Thomas Response
The Scholarship of Teaching (SOT) places an emphasis on educators having more than just curricular knowledge. SOT requires educators to also have pedagogical and instructional knowledge. SOT or scholarly teaching uses these three components to enhance learning in the classroom. This course allowed me to investigate pedagogical from an educational technology point of view. In other words, today’s students require educators to integrate current technology into the learning process. Preferably, this technology should be a technology that is of interest to students which is exactly what this course has accomplished.
Blogs have been a source of controversy with traditional journalist since its creation. However, through blog software programs, everyone can have a voice. I have used and created blogs in the past but this time it was my responsibility to provide a scholarly response on a weekly basis. The blogging in this course allowed me to feel like a professional. At the same time, blogging in this course pointed out how great blogging could be used as a communication, student presentation, multimedia, and/or knowledge demonstration tool. In other words, when a school system cannot afford to invest in a LMS system, here is an inexpensive way to accomplish this on a small scale.
In the end, I am glad that I have taken this course. This course allowed us to explore some of the technology tools that I have been interested in using in the classroom particularly in the area of video and computer games as a learning tool. I have spent the last year investigating the scholarly literature on the use of video and computer games in the classroom. In other Walden courses, anytime I mention using video and computer games in the classrooms, it was usually met with great resistance. This course did not allow that to really happen since it was a topic for discussion.
Tango
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Week 11 Simulations, Simulation-Games, and Games
Simulation Games for the Classroom
Derek Wenworth wrote the following blog March 12, 2007:
When I was teaching I found the use of simulation activities among the most effective ways of engaging students in their learning. In those days I relied on activities that involved lots of paper, and instructions in envelopes etc. Nowadays you can find some really great simulation activities online - such as the simulation games created by World Vision , and available free for teachers and students.
There are five excellent activities listed on the WV simulation games page - I’ve registered and had a dabble with Eliminate - Child labour (experiencing life as a social worker with the goal to eliminate child labour in a community) , and with Frontline (Set in a conflict zone, teams face decisions that save lives and assist those impacted by conflict.)
I’m really impressed with the quality of these activities - both in terms of the way the activities themselves are devised and structured, and in terms of the interface. There’s quite a bit of reading involved - but hey, in a classroom group situation that becomes part of the activitiy, reading together to decode the instructions etc. Those looking for a Play Station or X-Box experience will be disappointed - but let them. These simulations are engaging in different ways. They’re especially useful for developing critical thinking, and exploring ideas and concepts at a deeper level than a superficial read of a magazine or text book article - especially when engaged in as a part of a classroom group activity. Like all good simulations - they’re intended to teach not through the imparting of lots of information, but through the understandings developed through the process of participation, problem solving and decision making.
Well done World Vision for making these available for use on our classrooms - from the comments boxes on the web page it would appear that there are many people making good use of them and finding value in using them.
The following blog can be found at the following website: http://blog.core-ed.net/derek/2007/03/simulation_games_for_the_class.html
Tango’s Response
Derek does point out very important aspect of simulations. Derek states simulations are intended to teach not through the imparting of lots of information, but through the understandings developed through the process of participation, problem solving and decision making. I have to agree with this point but this also means that using simulations in the classroom requires a considerable amount of time. Simulations cannot be the learning tool but more as a supplemental learning tool to the current classroom lectures and assignments or as an assessment tool at the end of the course.
Derek also brings up another point. Current educational games do not replicate the look and feel of many of the popular video and computer games on the market. Upon closer inspection, many of the educational games have been designed for younger students are cartoon based. This means that even though these games are great learning tools, the games lack the appeal for older students especially when used in the college setting. At least simulations have come the closest to appealing to the older student population.
Tango
Derek Wenworth wrote the following blog March 12, 2007:
When I was teaching I found the use of simulation activities among the most effective ways of engaging students in their learning. In those days I relied on activities that involved lots of paper, and instructions in envelopes etc. Nowadays you can find some really great simulation activities online - such as the simulation games created by World Vision , and available free for teachers and students.
There are five excellent activities listed on the WV simulation games page - I’ve registered and had a dabble with Eliminate - Child labour (experiencing life as a social worker with the goal to eliminate child labour in a community) , and with Frontline (Set in a conflict zone, teams face decisions that save lives and assist those impacted by conflict.)
