Module 5: Resistance to Technology

Recently, we as a staff were told to creat personalized teacher webpages. We were to add relevant information to our site including, homework, what the teachers wer doing in there classes, add parent e-mails to get notifications, etc. Being that I am a counselor and I already had a webpage designed on Shutterfly, I found it easy to transfer my webpage to the new site, Wordpress. Since I am familiar with creating a site and I am taking this course I was asked to help teachers if they requested assistance.
One teacher in particular was very reluctant to say the least. He is one of the older teachers who isn't too technical saavy. Besides his lack of enthusiasm for the technology he could
1) Not understand why he needed a website for physical education class, he insisted this should only be needed for acadamic classes.
2) He thought if there was to be such a site it should be a departmental one as opposed to an individual one.
His attitude was unpleasant and he exhibited no buy in. This was something that was mandated and he did not agree.
In using Kellers ARCS model if the steps were employed it may have been delivered differently such as;
A for attention toward the capabilites of the site as well as how the site can be effective, useful and successful.
R for relevance of why we were doing this or a need for this. A discussion before hand in a faculty meetingm perhaps.
C for confidence in creating the website. Professional training on how to use wordpress.
S for satisfation in seeing why and how it is important to have such a site and seeing the final product.

Module 4: MindApp

Networks have provided me with information that I may have not known before creating them. Learning in these networks have given me knowledge that may not have been attainable prior to being part of that network. These networks are supportive to the role I take whether it be wife, mother, sister, counselor and vice versa.
I acess these networks via face to face, technologically such as mobiles, e--mail, video conferencing, threaded discussion. Time zone issues with friends/colleagues have become less of a nuisance with technology. These networks have changed my personal learning by making it easier to access them via the use of technologies. The most impressive way I have been influenced is that I can obtain information via the internet 24/7. If I do not know something, I just use a search engine to access thousands of virtual sites that become my learning ground.

Module 3: Constructivist and Collaboration

I do believe humans are creatures of habit and social beings so in a sense yes we do have some basic instinct to belong to a group and we thrive on the attention others can provide for us. I also feel that up to this point students have been taught to also be individualistic, work alone and we are tested on what we know compared to others. This is a major problem and concern I have with public schools. Here we are told collaboration will be what is required and vital of the future and of our next generation but yet the way we learn is rooted in learning textbook facts and what one can regurgitate.

Technology has the abilities to propel students into the 21st century with the availability of blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, workflow mgmt tools, doc sharing, doc conferencing, social networking, video conferencing, presentation sharing, organization mgmt tools and a variety of workplace platforms just to name a handful. All of these aide in facilitating collaboration among individuals and varied groups. These applications are set up in which it makes learning easy enough through self direction requiring interaction and eventually mastery which are constructivist learning principles.

Module 2: Responding to blogs by Kerr and Kapp

The following post by Bill Kerr
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html
has gotten me crazy with his reference to ism's. I understand his reference but he makes it sound so undetached , I mean all the different learning theories in which he is referring to have significance in history. I feel his ideas where all over the place and it was difficult to get a sense of what he felt and agreed with.

Karl Kapp's blog
http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html
on the other hand seems more open minded and understands that learning is not to be encapsulated but that learning can be unique to individuals and that it is overlapping in theory.

As you can probably tell I agree more with Karl Kapp and find the banter in Bill Kerr's blog post characterless. Don't get me wrong everyone is entitled to their own opinion, if they make sense. Maybe it's me...

Learning Styles of the Net Generation

Module 1

What are your beliefs about how people learn best? What is the purpose of learning theory in educational technology?

My personal belief about how learning takes place within individuals is that we are all different thus we all learn differently. From one of these foundations our preference begins and is shaped and formed, learning through our senses as a basis either visually, auditorally or kinesthetically.
The approach one uses to learning is dependant on how one has come to learn, a certain way it was introduced or ingrained. Knowing how one learns best would be beneficial to one's success as a learner throughout life. Being aware of how we take in and process information can help individuals understand themselves better including what our strengths and weaknesses are.
There will always be times when individuals find themselves in different types of learning enviornments,including the use of technology where there will be a need to adjust in order to help ourselves, so we may do our own personal best and be a successful learner. Learning theories and educational technology are based on the same premises. Also, being exposed to new technologies and given the proper direction and time to manipulate the software/hardware helps in the learning process.