M|odule 5 Comments

I posted comments on

Laurie's blog: www.lkortecc.blogspot.com

and

Richard's blog: www.walden7105.blogspot.com

Module 5

Last year, I convinced my school to let me create my first online course on podcasting/vodcasting for building professional development. The idea was that teachers would take three levels of the course 1. integrating an already found podcast or vodcast into their classes (I spent HOURS finding podcast and vodcasts that aligned with what every teacher was teaching that time of year in my school) 2. teachers would find their own podcast or vodcast online and integrate it into their class and 3. Teachers and students would create their own podcast or vodcast and integrate it into their own classes. Sad to report that the Principal stopped the course after level one because so many teachers had trouble enrolling in the Moodle course...let alone participating in it. I tried to help as many as I could but I started to realize that they did not want my help per se...they wanted me to do the work for them. I spent a lot of time reflecting on this project and I have analyzed the mistakes that might have caused its demise. After studying the ARCS, I have realized that there are some very simple steps that I could have taken to make this work.
In regards to teachers that have never had an online course before, I may not have had their attention. I am thinking that a blended course might have been more appropriate. Starting the course off in person and setting the staff up for the projects and expectation f2f might have yielded a better response. I think that I worked really hard to make sure that relevance was a part of this project. I think that I could have instilled more confidence in my teachers and help them build confidence in the feedback that I give...in retrospect I might set up more discussion boards were I can offer more guidance and reinforcement to help the teachers be more confident. If I were to incorporate all the steps above, I am sure that teachers and I would have felt the satisfaction of a job well done!


Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Module 4 Comments

I posted a comment on

Laurie's Blog:

http://lkortecc.blogspot.com/2011/01/connectivism.html?showComment=1296224518635#c850112063269506397

and

Kim's Blog

http://amusingmoose.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/module-4-mind-map-and-learning/#comment-17

Module 4-Mind Map

• How has your network changed the way you learn?

My network has changed the way I have learned because it has expanded my resource base, it has offered me a multitude of styles in which to gather and apply information and it continues to challenge me to think about information from different perspectives. The places that I go to gather my information continues to expand as I learn more from my pods of communities. I also use sources to save and organize the spaces that I gather information from. I like to apply my learning in unconventional ways, the web and its many networks allow me to discover new ways to share and gather information. One of my new favorite projects to network in is Scavenger, here is a NYTimes article about this APP. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/business/19entre.html?scp=3&sq=scvngr&st=nyt

• Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

The best on the list are...Youtube, Prezi, Apps, Twitter and Moodle. I am not sure that I could teach for one day without these...

• How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?

I conduct web searches when I am looking for answers. I am usually successful in finding the answer. I am kind of an anomaly in my school when it comes to technology so I usually don't reach out to others, I wish I had a network for that...

Prezi Mind Map

Module Three Postings

I posted on Laurie's Page:

http://lkortecc.blogspot.com/

Richard's page:

http://walden7105.blogspot.com/

Module 3

This past summer, I did a project on open source and learned a lot about the nature of humans banding together as a group to create intrinsically motivated products. Open source is a great example in the technology world of how humans collaborate and work on common goals with no real reward. Rheingold spoke of the ultimatum game that economist use to determine altruistic attributes. I just finished reading Superfreakonmics where they spoke of the game and other similar experiments that have been conducted. My interpretation of the research is that most people want to work together to create a multitude of things, happiness, success, products, food, etc. These things happen with many constructivist principals in mind, such as, ownership, social negotiation, multiple perspectives.
Technology has provided a means for more people to start working together in a greater capacity. Technology allows learners to step out of their environment and enter the world which is rich with reality based opportunities that learners can experience. Technology allows learners to connect, communicate and cultivate. Students in a small town can connect to students in a large city in China and communicate on how pollution effects each environment. After learning about one another environments, students can can cultivate ideas to help combat the problem. Constructivists want learning to be relevant and complex and technology allows students the ability to take projects a step further.