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dansar's Journal

14th May, 2006. 6:21 pm. Chapter 3 Learning from the Internet

WOW!! Information overload but this chapter was very interesting. There were a few things that were of interest and new information that I did not know. One thing that I like is distance learning the fact that we don’t have to come to class and complete a course over the internet via blackboard is valuable to me. I did one on line course last summer and doing one this summer this allows me to stay home with my family.
Videoconferencing is a great way to communicate, by using a computer, camera speaker with microphone allows for people from all over the world to communicate two-ways. My husband’s company now uses videoconferences to communicate with clients from all over the world to discuss program status, exchange technical information, and review action items. Twenty years ago he would have to travel about once a month to get this done. It cost the company a lot of money to send my husband on these business trips. The advantages of videoconferencing, the company saves on trip expenses, my husband and his colleagues are able to conduct more frequent meetings and have more people attend these meetings.
In reading these chapters what comes up a lot is student-led, child-centered, and child initiative. In order for this to happen what needs to be done is to have the teachers who are not so computer savvy and get them to go on computer courses during the year on the professional development days. I hate when teachers say that there isn’t enough time to breathe because of the curriculum. I think that is an excuse to stick with what they know and not invest and take some time to make the learning more interactive and fun.
Virtual field trips awesome, I wish my children would have that opportunity in school to have that. I tried to go online to view the Louvre Museum in Paris (http://www.louvre.fr/louvrea.htm) and clicked on virtual tour it was amazing. I felt I was there. I went two years ago and now felt that I went back. What a great experience. These virtual fiend trips are endless and a great non-instructional teaching method rather a great resource to use when doing projects. I thing technology is a great tool and we can’t ignore it rather we need to embrace it.
Mary Luise



Current mood: cheerful.

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9th May, 2006. 9:00 pm. chapter 2 problem solving is meaningful learning

I did not realize all of the different kinds of problems there are under formal term names. If someone asked me to list kinds of problem solving terms prior to reading this chapter, I would have mentioned logical problems, decision-making, and trouble shooting. I am amazed at all of the 11 mentioned in this chapter. I have learned new terms of problems that I use everyday and not realize the formal meaning of them. For example, I did not know that algorithmic problems is a common problem type used in math. I will use this term when I am working with my students next time. I asked my son and he knew the term "algorithmic", I guess being in ECE I am sheltered.
I agree and believe that successful learning happens outside the classroom. Teachers should bring forth problems from the world around us and work on solving them in the classroom. What an experience it is to try to solve world problems over the computer. In the beginning the students have to be taught the basics, how?- in various ways, different solutions, and conclusions. I also agree with the author that students don't necessarity have to come up with a solution, rather it is the process that is important. If learning it does happen in the class in my opinion it would be more of informal learning -by doing, experimenting, and problem solving in groups. I also agree that children learn best when the task is meaningful and purposeful and essentially the students have to be willing to engage in a meaningful task. This all happens if the child is interested and wanting to solve the tasks I also believe if we have things in the classroom that are interesting to the students we will have less disruptive behaviours. Love the idea of importing problems from the real world and work on solving them in the classroom with the students. I am a child and youth worker in a school when teachers send down students that have problems with each other I get them to resolve their problems by getting them to assume ownership of the problem and they come up with great solutions rather than us telling them what they need to do instead. I have them use the "I" messages this allows the child to express their feelings to the other student not attaching them by starting the conversation with "You".
Mary L. Divito

Current mood: crazy.

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8th May, 2006. 1:31 am. Halavais:weblogs and collaborative web publishing

Long article but an interesting read. This article talks about an opportunity for student-centered education through the use of weblogs. Weblogs represents a social practice, a public forum in which people are able to converse and group together. Other tools that do the same thing is Wiki, it is a web page in which anyone can go on and update the material. Wiki aka Wikipedia is an online coperative team work encyclopedia program with hundreds of thousands of articles in the English language. E-portfolios is also used in conjunction as weblog. E-portfolios of student materials have been used to enhance the assessment learning.

Note taking, diaries and journals are often what teachers want students to keep for future references or as study notes, Weblogging is a continual collective and social practice in hopes to be an alternative to classroom setting. An advantage to weblogging as a student in a classroom and given an assignment students almost always like to work together, conversing, and brainstorming to help each other out.