I’m really impressed with the quality of these activities - both in terms of the way the activities themselves are devised and structured, and in terms of the interface. There’s quite a bit of reading involved - but hey, in a classroom group situation that becomes part of the activitiy, reading together to decode the instructions etc. Those looking for a Play Station or X-Box experience will be disappointed - but let them. These simulations are engaging in different ways. They’re especially useful for developing critical thinking, and exploring ideas and concepts at a deeper level than a superficial read of a magazine or text book article - especially when engaged in as a part of a classroom group activity. Like all good simulations - they’re intended to teach not through the imparting of lots of information, but through the understandings developed through the process of participation, problem solving and decision making.
Well done World Vision for making these available for use on our classrooms - from the comments boxes on the web page it would appear that there are many people making good use of them and finding value in using them.
The following blog can be found at the following website: http://blog.core-ed.net/derek/2007/03/simulation_games_for_the_class.html
Tango’s Response
Derek does point out very important aspect of simulations. Derek states simulations are intended to teach not through the imparting of lots of information, but through the understandings developed through the process of participation, problem solving and decision making. I have to agree with this point but this also means that using simulations in the classroom requires a considerable amount of time. Simulations cannot be the learning tool but more as a supplemental learning tool to the current classroom lectures and assignments or as an assessment tool at the end of the course.
Derek also brings up another point. Current educational games do not replicate the look and feel of many of the popular video and computer games on the market. Upon closer inspection, many of the educational games have been designed for younger students are cartoon based. This means that even though these games are great learning tools, the games lack the appeal for older students especially when used in the college setting. At least simulations have come the closest to appealing to the older student population.
Tango
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 10 Learning Objects
Who re-uses learning objects?
Clive Shepherd
September 26, 2008
Reality is somewhat different. I'm doubtful if anyone really got themselves organised enough to have their LCMS configure content automatically to meet the needs of individual students. If they did, then well done to them. And re-using content on a systematic basis across subjects and in different contexts also requires a great deal of organisation, most probably on a centralised basis. As we know, this is not typically how learning and development works. And of course, it is difficult to create good content that is free of context, certainly not content that anyone would want to use. The cases, examples and stories are what brings the subject alive and makes it memorable. You can introduce context into an object-orientated approach without breaking the rules, but only by carefully concentrating the context-specific material in a limited number of objects that can then be swapped out for different audiences. But, looking back over my own use of learning objects in the past ten years, I can see many more pluses than minuses: When you organise your material into really short chunks, you reduce the risk of overloading the learner. You also make it easier for the learner to organise their study and to find material at a later date. As a developer, you spend less time creating complex navigational aids, because this becomes the responsibility of the LCMS/LMS or of the teacher. Organised into objects, it's much easier for your material to be employed in a variety of contexts, not only as a formal piece of self-study, but also perhaps for reference or as a classroom aid. Creating content in small chunks encourages you to use that content in more imaginative ways, perhaps as catalysts for collaborative learning, and not merely as elements of some monolithic and excruciatingly dull self-study programme. And believe it or not, I've also been able to re-use many of the learning objects that I've created, sometimes I'll admit with a few tweaks, but often in their original form. And even if you aren't lucky enough to experience much re-use, thinking in an object-orientated way can't do you any harm and will certainly help you avoid some of the excesses of the past. The following blog can be found at the following location: http://clive-shepherd.blogspot.com/2008/09/who-re-uses-learning-objects.html
Tango's Response to Clive's Blog
I have to say that I agree with Clive's assessment of re-using learning objectives. This allows a few things to be accomplished. First, re-using the learning objects save incredible amounts of space by putting the basic information into one location. Separate locations require the designer to predetermine on what or how students or teachers will use the information. This brings up the next point. This allows teachers to create and use the content in a way that is convenient for them. A couple weeks ago I was taking a Dreamweaver course and the instructor mentioned that individuals will only remain on a webpage 7 seconds when searching for information. I also notice that many of the internet commercials have do not run in the same amount of time as TV commercials. Internet commercials are presented at around 15 to 30 seconds. This is evident for not creating an environment where students are not getting information overload. This method also allows any information to broken up into a variety of chunks versus the information being present in its entirety. This is important when it comes to the attention span of students.
