Module 5 Responses-Sara Becker

I responded to:
Lou: http://educ7015.blogspot.com/2011/08/module-5-blog.html?showComment=1313161576469#c3482503443518022023
Roxanne: http://learningtheoryedtechrwright.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-technologies.html?showComment=1313161822452#c3592882271488985296

Module 5 Blog-Sara Becker

When my school installed Promethean ActivBoards a few years ago, most of the teachers in the school were excited and more than willing to learn the technology associated with it. Many of them would seek out ideas beyond just the regular training on how to better and more effectively use it in the classroom. One teacher however, was highly resistant to the technology. She even "volunteered" to be without an ActivBoard in her classroom, however, she ended up with one anyways. Every year the staff is offered re-fresher training and other things to help them use the technology more effectively and every year she just continues to push back against the technology. Her general attitude towards it is that the technology is hurting the brains of the students and that there is simply no use for it in the classroom.

Using the Keller ARCS model, I would enhance the relevance of the technology to her as a science teacher (Driscoll, 2005). There are so many tools and simulations that she could use with her students to enhance her instruction and really engage her students in learning. I think this would also help to build her confidence in using the technology. As she sees it assisting her students in learning, she will be able to increase her use and proficiency with the technology. Perhaps as she uses the technology in the classroom with greater and greater success, she will eventually begin to seek out additional supplemental trainings like many of the other teachers in the school already have.

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

Module 4 Responses

Sabrina: http://smcdow.blogspot.com/2011/07/module-4-mind-map-networks.html?showComment=1312126366771#c4848702539173288493
Lou:http://educ7015.blogspot.com/2011/07/module-4.html?showComment=1312126855822#c180916343870593031

Module 4-Sara Becker

How has your network changed the way you learn?
I have so many resources I can use to access information that I need or want. Social networking allows me to reach out to people with similar interests to find answers to questions. My personal learning network is based on specific interest groups that I follow or have joined. I can use these networks for a variety of answers as well. My professional networks are networks of teachers and other educators with an interest in technology. Specifically, I belong to a ning for my local chapter of ISTE. This is a bit like a social network but geared towards members of MSET and educators with an interest in using technology in education.

What digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
The tools I mostly use for learning are blogs, wikis, and message boards. Many of the ones I use are very active and provide me with an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with others who are trying to learn more as well.

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
Typically for more surface topics, I will use a search engine like Google. From there, I would visit one of the sites in my personal or professional learning networks to extend my learning further and see what knowledge and expertise other people would be able to offer.

Module 3 Responses-Sara Becker

I responded to:
Roxanne: http://learningtheoryedtechrwright.blogspot.com/2011/07/collaboration-module-3.html?showComment=1310872980714#c127165936554780011

and

Alexandra: http://edutechtalk.blogspot.com/2011/07/constructivism-at-work.html?showComment=1310873358388#c7008065114320170228

Module 3 Blog-Sara Becker

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia? 


I would agree with Rheingold. I think for the most part, we are social creatures. This idea works well with a constructivist theory of learning which implies that learning is a communal activity (Driscoll, 2005). I think that collaborative learning opens us to a variety of ideas and experiences. Collaboration allows us to see the perspective or point of view of someone else. It makes me think of the Blind Men and the Elephant, that if they had all worked together, they would have come up with the correct solution.


How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?   


Wikis, blogs, Googledocs, and Skype are tools that allow for a collaborative learning experience. Web-based collaborative technologies provide "problem scaffolding" by allowing access to experts and online support (Driscoll, 2005). Being able to interact with diverse groups of learners and knowledge experts allows students with the opportunity to add to their experiences and their learning. Collaborative learning is active in nature which is key to constructivist theory.


Find a current research study that has been conducted in the last 5 years that supports collaboration as an effective tool for learning. Include the link and reference for this study in your blog.
http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VDC-51PGKV0-1-1&_cdi=5979&_user=7754736&_pii=S0747563210003614&_origin=&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2011&_sk=999729997&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkWW&md5=f9b0fe5cc8acedc8c4d01d9523d6491b&ie=/sdarticle.pdf

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


Lee, S. & Tsai, C. (March 2011). Student's perceptions of collaboration, self-regulated learning, and information seeking in the context of internet-based learning and traditional learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 905-914. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VDC-51PGKV0-1-1&_cdi=5979&_user=7754736&_pii=S0747563210003614&_origin=&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2011&_sk=999729997&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzz-zSkWW&md5=f9b0fe5cc8acedc8c4d01d9523d6491b&ie=/sdarticle.pdf

Module 2 Responses- Sara Becker

I responded to:
Sabrina: http://smcdow.blogspot.com/2011/07/cognitivism-learning-theory-module-2.html?showComment=1309700579590#c3813545889981119468
Roxanne: http://learningtheoryedtechrwright.blogspot.com/2011/06/learning-theories-and-cognitivism.html?showComment=1309701104999#c4527480599652716223