EDUC 6711 Reflection

My personal learning theory from Week 1 was that students learn by working cooperatively and by using hands-on activities to gain knowledge and to show the knowledge they have learned. After learning about the different learning theories and instructional learning tools, I have decided that I am keeping my personal learning theory from Week 1 and also adding that students learn from doing inquiry-based projects. Students in today's digital age do not learn best by sitting in their chair all day completing worksheets and reading incessantly from a textbook. They learn by searching the Internet to find answers to their questions, by building artifacts to demonstrate how much they have learned, by playing educational computer games, and by socially interacting with other students in the classroom and in other classrooms. The immediate change I will make to my teaching practice will be to implement more inquiry-based learning projects using Web 2.0 learning tools. Two technology tools that I enjoyed using in this class were Voice Thread and concept maps. I plan on using Voice Thread with my students when they get ready to learn about famous Missourians. They will work in partners to find information and photos about their person and then record what they learned into a Voice Thread to present to the class. I have already used concept maps to assess their knowledge of Lincoln's assassination after we took a virtual field trip to Ford's Theater. I thought my students did an outstanding job of creating the maps to show their knowledge. I would love to use these again to assess their knowledge of the three branches of government. One long-term goal I would like to make would be to integrate more social networking sites, such as wikis and blogs, for the children to interact outside of school. I have a blog site set up for my class and used it every week during the first half of the school year. However, since Christmas, I haven't been diligent enough in setting up the questions or replying to comments made. Next year, I plan to have questions set up each week for the blog and require a due date for submitting answers. I would love to implement a wiki into the classroom for use on cooperative group projects. The students would be able to talk via the wiki outside of class to help prepare their project or answer any questions they may have about the project. Another long-term goal I would like to make would be to have my students use powerpoint and Voice Thread more often. I would like to have my students complete at least one powerpoint or Voice Thread each month about the topic we are studying. The first half of the year is spent visiting the regions of the United States. After each region is completed, my students could create a powerpoint or Voice Thread demonstrating their knowledge of that region, instead of taking a quiz on the region. After Christmas, we study Missouri so for each topic the students can research the topic and create a powerpoint or Voice Thread about it to present to the class.

Classroom Need Voice Thread

Click on the title to be taken to my Voice Thread.

Connectivism and social learning in practice

Connectivism is defined as when learning is the act of forming networks and navigating networks of knowledge. Social learning is when students are actively engaged in constructing artifacts while conversing with others. In Chapter 7 of our book, they mention several cooperative learning activities that the students can complete. All of these activities are connectivism or social learning in practice. Any kind of multimedia project is definitely creating an artifact and bringing constructionism into the classroom; however, when you group the students up and have them research the content together, collaborate on what their artifact will look like, and then create the artifact as a team, you get social learning. Another activity was Keypals. This is communication and collaboration with students from another school, state, or even country. This isn't just social learning, it's global social learning. Being able to create a project with another student far away from you is challenging as well as exciting. Not only can students practice social learning, but there are several sites and ways that teachers can collaborate with each other. There are social bookmarking sites, such as delicious.com, that allow others to see what you have bookmarked. Something you thought was important may end up being a help to another person. Finally, there are web-enabled multiplayer simulation games that allow the students to play against classmates or other people around the world in educational games of strategy or construction.