1. How do you effectively use wikis as a class assignment in k-12?
The two articles referring to wikis described what they are and gave general descriptions, they never really talked about how to implement them. In a high school environment, students need more structure than those in a college environment. Each time I have used a wiki, it has been for an assignment that there was either virtually no interaction and used as a blog or it looked like a jumbled mess. So, does anyone have ideas for implementing a more structured version of a wiki used for collaboration?
2. Should a blog be published?
It seemed odd to me that a teacher would go from a private journal where students could express themselves freely to considering making their personal blog public. Journals in high school tend to be extremely personal. They could potentially write about their parents’ divorce or the feeling after missing the final basket in the previous game, loosing the basketball game. I believe that if students really want to make it public, they can by opening a different account, but adolescents need a private outlet to discuss their feelings. What do you think?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
collaboration questions
1. How do secondary education classroom teachers create a safe, collaborative environment if they are only allotted 45 minutes a day?
In all three articles, the concept to build a trusting relationship was suggested. However, secondary education teachers traditionally only have 45 minute class periods in which 5 of that is already used for necessary evils such as attendance and other required activities. Some schools go as far as to have required assignments at the beginning of the class such as math reinforcement activities or reading comprehension activities. As a teacher, I tried to incorporate a great deal of collaboration (which it is only natural to do this in science) but I wish I could have done more to increase the freedom of expression of my students. There is always that one outcast in every class that feels as if he or she does not belong. What if there was an online component… but instead of the students being aware of who was writing, have this be confidential. Will this help that one outcast express him or herself more freely? Is anonymity better for the comfort level of communication online? Is this part of the reason online social interaction has become so popular? It’s easier to be yourself when no one knows who you are?
2. What would be the difference between enhancing the collaboration at the elementary age group in comparison to the secondary age group?
From past experience, I have noticed that the issues of collaborative trust and common goals are greatly decreased with adults… but I have to wonder if this is a continuum. There seems to be a point during the pre-teen years that students become more competitive and less cooperative that it takes a while to grow out of. I wonder if collaboration is considered at a younger age and then nurtured as they grow older whether many of the social issues that develop as the students grow older could be avoided.
In all three articles, the concept to build a trusting relationship was suggested. However, secondary education teachers traditionally only have 45 minute class periods in which 5 of that is already used for necessary evils such as attendance and other required activities. Some schools go as far as to have required assignments at the beginning of the class such as math reinforcement activities or reading comprehension activities. As a teacher, I tried to incorporate a great deal of collaboration (which it is only natural to do this in science) but I wish I could have done more to increase the freedom of expression of my students. There is always that one outcast in every class that feels as if he or she does not belong. What if there was an online component… but instead of the students being aware of who was writing, have this be confidential. Will this help that one outcast express him or herself more freely? Is anonymity better for the comfort level of communication online? Is this part of the reason online social interaction has become so popular? It’s easier to be yourself when no one knows who you are?
2. What would be the difference between enhancing the collaboration at the elementary age group in comparison to the secondary age group?
From past experience, I have noticed that the issues of collaborative trust and common goals are greatly decreased with adults… but I have to wonder if this is a continuum. There seems to be a point during the pre-teen years that students become more competitive and less cooperative that it takes a while to grow out of. I wonder if collaboration is considered at a younger age and then nurtured as they grow older whether many of the social issues that develop as the students grow older could be avoided.
learning background notes
Introduction at the beginning of the class…
The rubrics for individual assignments were discussed at the beginning of class. The specific requirements are found on Blackboard in the folder marked as such but some specific points are to be addressed.
1. The rubric is a starting point, they are the minimum requirements, not the limit of what is expected. Students are expected to perform beyond the scope of those requirements to achieve a superior grade. Try to get out of the “checklist mentality.”
2. The rubrics are negotiable if Dr. Strobel is contacted. The rubrics are intended to be general but the students’ education is not, therefore a rubric could be more specifically arranged.
3. All assignments MUST relate to social computing and if it doesn’t an explanation is required to show how the assignment could be related to social computing.
4. There is no rubric for the project because it is too specific to warrant a generalized rubric.
5. Specific questions asked…
a. Book Review-If you choose to critique a book, make sure it is one that you think you would enjoy. Yes, there could be some critical remarks but it should view the book in a favorable light. If this is not done, it’s not bad, it’s just a waste of your time.
b. Book Review- when you write the book review, try to think of possible publishing as you do so. It is possible to publish book reviews.
Social learning vs. individual learning
1. Salomon and Resnick
a. Content can be learned socially or degrees of social mediation where schools tend to focus on individual attributes. Individual learning could be the cause of the failure of schools because there is a lack of natural social interaction in the learning process.
b. We do have some educational aspects that we always have believed to be individual such as learning styles and creativity
2. Group projects
a. What if students wanted to complete a major task collaboratively, such as a dissertation?
i. Accountability would be a major question, how would one prove their personal contribution?
ii. Employers may wish to see a personal project that had been completed, not with the assistance of a peer. Although, no dissertation is ever done in isolation. Students will always receive the expert advice of their professors.
iii. Part of the purpose of completion of a dissertation is to complete a project from beginning to end, if a student does not know this, there may be a part of the research process that he or she does not learn how to do or gains experience doing. It is true, however, that most projects outside of the dissertation is done in groups. Once in the “real world” employees tend to work in teams.
