXfSZg_3d_3d and take the survey I prepared just for our class.

Thank you!!!

TQ#1 - Meaningful Learning vs.TPCK

The readings represent polar opposites in their perspectives. The TPCK (Technological, Pedagogical Content Knowledge) article by Koehler and Mishra is focused on teaching and the challenges that teachers face incorporating technology into their classrooms (and their pedagogy!). This article does a great job of outlining the barriers to technology adoption that exist within most educational institutions. It goes on to suggest ways to overcome these barriers and enhance teacher training, but there is little mention of the students per se (Koehler and Mishra, 2008).

In sharp contast to this, the chapter from the book by Jonessen, Howland, Marra and Crisman is focused on the learners. This book advocates a radically different way of using technology to enhance what the authors define as "meaningful learning" (Jonessen, et. al, p. 3)." The authors call for what amounts to a paradigm shift from the traditional instructional methods, more commonly used today and seemingly reinforced by the current emphasis on success in standardized tests. The authors want to allow students to use all types of technologies, including computers, as tools to construct their own solutions to authentic problems. They envision students working on their own with a partner (or perhaps a team) on whatever they consider to be a solution to a problem with little help from the teacher. Learning would be truly student-centered and student-led with the teacher serving as a facilitator while also enforcing deadlines for reporting on progress and/or for task completion.

Many teachers are skeptical about the lack of structure being advocated in this idyllic type of "constructivist learning environment" (Jonessen, et. al, 2008). They are very hesitant to let the learners guide because they fear that the students will get totally out of control and do nothing related to learning. This attitude is reflected in a passage of the article by Koehler and Mishra stating "non-technologists tend to view technoloists as being shallowly enthusiastic, ignorant of education....and unaware of the realities of classrooms and schools." (Koehler and Mishra, p. 9).

So the contrast of these two articles starts to echo the major, underlying debate in instructional technology of whether any advances in learning are due to the technology or to a corresponding change in teaching method. In his book, Jonessen states that "Technologies have traditionally been used to support teachers' goals, not those of learners (p. 4, Jonessen, et. al)" and seems to imply that this is the underlying reason for any failures of technology (a term he uses synonymously with computers) to create meaningful learning.

So the debate continues; is it the technology or is it something else? Perhaps it is engagement with the material that enhances learning, no matter how the engagement is actually achieved. This may be what Jonessen and his colleagues mean when they state that "Technologies are lousy teachers, but they can be powerful tools to think with (Jonessen, et. al, p. 10)." Certainly more research is needed in order to determine the best ways to create meaningful learning and fully transferable knowledge.


References:

Koehler, M. & Mishra, P., 2008. Introduing TPCK, Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) for Educators, Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Jonassen, D.H., Howland, J., Marra, R.M., & Crisman, D.P., 2008, Meaningful Learning with Technology, Boston, MA, Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.