New Learning Environments

The Arc -of- Learning detailed many stories about technology. Sam’s story mentioned that when you are commenting the most important thing was to “not be mean”. I think this is very important because of on-line bullying. This is also a skill that young students need to be taught, they often say/type things without thinking them through. From an early age students need to be taught and reminded that just because you are not face to face with a person does not mean that comments do not affect them. Sam also talked about how for something to be a contribution you have to change “three big things”. The goal of changing is to improve the program. I think this is important because the goal is always to make things better, you want your contributions to help make the game or the site better for all users.

Teaching is a Galaxy Far, Far Away also had many valid points. “Students were getting together, outside of class, and discussing how they might make the class itself better.” This is an important part of students contributing and becoming active members of the class. The students formed a learning community of their own and used it to teach each other and the professor. The students had taught the professor about what a new learning environment might look like. This is similar to what we are doing in this class. We do not meet in person, but we can e-mail and post to each other on the lounge to help. In general the stories in The Arc-of-Learning had many things in common. “They shared their interests, developed their passions, and engaged in a play of imagination.”

When I think of my view of learning connectivism stands out to me. I have gone into more detail as to why below.

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

I strongly agree that “Learning is a continual process, lasting for a life time.” Children for example learn from their parents and others around them how to do many different things including talking and how to behave in public. We start out as children but continue to learn from others and from various sources for the rest of our lives. “Learning now occurs in a variety of ways, through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work related tasks.” I am by no means a computer person and before this class I would not have thought I had a personal network. Now I realize how important they are to help you continue to learn and keep up with technology. I am relying on fellow teachers, family and friends on Facebook to help me figure out how to do some of the tasks for this class. If I did not have a network this class would be much harder. “Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.” I have kept in contact with teachers I taught with at other schools through Facebook and e-mail, we also sometimes get together in person. For me this is a great way to get another perspective on how to teach something to my students or how to handle a difficult behavior. Nurturing and maintaining connections does take an active effort on the parts of all involved and with busy lives it can sometimes be hard to do.

“Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn.” Computers, I-pads and smart phones are becoming necessary to keep up with new ways of learning and communicating with each other. As teachers we also have options on-line to help with behaviors I just signed up for Class dojo today to help keep track of student participation, this is done through the site (www.classdojo.com) or a smartphone app. May of the things we use now were not around 20 years ago and with the way technology is evolving some tools we use to communicate with each other now might not be around 20 years from now. What are some ways you think technology will change in the next 20 years?

Challenges with my view of learning

I find keeping up with all of the new technology the most challenging. It takes a lot of time and interest in learning how to navigate Web 2.0 tools so that you are fully comfortable using them. This is an important step for teachers since we are being expected to keep up with new technology to be able to help teach our students how to use it. As stated in the Arc-of-Learning “A massive information network that provides almost unlimited access and resources to learn about anything.” The one downfall to this is that you have to have the time to learn to navigate the ways to find the information. I also think a challenge is coming up with time to have group work for students especially at the elementary level, you have so much to cover. Giving students time to discuss topics and learn from each other can be hard to schedule if you want to be able to do it well.

The Learner and Web 2.0…

A Web 2.0 leaner needs to be able to interact with others on-line. Becoming a Networked Learner discussed five tools that are important for a Web 2.0 network. They are Twitter, Facebook, Diigo, Google Reader and Blogger. Before this class I was only familiar with Facebook. I now am learning how to use Diigo,blogging and using an RSS Reader. I am slowly becoming more comfortable with web 2.O tools but I am not sure that I will ever use Twitter. Learners need to be active participants in what they are learning and they need to share ideas and resources. The video Networked Student talked about how a learner controls his or her own learning and makes a personal network. A learner’s personal network may be very different depending on the comfort level of the learner, it may consist of reading blogs, having a blog, listening to pod cast and using an RSS Reader to house things in one spot. These are just a few examples of what a learner might have in his or her personal network. I did not have much of a network before this class now I have a blog, I use Diigo and I use an RSS Reader to comment on my classmates blogs easily. I am sure I will be adding more tools to my network as class continues and as I am learning how to use these new tools. I am looking forward to the challenges as long as I have friends and Facebook to ask for help.

The role of the learner is much different than the past. It has changed drastically in recent years. In the past a learner would go to class and pay attention if they were interested and either complete or not complete assignments. It was not based at all on individual interests and the learner could easily become bored if the material was too easy or too hard. The lessons were mainly whole group and lecture style with very little or no input from the learners. The role of the learner had to change to meet the needs of busy people and to evolve with the use of technology.

