Learning Theory and Ed. Tech. Module 5

A couple of months ago I gave a professional development workshop on Mac Basics to about 35 teachers at my school. Our entire staff was surveyed in September about what type of technology training they would like throughout the year, and this was in response to their direct needs. Most of our teachers have only used PCs, and they were unhappily surprised when they arrived in their classrooms at the beginning of the year to find out that all of the classroom computers were replaced with Macs (about $1,000,000.00 worth!).

The first hour of the workshop was an eye opener for me. I was inundated with ultra-basic questions like:

"How do I turn on the computer?"

"Where's the right click button?"

"Where's My Computer?"

"How do I turn the volume down?"

"Where's Internet Explorer?"

I wasn't expecting such simple questions because this same group of teachers had been supposedly using the Macs in their classroom to take attendance, record grades, and plan their lessons.

I had to change my lesson plan for this workshop on-the-fly; this is just like I would have to do in my own classroom if I found the kids just weren't getting it. Keller's ARC model for the motivation of learners can be used to analyze this situation. Keller proposed four conditions for motivation that must be met to have a motivated learner (Driscoll, 2005, p 333).

A - attention

R - relevance

C - confidence

S - satisfaction

A - I had the attention of this group of teachers, but I was aware that this could quickly change.

R - The teachers' only relevance was the fact that they were forced to learn how to use a Mac because their PCs were taken out of their classrooms.

C - My goals and objectives for the workshop were overshadowed by the fact that the teachers' Mac computer skills were so low.

S - What would satisfy the teachers' needs? This had to be redefined.

After the first hour I asked the teachers if they had Mac computers at home, and the answer was a resounding "NO" from all of them. Knowing that our computer technician had ordered several extra Mac Powerbook Pro laptops, I picked up my phone and called the principal. I explained to him the situation and asked if the teachers could "keep" the laptops that they were working on in the PD. He said, "YES!" Suddenly, everyone's motivation level increased by about 500%. Even though each teacher had a Mac in their classroom, they didn't feel an immediate need to learn how to use it. The ARCs model for motivation was complete, and the second hour could not have been better!

Reference:

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

Learning Theory and Ed. Tech. Module 4

Technology has had a significant impact on the networks that surround me, especially in the last couple of years. When I started teaching 10 years ago, the only networks that I had were face-to-face, by telephone, and crudely using e-mail and the Internet. I remember the first time that a professor tried to use e-mail to communicate with her students, and most of the class did not even have an e-mail address yet. My network now is almost entirely formed by using technology, and has completely changed the way that I learn. The following is a mind map of the technology network that surrounds me:

Growing up, I thought that learning was more knowledge-based and full of memorization of facts. Now, facts and information can be found in seconds on my Blackberry. My network allows me to connect with others in a way that is social, professional, and extraordinary. I can interact with teachers who are living across the country, send an e-mail assignment to a student who is sick in the hospital, and videoconference with business partners to make the learning relevant.

The most significant digital tool that I use to learn is ProQuest Central, which is found on the Walden University Library website. It is a one-stop-shop for current peer-reviewed research in essentially any area that one would like to study. I enjoy typing in different combinations of search terms and just seeing what "pops up". It also allows me to expand my knowledge base and learn what other professionals are sharing with the professional community. I also use e-mail to communicate with colleagues in my learning community, Skype with fellow teachers around the world, and create Googledocs to collaborate on assignments with fellow students at Walden University.

When I have questions, I tend to be able to find the answers quickly by using the networks that I have created on the Internet. First, I usually do a Yahoo! search to find the answer. If that doesn't work, I will send e-mails to colleagues and/or friends to see if they can help. If that still doesn't work, I will create a blog on my personal blog and see who responds with a creative answer. The amazing part of using technology to find answers to questions is that it sometimes creates more questions and gives answers that traditionally would have never been produced.

Learning Theory and Ed. Tech. Module 3

I have always enjoyed watching the TED videos over the past couple of years, and Howard Rheingold's "Way-New Collaboration" contribution is nothing less than spectacular. The concept that sharing is in your self interest is something that I think we all inherently know, but is not typically exhibited in middle school and high school kids. I was just working with two 6th and 7th grade robotics teams today, and they vehemently did not want to share their designs with each other - they were very protective of them! I tried to teach them that a good engineer shares ideas and takes the best design and makes it better. I wanted the students to share - I knew that this would make each group stronger. I also know that this concept of winning by sharing is learned by experience - a true winner is never selfish. I had to sit back, relax, and be patient knowing that this is a necessary experience for my kids to learn - on their own.

This leads to the question: "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 believe that humans have a basic instinct to do anything that they can that leads to self-interest. One quickly learns that the chances of success increases with interactions with others, but sometimes it leads to negative consequences before the positive ones can be found. I don't think that there can ever be success without any failures.

How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles? Technology provides a tool that allows groups with similar self-interests to find each other, work together, share, and discuss. This can be two people on opposite sides of a classroom, or 100 people in locations spread throughout the world. Constructivist principles allow the learners to create learning experiences that are relevant to their own contexts. When cooperative groups of learners can band together and join forces, the amount of learning and impact on social change can be limitless.