3. What is social learning?
a. If everything is social, does it loose it’s meaning?
b. Cultural artifacts
i. In a social environment, you don’t always have to directly work with people. Tools were made from former experiences, therefore if you use a tool, you are “working” with an individual from the past that had created it. Tools help man evolve, therefore social learning helps man evolve.
c. Social learning means that the sum of the total is actually greater than adding all the individual efforts. 1+1>2… the purpose exceeds the individual meaning and the society creates its own identity.
4. History of learning epistemology
Behaviorism-
· Empty mind
· Stimulus/ response
· Feedback/ response
· Law of effective
· Conditioning
· Behaviorism teacher is agent
Cognitivism
· Information processes
· Prior knowledge
· Memory
· Cognitivism brain/ mind is agent
Constructivism
· Authentic tasks
· Problem solving
· Participation
· Collaboration
· Experience
· Meaning making
· Constructivism … others, society, person are agents in extreme form
· social constructivism is a form of behaviorism. Social constructivism is conditioning learner
Cognitive constructive
· Build meaning in your head
· Construct in authentic environments
Social constructive
· Construct knowledge with social negotiation
In reality, the evolution of epistemologies of learning is more of a circle than a continuum…. Young indicates to state goals, provide feedback, etc. which is very similar to behaviorism. Young also suggests to change the environment to create one that induces students to embrace the instructor’s learning goals.
Read all of Collaboration folder for next class.
The rubrics for individual assignments were discussed at the beginning of class. The specific requirements are found on Blackboard in the folder marked as such but some specific points are to be addressed.
1. The rubric is a starting point, they are the minimum requirements, not the limit of what is expected. Students are expected to perform beyond the scope of those requirements to achieve a superior grade. Try to get out of the “checklist mentality.”
2. The rubrics are negotiable if Dr. Strobel is contacted. The rubrics are intended to be general but the students’ education is not, therefore a rubric could be more specifically arranged.
3. All assignments MUST relate to social computing and if it doesn’t an explanation is required to show how the assignment could be related to social computing.
4. There is no rubric for the project because it is too specific to warrant a generalized rubric.
5. Specific questions asked…
a. Book Review-If you choose to critique a book, make sure it is one that you think you would enjoy. Yes, there could be some critical remarks but it should view the book in a favorable light. If this is not done, it’s not bad, it’s just a waste of your time.
b. Book Review- when you write the book review, try to think of possible publishing as you do so. It is possible to publish book reviews.
Social learning vs. individual learning
1. Salomon and Resnick
a. Content can be learned socially or degrees of social mediation where schools tend to focus on individual attributes. Individual learning could be the cause of the failure of schools because there is a lack of natural social interaction in the learning process.
b. We do have some educational aspects that we always have believed to be individual such as learning styles and creativity
2. Group projects
a. What if students wanted to complete a major task collaboratively, such as a dissertation?
i. Accountability would be a major question, how would one prove their personal contribution?
ii. Employers may wish to see a personal project that had been completed, not with the assistance of a peer. Although, no dissertation is ever done in isolation. Students will always receive the expert advice of their professors.
iii. Part of the purpose of completion of a dissertation is to complete a project from beginning to end, if a student does not know this, there may be a part of the research process that he or she does not learn how to do or gains experience doing. It is true, however, that most projects outside of the dissertation is done in groups. Once in the “real world” employees tend to work in teams.
3. What is social learning?
a. If everything is social, does it loose it’s meaning?
b. Cultural artifacts
i. In a social environment, you don’t always have to directly work with people. Tools were made from former experiences, therefore if you use a tool, you are “working” with an individual from the past that had created it. Tools help man evolve, therefore social learning helps man evolve.
c. Social learning means that the sum of the total is actually greater than adding all the individual efforts. 1+1>2… the purpose exceeds the individual meaning and the society creates its own identity.
4. History of learning epistemology
Behaviorism-
· Empty mind
· Stimulus/ response
· Feedback/ response
· Law of effective
· Conditioning
· Behaviorism teacher is agent
Cognitivism
· Information processes
· Prior knowledge
· Memory
· Cognitivism brain/ mind is agent
Constructivism
· Authentic tasks
· Problem solving
· Participation
· Collaboration
· Experience
· Meaning making
· Constructivism … others, society, person are agents in extreme form
· social constructivism is a form of behaviorism. Social constructivism is conditioning learner
Cognitive constructive
· Build meaning in your head
· Construct in authentic environments
Social constructive
· Construct knowledge with social negotiation
In reality, the evolution of epistemologies of learning is more of a circle than a continuum…. Young indicates to state goals, provide feedback, etc. which is very similar to behaviorism. Young also suggests to change the environment to create one that induces students to embrace the instructor’s learning goals.
Read all of Collaboration folder for next class.
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