Challenges for the learner…

The learner has many challenges with new Web 2.0 tools including learning how to use them. I like to have directions to figure out how to do something, when I was setting up my RSS Reader I was not able to find directions on how to get the blogs to the reader. I was able to use the class discussion board and someone with more experience was able to give me step by step instructions for me to transfer my classmates blogs to my RSS Reader. Another challenge is for the learner to come out of his or her comfort zone to interact with others, this means you have to be willing to make mistakes. Learners also have to be taught how to use the social media sites appropriately. What are some challenges for you as a learner with Web 2.0 tools?

Teachers as learners…

Teachers need to be willing and able to learn new technology to keep up with what students are learning at home. The challenges include that depending on how long you have been teaching you grew up not very familiar with computers and not liking change. Some Web 2.0 tools are easy to use or give you directions for example Facebook. Other tools are harder to use and if you are a person that easily gets frustrated (like I am) setting up and using an RSS Reader and Diigo can be overwhelming. Another challenge is finding the time to be able to learn how to use the tools. The opportunities include that once you learn the tools you can help your students learn how to use them correctly and appropriately. Also you can interact with your students and peers from all over the word with blogs and other Web 2.0 tools. When teachers are learners they have the chance to facilitate the class but also learn along with the students and be part of the group. When they are part of the group they are seen more as an equal in the learning process.

Other Comments…

I did find it interesting when I watched Entrepreneurial Learner that he was talking about a one room school house. He talked about how in a one room school house the teacher was a coach, a coordinator and a mentor and the other students helped each other learn. The older students helped the younger students and the younger students helped the youngest because the teacher had to get to all of the students. I live in a small town and my Dad had 1st and 2nd grade in a one room school house called Harlen’s and then he went to another one room school house called Dunkel’s for 3rd, 4th , and 5th grade. I think we are heading back to the premise of a one room school house with all students and the teacher helping each other just over the internet not in a classroom. This also allows for learning to be more individualized and for varying amounts of participation. If you were able to watch Entrepreneurial Learner what are your thoughts on the one room school house?

Learning is something that is taking place from the second you are born until you die. I think the best way to learn is by doing an activity at least once. When you are able to help or participate hands-on you learn more. I learned many things from my parents, do I remember all of them of course not. I am still constantly learning how to do new things because you never learn everything. I recently had a bat in my house I remembered that in order to catch a bat the best tool is a large fishing net because that interferes less with a bats echolocation. I learned this when I was a little girl growing up in an older house and we had a lot of bats. I am sure that we all have similar situations. I think when you want or need to learn something you work harder at it than if you are just being told to do it for the test on Friday. All people learn differently some can read a book or watch a video and learn how to do something others need to be shown how to do something. I also think people learn by interacting with each other and discussing a topic. When I first started teaching I learned a lot by observing, talking to and working with teachers who had more experience than I did. To this day I offer help but I am also eager to take ideas from fellow teachers if they will benefit what I am doing with my students. Why reinvent the wheel.

When you are talking about learning environments and the role of the learner and the teacher in the year 2014 you have many different variations. In the school I work at we still have mostly what I am going to call traditional classrooms. The students have individual desks and many lessons are whole group, they are put into small group for reading, centers and other activities and subjects. The centers are becoming more interactive with Smartboards and I-pads, along with a push to have less paper and pencil activities. The learner listens during whole group, actively participates during centers and group activities. The Teacher is in charge of the learning, they teach the whole group lessons and monitor the students in the small group activities where the students are also interacting and learning from each other. To find out what the students are learning they are given tests, quizzes and the center activities are checked. The teachers are also beginning to use certain apps on the I-pads to check how the students are learning. The learning environment we have for this class is much different, we learn mostly on our own and by interacting with each other through blogs, a class lounge and e-mail. The teacher supports us when needed but is also learning with us and interacting with us through the class lounge and e-mail. To find out what we are learning you can read our blogs, check the interactions on the class lounge and view what we are putting on Diigo.