For some teachers it is hard to break old habits and learn new things especially if it means work. Weblogging provides opportunity for students to view the world directly. Students are able to converse with people in a different part of the world providing the students with a social network and understanding of self-reliant and awareness.
By introducing this technology some raise valid concern if creating an indefinite weblog, that the information typed may be read by the wrong person. The teachers role is that of a facilitator, he/she advises, role model the work, and guides the students.
I think it's a great learning opportunity to have children experience direct learning rather than just the traditional practices in the classroom. Unfortunately, my children have not experienced virtual field trips with in their classrooms, but it sounds so great and I could imagine what they take from this kind of experience. I told some of the teahcers in my school and are interested in pursuing this challenge and getting some of the students into it. Society has changed and will continue to change and we (educators) must change with it. I work with teachers who do not want to know how to use a computer nor do they give their students a chance to work on the computers. In my school we have a computer lab in the library. It is always the same teachers who bring down their students to work on the computers. The rest of the teahcers are doing the students a diservice. What a shame>
Mary L. DiVito

Current mood: bouncy.

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7th May, 2006. 11:38 pm. ece 912 readings - Halavais Weblogs

Long article but an interesting read. This article talks about an opportunity for student-centered education through the use of weblogs. Weblogs represents a social practice, a public forum in which people are able to converse and group together. Other tools that do the same thing is Wiki, it is a web page in which anyone can go on and update the material. Wiki aka Wikipedia is an online coperative team work encyclopedia program with hundreds of thousands of articles in the English language. E-portfolios is also used in conjunction as weblog. E-portfolios of student materials have been used to enhance the assessment learning.

Note taking, diaries and journals are often what teachers want students to keep for future references or as study notes, Weblogging is a continual collective and social practice in hopes to be an alternative to classroom setting. An advantage to weblogging as a student in a classroom and given an assignment students almost always like to work together, conversing, and brainstorming to help each other out.

For some teachers it is hard to break old habits and learn new things especially if it means work. Weblogging provides opportunity for students to view the world directly. Students are able to converse with people in a different part of the world providing the students with a social network and understanding of self-reliant and awareness.
By introducing this technology some raise valid concern if creating an indefinite weblog, that the information typed may be read by the wrong person. The teachers role is that of a facilitator, he/she advises, role model the work, and guides the students.
I think it's a great learning opportunity to have children experience direct learning rather than just the traditional practices in the classroom. Society has changed and will continue to change and we must change with it.
Mary L. DiVito

Current mood: happy.

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3rd May, 2006. 6:02 pm. First Chapter Reading first ever blog

There is always a first to everything in life and blogging is another first for me. In this course for some of us, we will be learning something totally new and sometimes we feel overwelmed. I for one am very interested in learning new things I believe we learn all the time and when we stop we are 6 feet under. Chapter one is a great introduction to What Is Meaningful Learning. We need to be open minded and try new things, many people young or old are resistant to change. When one is resistant to change they will not learn, grow, and expand their knowledge. I agree with the notion that the technology is there for us and that we need to explore and teach ourselves.
I like the way the author breaks down Meaningful Learning in 5 parts, 1. manipuluative/observant 2. Articulative/reflective
3. Reflective/regultory 4. Complex/contextualized 5. Collaborative/conversational. I agree with the author, these 5 are characters of Meaningful Learning. When some of these characters are grouped together there is a more meaningful learning happening.
I like the comment where the author says: We believe that in order to learn, students should be teachers, representing what they know rather than memorizing what teachers and textbooks tell them”. I was in a classroom this year and that is what the professor told us to do. She taught the lesson and she gave us questions to discuss in groups and formulate our own questions and behold we understood the contents of the course materials.
Children are more successful in decoding and problem solving by trial and error and not afraid to make mistakes-because with mistakes comes try again until they succeed . Some/most adults on the other hand don't take the time to explore and play around with the computer. We are afraid of mistakes or think we just can't do something and just don't try. Some of the adults that I know, only use the computer to write up an essay for school or use the e-mail because they need to use it to communicate with their staff or administration. I look forward to learning a lot in this course because I am one of those people that use the computer to write up essays and use the e-mail for work purposes only.
Mary Luise


Current mood: good.

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