Tango
Clive Shepherd
September 26, 2008
Reality is somewhat different. I'm doubtful if anyone really got themselves organised enough to have their LCMS configure content automatically to meet the needs of individual students. If they did, then well done to them. And re-using content on a systematic basis across subjects and in different contexts also requires a great deal of organisation, most probably on a centralised basis. As we know, this is not typically how learning and development works. And of course, it is difficult to create good content that is free of context, certainly not content that anyone would want to use. The cases, examples and stories are what brings the subject alive and makes it memorable. You can introduce context into an object-orientated approach without breaking the rules, but only by carefully concentrating the context-specific material in a limited number of objects that can then be swapped out for different audiences. But, looking back over my own use of learning objects in the past ten years, I can see many more pluses than minuses: When you organise your material into really short chunks, you reduce the risk of overloading the learner. You also make it easier for the learner to organise their study and to find material at a later date. As a developer, you spend less time creating complex navigational aids, because this becomes the responsibility of the LCMS/LMS or of the teacher. Organised into objects, it's much easier for your material to be employed in a variety of contexts, not only as a formal piece of self-study, but also perhaps for reference or as a classroom aid. Creating content in small chunks encourages you to use that content in more imaginative ways, perhaps as catalysts for collaborative learning, and not merely as elements of some monolithic and excruciatingly dull self-study programme. And believe it or not, I've also been able to re-use many of the learning objects that I've created, sometimes I'll admit with a few tweaks, but often in their original form. And even if you aren't lucky enough to experience much re-use, thinking in an object-orientated way can't do you any harm and will certainly help you avoid some of the excesses of the past. The following blog can be found at the following location: http://clive-shepherd.blogspot.com/2008/09/who-re-uses-learning-objects.html
Tango's Response to Clive's Blog
I have to say that I agree with Clive's assessment of re-using learning objectives. This allows a few things to be accomplished. First, re-using the learning objects save incredible amounts of space by putting the basic information into one location. Separate locations require the designer to predetermine on what or how students or teachers will use the information. This brings up the next point. This allows teachers to create and use the content in a way that is convenient for them. A couple weeks ago I was taking a Dreamweaver course and the instructor mentioned that individuals will only remain on a webpage 7 seconds when searching for information. I also notice that many of the internet commercials have do not run in the same amount of time as TV commercials. Internet commercials are presented at around 15 to 30 seconds. This is evident for not creating an environment where students are not getting information overload. This method also allows any information to broken up into a variety of chunks versus the information being present in its entirety. This is important when it comes to the attention span of students.
Tango
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 9 LMS and LCMS
LMS and LCMS
Robin Good
July 15 2003
Updated July 14, 2004
Robin stated the following in his blog: A slick product doesn't deliver value if the company cannot deploy it, support it, or will not be around tomorrow. In this light I also encourage you to evaluate vendors through a set of very specific criteria.
These should be: 1) longevity,2) customer base,3) parent-companies,4) partners,5) technological sophistication,6) financial credibility, customer7) engagement protocol,8) deployment options and protocols,9) deployment record,10) industry experience,11) conformance with industry standards. You can find a very thorough reference for such evaluation criteria by going to:http://www.ltnavigator.com/selection.htm
The following blog can be found at the following location: http://www.kolabora.com/howto/how_to_select_an_elearning.htm
Tango's Response to Robin's Blog
I know this is a fairly old post but an important one. As educational leaders in our field we are in the key positions for making important decisions when it comes to our institution’s technology. I believe that Robin points out some very important issues when determining a LMS or LCMS system for your institution. There are many excellent LMS/LCMS systems out there. However, an excellent system is a weak system when there is not any support for the system by the company once it has been launched. This is evident in the 11 points Robin illustrates.
Tango
Robin Good
July 15 2003
Updated July 14, 2004
Robin stated the following in his blog: A slick product doesn't deliver value if the company cannot deploy it, support it, or will not be around tomorrow. In this light I also encourage you to evaluate vendors through a set of very specific criteria.
These should be: 1) longevity,2) customer base,3) parent-companies,4) partners,5) technological sophistication,6) financial credibility, customer7) engagement protocol,8) deployment options and protocols,9) deployment record,10) industry experience,11) conformance with industry standards. You can find a very thorough reference for such evaluation criteria by going to:http://www.ltnavigator.com/selection.htm
The following blog can be found at the following location: http://www.kolabora.com/howto/how_to_select_an_elearning.htm
Tango's Response to Robin's Blog
I know this is a fairly old post but an important one. As educational leaders in our field we are in the key positions for making important decisions when it comes to our institution’s technology. I believe that Robin points out some very important issues when determining a LMS or LCMS system for your institution. There are many excellent LMS/LCMS systems out there. However, an excellent system is a weak system when there is not any support for the system by the company once it has been launched. This is evident in the 11 points Robin illustrates.
Tango
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