EDUC 7105 Module 4 Blog Post

Throughout my experiences in attending Walden University online courses, my network connections to people and technology have greatly expanded. Learning through distance education has helped me to realize the importance of networking and gaining knowledge through such sources. Siemens (2004) states that, “a network can simply be defined as connections between entities”. My network is made up of social, personal, professional, and educational connections. With the popularity of social networking rising, I have been able to stay connected and learn from people I know and continue to meet in my personal and professional life. I have created a personal wiki and blog to track my educational experiences and receive feedback from peers and professionals about my work. My professional network helps me to learn about changes in my field of work, and connect with other professionals in my field to stay updated on new ideas and technologies that I can implement with my students. Through my educational connections I have gained as I attend Walden University, I now mainly learn through discussion boards, Skype, wikis, blogs, and Google Docs to communicate my knowledge and collaborate with other students and instructors.

The digital tools which have best facilitated my access to information and learning are web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, and discussion boards. As explained by Siemens (2004), “connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks need for learners to flourish in a digital era”. Using these tools gives me the ability to connect and communicate with other professionals in my field and gain an insight into their views about what I am learning. Wikis and blogs give me the opportunity to gather information about the opinions and knowledge others are sharing on the internet. As I have read the blogs and wikis of my peers in my courses, my learning is facilitated as I conduct deeper research into the topics I read about or find interesting and applicable to my professional work.

 When I have questions and want to learn new knowledge, the first resource I turn to for locating information is Google. This search engine provides access to the most direct and valuable information available on the web. While evaluating the sources I come upon for validity, I gain knowledge by reading articles, websites, blogs, and wikis. Being a part of the Walden community, I also confide in my peers and instructors to answer any questions I have about my research in educational technology.

 Reference

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Additonal Resources

Digital Tools for Students- This blog gives great examples of new and emerging digital tools available online for student learning. It has a collection of resources that students will find useful for researching and collaborating.

http://studentdigitaltools.wordpress.com/

Stephen Downes’ Connectivism Blog- The following blog was created by Stephen Downes, as he expresses his views of connectivism. Here he also responds to the views of George Siemens.

http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?journal=3174

EDUC 7105 Module 3 Blog Reviews

In discussing collaboration this week, I responded to the following two blogs of my classmates:

Heather Rogers http://learningtheoryeducationaltechnology.blogspot.com/2012/04/module-3-post-heather-rogers.html

Valenta Wade http://raivynsmom.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/module-3/

EDUC 7105 Module 3 Blog Post

This week I viewed a video by Howard Rheingold, where he discussed how people form groups and collaborate. Online collaboration tools such as Wikipedia have provided the opportunity for people to share their ideas from different locations and at different times. Rheingold (2008) discusses how the emergence of technology for collaboration over time has been, “enabled by the collective action that emerges from literacy”. As people have worked together throughout the centuries, more companies and programs have taken advantage of the collaboration of people to solve problems and make improvements towards efficiency. Rheingold (2008) continued to explain how the online program BitTorrent, which I have actively collaborated in, has users download and upload files to make the system more efficient as it is used by more people.


I agree with Rheingold’s (2008) view that people instinctively interact and work in groups, as it has been demonstrated in the development of Wikipedia. No one has been required to add information to the millions of articles in Wikipedia, but thousands of volunteers have actively participated in such collaboration. Technology developing today is increasingly facilitating collaboration among learners, as students are beginning to learn under constructivist principles with the guidance of instructors. In doing so, learners are working synchronously and asynchronously to share their ideas and gain deeper understanding of content from communication with their peers.

The following link is to a research study that was conducted by Allsop (2011) to discover whether collaboration actually occurs when children are learning with the support of a wiki. The study found that students used collaboration for learning the content, about technology, and random help skills.

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1519f9b7-db6c-4f5b-a5bd-fcd8966560ff%40sessionmgr15&vid=5&hid=19

References

Allsop, Y. (2011, October). Does collaboration occur when children are learning with the support of a wiki? The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=1519f9b7-db6c-4f5b-a5bd-fcd8966560ff%40sessionmgr15&vid=5&hid=19

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

EDUC 7105 Module 2 Blog Reviews

This week I read and responded to the blog responses of my course peers on their reflection on learning theories and cognitivism.

Jennifer Joseph's blog is located at http://jenanp.blogspot.com/2012/03/8845-module-2-assignment-cognitivism.html?showComment=1333255425484#!/2012/03/8845-module-2-assignment-cognitivism.html.

Rashida Brown's blog is located at http://rashidabrown.wordpress.com/2012/03/29/educational-theories-in-teaching-and-learning/.