Technology is becoming more important when it comes to learning. My three year old niece is able to use an I-pad, she showed me how to go to Netflix and then said I needed to ask her Dad for the password so she could watch a movie. How many of you have a child, a niece or a nephew that is more tech savy than you are? I have several of them and that is one of the reasons I am learning more. The fact that children are starting so young with I-pads and computers shows how important it is for the older generation who are going to be teaching these children to keep up. Classrooms now have Smartboards, and I-pads to help students learn. I do not have a Smartboard and when students come to my room they are shocked at first and wonder how I am going to teach them. It is also entertaining to watch me when I have to cover for another teacher in a class with a Smartboard because the students know more than I do. Computers are a necessity to complete class work, communicate with classmates, and complete assignments that require looking up information if you are in high school or beyond. Technology also allows classes to be on-line to fit into busy schedules.

Key words for this blog: traditional, interacting, communicate, I-pad, Smartboard

Hello Everyone,

The two readings we had this week have a lot in common. They both discuss how learning takes place using Web 2.0 tools. For these tools using the internet you are learning on your own, or with friends, peers and classmates helping each other when needed. I think that Web 2.0 tools are a wonderful extension to a teachers bag of tricks because now you can ask colleagues and if you still need more information you are able to blog or Facebook out of town friends or strangers for help. “Learning, Working & Playing in the Digital Age” discussed that Web 2.0 tools work for any learner from those who learn visually, to those who learn hands-on. I myself find I learn best by combining learning strategies. I like to be able to see things and try them out when possible. I think in most classrooms if you were to take a poll most students would not say they learn best from being talked at for an entire class.

The role of the learner is changing it seems almost daily. A learner is now more active and able to focus on areas of interest. They have a say in what they are learning about and how they are doing it. They are able to have what they are learning match the lifestyle they live. “Learning, Working & Playing in the Digital Age” pointed out that young people do not use manuals they prefer to just figure it out. Where I teach we have Smartboards in most of the classrooms and I am always amazed at how much the students know about them. If you gave them the passwords I think some of them could teach the class for you or tell the class how to use and app. The traditional role of a learner is more to listen to lectures, stay with the group and complete the assignments. Students were and in some cases still are expected to fit into a mold. Very little is done to meet high students or low students who do not qualify for additional help through learning support or gifted. I am changing the way my classroom is run I try to have more discussions and group work. This can be hard because the material still needs to be covered by certain dates. It takes a lot of planning on my part although the results I see with the students interacting and learning from each other are worth the time I put in to lesson planning. The role of the facilitator is now to take more of a backseat to the teaching and help get the students focusing on the same topics but interacting and communicating with each other. Facilitators are now learning with and from the students they are teaching and they vary in age from young students to senior citizens. The new roles fit with my philosophy of learning, I like for learning to be hands-on and as interactive as possible. I have already had students teach parts of a lesson, they enjoy doing it and the students learn just as much or more from the student teaching. Why are more elementary teachers not teaching this way?

The current shift in using Web 2.0 technologies is leading to less college campuses needing to be built. I think the design of classrooms should change to models that are more interactive and have different areas for small groups to talk and not be at individual desks. Classrooms will become less formal, so that students can interact more with each other. They also need to be tailored to the age of the students you are teaching they will look very different for Kindergarten through college. If I were to design a learning environment, the first thing on my wish list at this time would be a computer with internet access for each student in my classroom. What would be your must have in a learning environment you designed?

Hello,

My name is Elizabeth Bower.  I have a yorkie named Frankie.  I enjoy traveling when possible and spending time with my family.  I am an active volunteer for Relay for Life and enjoy raising money to fight cancer.

I have been teaching for 13 years.  The last 8 years have been where I currently teach in Halifax, PA. I am a Reading Specialist for students who struggle with reading in grades 2-5.  I am one of the two reading specialist in my building who work with the students who are below grade level to help them improve reading decoding and comprehension skills.  I help test students at the beginning of the year with several tests including DIBELS for fluency and Reading A-Z for reading comprehension.  My colleague and I then group the lowest students at each grade to best meet the needs of each student and split them between the two of us.  I then work with each group I have to help them become the best reader they can be and help them understand/comprehend what they read. I also work closely with all of the teachers in my building to cover the same comprehension skill that each grade is working on each week. Making sure I am on the same page as all of the teachers with reading skills is a big part of my job and it takes organization.

I use the internet on a daily basis both personally and professionally.  I use it at work to look up questions my students may have that I do not know the answers to. I also use Youtube to show videos to the student to introduce topics.  I make sure to always preview the videos, they are not always school appropriate.  On a personal level I use Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends.  I am careful not to friend parents of students, I am also careful with what I post and monitor what friends post.  I like Facebook for keeping in touch with long distance friends and family but I need to be careful. I am looking forward to learning about what Web2.0 tools other members of the class use.