EDUC 7105 Module 2 Blog Post

This week I read two blog posts, both relating to the same conversation. Bill Kerr and Karl Kapp discussed learning theories, particularly cognitivism, and their influence on students’ learning. Kerr (2007) explained his beliefs about teachers choosing specific ‘-isms’ to use for instruction, rather than picking from various theories. I agree with this opinion based on the fact that –isms evolve with criticism and continue. This seems to be true in schools as teachers use strategies, evaluate students’ learning, and continue or modify instruction based on their success. In Kerr’s (2007) blog, he quoted Stephen Downes’ blog explaining that the cognitivism view believes, “learning occurs internally and through social interactions with others”. I do agree with this view, but I do not believe that this is how all learners acquire knowledge. On the other hand, I agree with Kerr (2007) that, “each _ism is offering something useful without any of them being complete or stand alone in their own right”. All –isms should be presented at some point of instruction, to be sure to meet the needs of all learners.

This response is also supported by Kapp (2007), as he explains that, “we need to take pieces from each school of thought and apply it effectively”. Many teachers try strategies with students and are not successful, so they toss them aside and try something else new. In my opinion, applying different learning theories to instruction is the only way to reach all learners, if it is done effectively. Kapp (2007) continues in his blog post explaining how each level of learning requires a different theory of learning for success. I do agree with his view that lower level learners would benefit from a behaviorist approach, rule-based learning requires more of a cognitivist view, and collaboration and problem-solving requires a constructivist view. With as many levels as students are at in today’s classrooms, it is impossible for one model of learning to be successful with all students.

The following blog is in the process of examining 50 blogs over 50 days, based on learning theorists. The author, Donald Clark, discusses the evolution of learning theories over time, as Kerr (2007) had discussed in his blog. http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-marathon-50-blogs-on-learning.html


References

Clark, D. (2012). Blog marathon: 50 blogs on learning theorists over the next 50 days. Retrieved from http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-marathon-50-blogs-on-learning.html

Kerr, B. (2007, January 1). _isms as filter, not blinker [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Kapp, K. (2007, January 2). Out and about: Discussion on educational schools of thought [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.kaplaneduneering.com/kappnotes/index.php/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational/

EDUC 7105 Module 1 Blog Reviews

This week I reviewed and commented on the blogs of my fellow classmates.

Joyce Parks' blog can be read at http://marieparks22.blogspot.com/2012/03/edu7105-module-1-a1parksj.html?showComment=1332111533187#c4914991611994748569 .

Jessica Green's blog can be read at http://jygreensblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/educ-7105-2-module-1-blog.html?showComment=1332112185242#c7806387979787907311 .

Tiffany Harrell

EDUC 7105 Module 1 Blog Post

In an article by George Siemens (2008), he defines the metaphors of educators as a master artist, network administrator, concierge, and curator. As a master artist, educators lead students through online tools such as blogs to provide them with information and offer a shift of perspectives, as well as allowing students to learn from each other. Educators as network administrators guide students in forming connections and learning networks to meet learning objectives and critically evaluate sources. As a curator, educators should serve dual roles by having advanced knowledge to provide to students, along with guiding and encouraging learner exploration.
The most important role I believe an educator should play in a digital classroom or the workplace is as a concierge. In this role, educators should provide quick access to resources and serve as tour guides to students. Siemens (2008) explains how learning is shifting “towards more learner designed programs of study,” (p. 16) which will require students to learn more on their own with only guidance from teachers. It is important in a digital classroom for students to have more access to more resources and communication with teachers as they are guided through the learning process.

In the following video, Dr. Ashley Casey (2011) describes his role as a teacher as a facilitator of learning, and shows an example of how he applies this concept in secondary school physical education. He emphasizes the importance of students communicating with each other, and facilitates learning through guidance. The students are asked questions based on what they think, rather than the teacher always telling the problem. He facilitates their learning by allowing the students to solve their own problems and learn from their mistakes. I find this role to be ultimately important for instructors so that students begin to guide their own learning and gain critical thinking and problem solving skills.

The following website (http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED407408.pdf ) I located gives five metaphors for educators different than those explained by Siemens (2008). Clarken (1997) explains how teachers are parents, gardeners, prophets, pearl oysters, and physicians. I often feel like a little bit of all of these roles.

References

Casey, A. (2011). Cooperative learning: teacher as facilitator. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZud6u8U6Uc&feature=related  

Clarken, R.H. (1997). Five metaphors for educators. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED407408.pdf

Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf