Body By Boyd

2011-09-19T21:59:00.000-04:00

My adventure last week was into the world of interactive surgery. These simulations were created by the crew of Clearly Trained...headed by Eric Bort. Amy and I are very interested in having Eric look at our ideas and see if we can come up with something created especially for Vet Tech students.

We love the ideas contained in Edheads and Surgery Squad, and hope to combine both concepts and design in our interactive virtual suturing simulation.

Surgery Squad is an online interactive simulations for several surgical procedures. It was designed to explain what goes on when a patient goes under the knife so to speak. Two virtual physicians, Dr. Jeff and Dr. Suzi help guide us through liposuctions, tonsillectomies, dental procedures, tatoo removal, hair transplant and laser hair removal, and so much more.

But the participant needs to remember that these are not medical sites...it calls to mind the "Pretending" element that Marc Prensky talks about in his article Interactive Pretending.

The format is user friendly and starts with beneficial information that is informative for the patient. It goes through phases with buttons that enable you to repeat or skip ahead. The graphic detailing is suberb. The tool useage is very basic, and our simulation would require much more indepth manipulation...but all of the basics are there for a fact filled, fun simulation.

I highly recommend http://www.surgerysquad.com/ for anyone who wants to play doctor, or just needs some information on an upcoming surgery.

My first attempt at Star Shooter

2011-09-10T20:18:00.000-04:00

Ok - a gamer I am not...but fortified with a Hershey bar and the will to succeed...I downloaded my first video online game. I chose this game, because I had read in my research that Star Shooter helped promote eye-hand coordination in surgical med students. Since Amy and I are interested in suturing skills, we are always looking for games that will promote needed skills. So if Star Shooter can enhance visuo-motor skills then it might be a recommended game for vet tech students to try.

I was immediately fasinated with the colorful 3-d like graphics, and animations. There was soft music in the background (I was sure to calm my nerves), and it appeared that I was seated in a cockpit of a plane. The soft melodic tones were interrupted by gunfire and before I knew it an enemy plane was coming towards me with flashing guns.

Where were the instructions? How do you play? What do I push? There were no instructions, directions, coaching tips...Nothing. So I imediately began to bang my mouse in hopes that my guns would begin to fire. Within the minute I was destroyed by enemy fire. I took a moment to catch my breath, sigh deep, and try again. This time I manipulated my mouse right away, and was not so focused on the beautiful artwork on the scene. In time and practice I learned how to zero in on incoming planes and planet destroyers. I am too embarassed to really share my highest score, which only took me to level two, but I did learn the game by playing it. I did feel a sense of accomplishment when I finally made it through the novice piece. But my newfound pride was quickly defused with new challenges in level two. Things moved quicker and there were more to destroy.

I felt totally glued to the screen, and my sense of competition enabled me to continue time after time of being destroyed by enemy fire. It did challenge my depth perception, reaction time, and my manipulation of the mouse.

In all fairness and complete disclosure...I had to ask Kyle, my twenty-two year old son to play the game, so that I could view what happened at other levels. He was completely engaged. Although he shared a bit of dismay at not understanding how to manipulate the mouse, and complaint that there was not a controller like he was used to, he figured it all out in less than a minute and stayed completely engaged for forty-five minutes. He was determined to be the high scorer and to reach the top level (whatever that is). I was able to witness increased graphics and challenge with each upward level.

I highly recommend the game as it was free, and could provide hours of enjoyment if you like blowing up planes, ships, and keeping the planet safe from aliens. As far as educational value - I would not play it for knowledge content, but it did promote problem-solving, critical thinking and decision making.

Instructional Design and some of my random thoughts.....

2011-08-24T06:59:00.000-04:00

Instructional design should be all about helping students to learn better. That puts a pretty "broad" concept out there. Broad is the key word here - obviously what works for some, does not work for others. Today’s classroom is a broad chasm of disarray...where some grab the rope to climb out and enter the "light". Some don't know how to use the rope to climb out, and others can never even find the rope. (You knew that I would use some "physical anomaly" to convey my thoughts...)

The purpose of instructional design should be to engage all learners (the educational buzz word of today)

The purpose is to know and understand the reason for learning, the goal, it's relevance; to take their learning and apply it to something beyond their classroom walls.

It should give students an opportunity to use, to practice, what they are learning with the appropriate tools.

When I think of Instructional Design - I think of analyzing data, learning styles, students needs and goals. I think of creating educational materials that give meaning and purpose to the process. I associate the need to understand how people think, learn and solve problems.

It should "speak their language" - so they are motivated, engaged and invested...otherwise why bother?

So obviously there is a lot of trial and error involved. It will need to be evaluated, revised, and in a constant state of flux. It should be as individual as every learner is. Perhaps every learner needs an IEP –RTI - that will be evaluated yearly (hhhmmm - I want more thought here), and changes as the individual grows.

There will be commonalities - state mandates, limitation of resources and tools, budget constraints, and I could go on and on. When the design is for the masses - many considerations are left behind - gender, class size, environment, individual beliefs just to name a few.

The purpose of instructional design should be to engage all learners (the educational buzz word of today)

The purpose is to know and understand the reason for learning, the goal, it's relevance; to take their learning and apply it to something beyond their classroom walls.

It should give students an opportunity to use, to practice, what they are learning with the appropriate tools.

Day Four EDD800 - Summer residency

2011-06-30T21:35:00.000-04:00

I feel two things with the week being over: relief and a bit of sorrow. It was such a joy to finally meet everyone face to face in my cohort. I know that we will always share a sense of kinship..because of the struggles and the joys. When one of us is sick, the others feel for that as well. It is amazing how "Technology" has brought us together. Oh don't let the P-12 track hear!!!! LOL..

We started the day with Janet Cline informing us about the grant writing procedures. We ended the day with Jennifer Little who navigated us through the research engines that the Camden-Carroll library has to offer. I am brining this up - to thank these two women...and let them know what a fabulous respresentative of Morehead State University they are. One of the things that sets this University apart is the level of assistance that EVERYONE at the University gives to students. This sets them apart and above the other state colleges. Janet has already established an account so that I can begin my grant writing search. Jennifer took our names, gave us her personal business card pledging assistance to us at any time. Our professors answer our emails and questions within the hour, give us feedback and critique, and provide assistance whenever we need it... Is that service? Is that dedication? Is that servant leadership? This is Morehead State...

The body of the day was with Dr. Phil Harris and Pat Miller. Dr. Harris spoke to us on Instructional design issues and challenges. There were lots of hands on collaborations, so we were very engaged... He had many thought provoking examples...and I will use my "get around tuit frequently. Although no one in Indiana will get that slang!!!! One of the exciting things for me was to learn more about PBS and the streaming opporunities that lie ahead. As she talked, I was thinking what a cool job it would be to screen video offerings and write curriculum for teachers on the videos. Obviously someone has that job...just another career option. I also put the PBS app on my Ipad2...Yahoo for technology!

So a good week...a memorable week... My thanks and love to Amy who put me up in her home and treated me with the respect for a mother, a friend, and colleague. So glad to have Lisa back in the fold today...we cannot lose any sheep from the flock. How thankful I was to really get to know Rachel better...my Ipad2 advisor... And what a joy to learn the personal side: Della - my motorcycle heroine, Martha and her beautiful garden, and Rhonda (bless your heart) hang in there - Take the I for now - and let yourself get caught up to life.... We are all connected for life...enjoy the rest of the summer. much love

Day Three EDD 800 - Summer Residency

2011-06-29T18:06:00.001-04:00

Day Three was actually very emotional for me. As I sat in the luncheon, I did think about my journey so far with the doctoral program, the people who have assisted me, and the relationships that I am forming. It made me sad, when we did the exercise about listing the three people you cared about the most…all my life I can remember putting Paul’s name down as the most important person in my life…the one who supported me the most. Dr. Barnett reflected on keeping your relationships in the forefront of importance as you journey through the process…life is short…and you want it all to be worthwhile and meaningful in every way. I often visualize myself walking across the podium to accept my diploma, and wishing that Paul would be there to share one of the greatest joys of my life, but I know that the journey must be for my own self-satisfaction. I feel an important part of a Morehead “first” and honored to be contributing back to the University with my capstone project. That was part of the reason that I wanted to share in a project that would actually give back to the students of Morehead. I feel like it is part of a small “pay it forward” act on my part. And even though I did not create the idea for the program, I will get to help formulate it with my feedback and opinions. This was a major reason that I wanted to be in the first cohort – so that I could contribute and be a part of something being created for the first time. I could participate in a small part of history – something that would be meaningful to someone and myself.

Today Craig Robertson shared these thoughts on Generative Leadership. The purpose is to develop spiritual leaders who model community that learns and leads together. It is important to create environments that foster transformation…one that establishes processes that produce fruit. That is how I feel about our cohort…we will be a team that produces fruit.

His take on groups and teams were interesting…and the importance of Trust and Unity to promote change and growth. His various stories and quotations illustrated the importance of rebirth, reinventing, and revitalization - the importance of radical change and the methodology of discover, develop and deploy. He also touched upon the importance of building that operational trust through love, learning, and leading.

The entire theme of the day centered around relationships, community, and the “We not I concept”. It did make me reflect on the importance of being connected and relational. Being here with the other members of my cohort reminds me that I am not alone in the process and though miles separate me from them, we will be bonded forever because of the journey. We are like the explorers of old, blazing new trails, experiencing trial and error in the process, and claiming new territory for ourselves. Until tomorrow Trail Blazers…

Day Two EDD800 Summer Residency - Dr. Joseph Murphy

2011-06-28T18:58:00.000-04:00

The day was filled with the expertise of Dr. Murphy - Closing Achievement Gaps: Research Based Lessons for Educators. I learned through a witty, researched based presentation that the gap has shifted from being an indicator of eduational inequality to a direct cause of socioeconomic decline. Important points that I have taken away from today:

1. Schools don't cause achievement gaps. 1/2 of the achievement gaps walks in the door as they enter public school in Kindergarten. 50% of the gap grows there and 25% more transitions from middle school. There is a huge loss during the summer and summer school for K-5 WAS RECOMMENDED.

2. Schools cannot close achievement gaps alone. Society must take responsibility. We must re-allocate our resources. Lower income and minority students are more school-dependent than their mnore advantaged peers and here is where the potential for schools to help solve the problem lies.

Structure will not not change the gap. There needs to be a focus on both out of school and in school factors. Students do not need "different" types of interventions...they need INTENSE support. There must be trust in the school climate. We must provide an OverAdvantage for our Lowadvantaged. All components must be in place.
1. Preschool
2. Cooperative instructional strategies
3. Smaller class size
4. Quality instruction
5. Co-curricular/extra curricular activities
6. More rigorous courses
7. Placement in high SES schools

I loved his anaology of the "train passing us by" leaving the station without us. It made me think of our In-school suspension policy. Most of the kids that are in that are low-performing students, troubled, bored; feeling like the train has left without them. And what are we doing - we are keeping them out of instruction for another day..and letting the train pass by them again. I believe that my school needs to re-think what we are doing here.

Of course like anything else..the concern for cost was brought up, but Dr. Murphy shared that bold, fearless leadership would be able to find a way, regardless of the hard decisions that would have to be made. Cost as well as benefits of gap reduction strategies need to be weighed. Student Under achievement is the problem to be solved. Each child needs to be looked at - one individual at a time...their level of achievement, equity, and value added. He ended with the point that we need to help parents to do at home what we want our student to be able to do at school. We all have an investment to enable students to open 75 doors at the end of their high school careers and look forward to the future...

We ended the day with a seminar on Publishing. There were several points to consider as we venture into publishing either in journals or in book format.

1. Research
2. Contact editor of journal
3. Review formattingrequirements
4. Have a colleague edit
5. Don't freak out if you don't get published the first time
6. Meet deadlines
7. Don't have to agree with editor feedback - it is Your Work!
8. Be patient - could take up to 4-5 months
9. Take time off before writing your next piece

We heard from several people who had self-published and went through a publishing house. I could see the passion in Kelly Middleton's presentation and the humble pride in Dr. Wallaces'. I felt encouraged and know that if and when the time for me to publish rolls around I will have a lot of support in the process.

Long day...my head is swimming with ideas and information...headed to Amy's for her yummy crock pot dinner and an instructional design to complete. Ah..the life of a doctoral student...see you tomorrow!

Day One EDD800 - Summer Residency

2011-06-27T19:29:00.000-04:00

     The day started with an inspirational charge from Dr. Kathryn Polmanteer. We are part of the "Great Experiment" - an innovative approach to the doctoral program. Dr. Karla Hughes followed up with a great directive to "rekindle curiosity and creativity". I think this sums up my journey so far with the program. I am humbled by how little I know, and inspired by all that I am learning. I find myself engaged in conversations with other professionals at a higher level of thinking and feeling my confidence rise daily as my ideas are valued and shared.
     Our keynote speaker was Stepnen Downes of the National Research Center of Canada. We listened to his thoughts on open educational resources and personal learning environments. His out of the box thinking drew many points to my mind that I would like to discuss here. Although a lot of what he said was in a "NEW LANGUAGE", I do agree with him on his philosophy of knowledge output. "The more sense you make of something - the more you will remember it" What we do NEED TO REMEMBER - is the case in point here. The Induction Model allows the flow of information to influence another thought to another and another; in otherwords - One thought leads to another. It is data in and then processed with activities that makes sense of it all, to the putput of knowledge or Knowledge Remembered. The Act of Experience is the growth of learning.
Stephen Downes is a proponent of Connectivism. There is no real curriculum. The product is the Learner. Knowledge is so complex - so it needs to be navigated. That is where the teacher comes in...to be connected is to be engaged. The process is aggregate, remix, repurpose, and feed forward. The learning is immersive and complete for the individual and how that is done is on an individual basis. That is why he believeds in open eduational resources and repositories. This environment provides phases of openess:
                                                 Learners can access courses
                                                 Open support - academic volunteers
                                                 Open assessment
                                                 Credit for degree
                                                  Receive a degree
     He talked about Learning Management Systems and how they support physical instruction in a classroom. Our school system uses Moodle and I have become familiar with Blackboard through MSU. He shared about Grasshopper as a course tool that utilizes RSS feeds or input from the user: All types of input and organizes it the way that the USER wants.
     I see open resourcing being totally used in higher education, but I feel that I would use it cautiously on the middle school level. There would be instances where such open ended resourcing and thought would provoke good conversation, critical thinking and problem-solving on the part of my students. I don't know how "mature" some of this thought processing would go, but it would be worth the venture. Just experimenting with the "Language" that middle schoolers have would be a window to a much wider community. Administrators would have to make things possible, remove constraints and open up access to these resources. Right now our school corporation is very filtered and the learning environment is not open, but very closed in my opinion...but that is due to fear. The fear of too much information. Growth needs FLOW - that constant activation and interaction.
     He ended with Defining the four measures to weigh openess against. Is it diverse? (lots of information from lots of different people - proves diversity. Is there openess? Is there Autonomy? Does each individual manage their own growth in their own way? Is there Interactivity? I love the autonomy factor and feel that this is really what the doctoral level is all about.
     Lunch provided a time of free-flowing conversation and comment about the presentation and a chance to catch up quickly on each others lives. The afternoon was filled with numerous and interesting capstone projects. Amy and I were in a group with P-12 administrators and it gave us an interesting perspective on the many issues surrounding each of their school systems. I continue to learn more and more about Kentucky education and the communities in the eastern Kentucky area. I feel that I made some new networking contacts and hope to share some ideas with these gentlemen in the future.
     But for now - my future involves discussion board comments and an Instructional Design that needs my finishing touches..so until tomorrow...

Instructional Design Article Critique #4

2010-12-07T23:36:00.000-05:00

Cheating Themselves Out of an Education: Assignments that Promote Higher-Order Thinking and Honesty in the Middle Grades

Instructional Design Article Critique #4

Chris Boyd

Morehead State University

The title alone grabs my interest as a middle school educator. Zito and McQuillan report their findings on attitudes of learning and cheating from a study at Goodwin School, a private, nondenominational, coeducational day school, in northeastern Massachusetts.

As students transition from elementary to middle to high school, teachers increasingly assign great weight to performance and grades as opposed to understanding and the process of learning (Anderman & Midgley, 2004). Students correlate grades as the highest consideration towards admission to colleges and professional opportunities. Students associate their future prosperity to test scores, grades, and class rankings.

The study revealed that the environmental factors of secondary education lead to a change in student behavior. Structure, and student perceptions of their learning, grows increasingly performance-based. Students are motivated largely by isolated performances and the grades they receive for their work, regardless of how they attain those grades. (p.7)

Goal orientation theory attributes student motivation for learning to the structure of the classroom environment as being either performance or mastery-oriented (Stephens & Gehlbach, 2007). The differences between these two concepts of academic success influence how student think about their assignments and the purpose of learning. A classroom that focuses on performance can promote a culture where achieving a particular grade becomes more important to students than the learning. In mastery classroom, students appreciate the inherent value in the work they undertake and strive to realize course objectives because they find them personally meaningful (Wiggins & McTighe, 2008).

At their worst, performance-oriented classrooms prioritize grades over genuine understanding, present achievement as a comparative phenomenon, downplay the link between effort and achievement, and ultimately create a context in which cheating becomes a particularly viable and morally defensible strategy. (p. 15)

Students cheat less on assignments that they consider valuable to their learning. If the primary purpose of receiving a good grade is to please parents, or protect their eligibility for a sport – students have more potential and pressure to cheat. Teachers must create assignments that promote outcomes rather than just performance. When teachers implement this strategy there will be more value to the work and students can be expected to complete assignments in an honest and ethical way.

Teachers must be careful in weighing assignments – how much something will count. Students must view learning as preparing them for the future, and that the work that they are doing has value. Teachers must recognize that when students understand how learning can be used in the real world – they are not as likely to cheat. As educators it is our job to help students understand why each class is going to be of value to them down the road. We need to help students make meaning from the content they engage in their courses (Wiggins & McTighe, 2008).

The nature of authentic, relevant, real-world assignments will discourage cheating, because the assignment’s connection to the real world makes it difficult to misrepresent their work (Wiggins & McTighe, 2008).

Strategies to connect are collaborative group projects, student choice and autonomy in their work, teaching experiences for students, use of technology as a tool, open-ended questions, and real-world application.

Wiggins and McTighe are two of my favorite designers. They are credited with the creation of UbD. Their philosophy runs true though-out the entire article. We do not want our students to make believe that they know what they do not know. We need to create projects and opportunities that engage students in rich learning and give their experiences real world relevance, personal meaning and demand a proof of understanding. (p. 13)

As middle school educators we have the perfect opportunity to help students balance the pressure of performing for grades. This is so difficult in an educational system that is driven by assessment, standardized scoring, and oriented towards direct results. Only a collective effort towards authentic learning will help promote the understanding of genuine learning. UbD is one of those designs, but it would demand a buy-in attitude by an entire staff, administration and parents. We need professional learning communities to offer development for exploring how student work can be designed to integrate authentic and real-world tasks. Experiences with personal meaning will provide students with the desire to understand, and recognize that cheating will not provide the real answers needed to be successful in the real world and, in fact, may rob the student of an opportunity to learn how to be successful in the real world.

Zito, N. & McQuillan, P. (2010). Cheating Themselves Out of an Education: Assignments that Promote Higher-Order Thinking and Honesty in the Middle Grades. Middle School Journal. Vol. 42. Number 2. November 2010. pages 6-13.

Great Teaching Must Inspire Great Thinking - Article Critique

2010-11-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

I came across this article by chance as I was seeking information on Instructional design. The title interested me, as did the date of the article, which is 1987.

The author is Dr. H Ward Hill, Vice-president and Dean of Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska. At the time of the article he served as Chairman of the Dept. of Religion and the Division of Humanities. With this introduction, the audience can immediately understand the religious implications of the article, but on the other hand he shares many interesting points on the issues that arise when schools attempt to teach students to think. Dr. Hill describes “true education” as training youth to be:”thinkers, and not mere reflections of other men’s thoughts.” (p.7)

Dr. Hill states that teaching critical and independent thinking does not appear to hinge on the controversy between the merits of teacher-centered or student-centered learning. He goes on to say that most undergraduates don’t go to college to learn to think; most teachers don’t see their role in teaching students to think. In reflection, I tend to agree, as most of my undergraduate and Master’s classes were for my preparation to enter my career choice. There was not really time in the class to probe and question philosophies in education. As a matter of fact, there was really not much time to discuss, debate, or have any real type of dialog. The difference with the doctoral level is the amount of time that we are allowed to think. We are operating in an environment of thinking. Students at this level do not have to worry about standardized test scores, right or wrong responses, and feel the freedom to challenge without repercussion.

Dr. Hill goes on to argue on the lecture style of teaching and the teacher-centered classroom. He goes on to state that an expert lecture can include techniques that challenge the audience to the highest level of thinking. Good lecturers can intellectually awakened students to explore other aspects of the subject. Many student-oriented classrooms may amount to little more than a pooling ignorance, especially if students do not receive guidance in ranking the relevance of ideas and observation. (p.8)

Questioning can serve well in teaching students to think. Believing that “asking questions” can be an art form, it is essential to pursue a line of questioning that progressively builds to an understanding causing the student to savor the solution. (p.9) With a series of questions the teacher and students can explore together the solution to questions. Dr. Hill suggests that it is useful to let some time elapse before asking for solutions, and so as to not let students be “left hanging,” he shares his own preferred solutions, not favoring one over any other. I remember in one post Dr. Lowell responding to one of my questions, with a comment that he wanted to wait and see what others wrote before sharing his thoughts.

I find this to be a successful strategy. We often view our professors on another level of intellect and authority. As students we have a hard time viewing this authority as just being another peer sharing opinions in discussion. We were raised to respect authority and part of that respect was to not challenge aloud. I have had very few of my middle school students challenge my authority in any way. This article makes me reflect on my own classroom environment. I usually have questions to stimulate discussion, but most students respond looking for a right answer, and the discussion is often directed at me instead of the rest of the class.

Dr. Hill encourages teachers to seek to stimulate a higher level of thinking by using a series of questions paralleling the sequence of Bloom’s taxonomy, with questions moving from lower to higher levels of thinking. (p.32) Teachers should encourage students towards deeper reflections on their own ideas. Lastly, he points out that some teachers like to move students into unexplored terrain and directly challenge their ideas.

We all recognize the pitfalls that come with questions and discussions. Some students monopolize the conversation. It can lead to arguments and controversy and there is never enough time to fully explore ideas. As John Milton wrote in the 17^th century, “Where there is much desire to lean there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinions in good men is but knowledge in the making.” (p.33) I say “good” for the students that speak up and want to be heard. Just because you aren’t talking in a discussion does not mean that you are not thinking and learning. Both students can be equally engaged, just in different ways.

In our rapidly changing world it will be important for our students to think and adapt to different situations. There is still a place for the teacher-led classroom. It is important that teachers define what they want the students to learn. Sometimes there is a practical necessity of helping students obtain specific knowledge and this will take precedence over more idealistic concepts.

Hill, H. (1987). Great Teaching Must Inspire Great Thinking. Adventist Education. October/November 1987. Retrieved on November 26, 2010 from: http://circle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae198750010706.pdf

Sipping cocoa...

2010-11-27T10:48:00.000-05:00

If I have learned nothing else – I have acquired a newly ingrained habit. Somewhere in my day I have to go to my Goggle Reader and look over the many articles that I have marked to embrace my feed. This addicting habit has introduced me to a wealth of topics and opinions that I never would have pondered if I didn’t take the time to sit with my cup of cocoa and nestle myself down for a good read. It is a sort of “My time” instead of wandering around the kitchen looking for something of a high sugar content to satisfy my needs. So now my caloric intake is satisfied by authors such as D’Arcy Norman Dot Net, English Muse, Cool Cat Teacher, Curriculum Matters, etc. etc. By the time you look up, forty-five minutes to an hour has passed by and you are only on thirty-four of the 101 in the current folder.

I have discovered that the only way to get good at something or to learn something – is to invest some time in it. It is like that nightly math homework that I had in the seventh grade – it was expected and required for me to become proficient. Now the proficiency is mine for the choosing, as I long to get connected to an academic world of thought that I never knew existed, (accompanied by the cocoa of course). It also gives me the opportunity to talk out loud and exchange thoughts and perspectives on a myriad of subjects.

So now that I have rambled on long enough, I wanted to share some thoughts on an article by Laura Pappano for Education Week. It correlates with the Humanistic theory that I am such a fan of – and it made me long for a principal that cared as much as Anthony G. Smith.

In 1999, his Cincinnati Taft High School was in “academic emergency”. With the focus on the value of relationships, the school progressed to an “excellent” rating which is Ohio’s’ best. Smith did this by going door to door in the neighborhood and asking for resident support. He met with every teacher and “listened” as to what was working and what was not. He built a key relationship with an outside stakeholder, Cincinnati Bell. “This partnership offered his students an alternate vision to what they see in their neighborhoods (only 55 percent of adults in this census tract have a high school diploma, and 53 percent of households live below the poverty line) (Pappano, 2010).

Cincinnati Bell president, Jack Cassidy provides the use of a cell phone and laptop to every Taft Technology student who maintains a 3.3 grade point average; it also wires the students’ homes for high-speed Internet because, says Cassidy, “poor families can’t afford broadband, but college exists on the Internet.”

Realizing that most of his students come from homes where college is not even considered, let along having a career, Smith provides a safe environment outside of the home and neighborhood where children can be tutored, recreate, and be fed. But it is just not about their bellies being full, but their minds as well.

What struck me is the fact that Smith leaves nothing to chance. W always read about stories where students have an adult come into their life and mentor them down the road to success. Taft takes it a bit further to “insure” that every student has a mentor and environment where creativity is fostered and the tools to do it with.

The opportunity for success must be rooted in relationships throughout the process of change and in a recalibration of expectations that students have for themselves (Pappano, 2010).

What a blueprint for success! Why doesn’t every school have leadership that steps out of the box and the time constraints of 7-5? Unfortunately, I think I do know the answer to that. We have our own lives - but wait - this is our life. Is this not the call of servant-leadership? There are student homes we need to visit. We need to learn from each other and take the time to listen to our fellow peers. There is a corporation or business in every town to solicit help from. If our school leadership is not willing to do this, why should we be satisfied with that?

Whew I am exhausted from that speech, and I must move on to Melanie McBride’s new piece. My cocoa has cooled off, so I need to warm it up again…

This is a metaphor right? Or is it a paradox?

Pappano, L. (25, October 2010). In School Turnaround the Human Element is Crucial. Education Week Retrieved from http://www.cps-k12.org/whatsnew/TaftEdWeek.pdf

Last night's discussion on Integrity

2010-11-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

I did not know if anyone would go back to the Core Values discussion board thread...so I am posting on here as well...because I am so interested in this topic..so to continue our conversation from last night.

Here is an interesting article for you to read. Lisa (as usual) brought up an interesting question about Hitler and integrity. Definitions seem to abound on the meaning of integrity: Interesting interview with Stephen Carter, author of the book Integrity.

"There is a broad range of issues on which we have to be willing to say that people of integrity can take different sides. I happen to be an opponent of the death penalty. I think that position has some integrity to it. I know a lot of thoughtful people with plenty of integrity who are in favor of the death penalty. I don't think they are evil or morally worse than I am. I don't think they are stupid. They've reflected and reached a different view.

I also believe there is a small set of issues about which a person of integrity can hold only one position. For example, we can say racial hatred and mass slaughter are wrong. We know that from history. We don't need to agree on a philosophical system to agree on that.

"There is a lot of moral agreement in America. The amount of moral disagreement is exaggerated because the media focuses on a handful of issues on which people have sharply different views--abortion, gay rights, affirmative action. But beyond this there is a large core on which we can reach agreement. These teachings are common to various religious traditions. They also show up in public opinion surveys and in the Constitution. For example: respecting others, believing in family, not lying or stealing, being courageous."

Read the entire article (don't worry it is short) and let me know your thoughts..I anxiously await!

http://tatumweb.com/internet/integrity-01.htm

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

2010-11-17T19:36:00.000-05:00

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity Video on TED.com

Instructional Design for Play

2010-11-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

While scanning blogs on the Reader, I came across one by David Penrose at San Juan College. He has some techno-phobic faculty who don't have the time or resources to experiement with instructional technology, so this has caused him to consider the role of "Play" in desensitizing individuals and groups to try something new.

He has some interesting notions for Instructional designers to set up "playgrounds" or "play rooms" for the faculty to experiement with techie toys without having to worry about the cost or breaking anything. He concludes that play is the appropriate context for learning the limits and limitations of technology.

Penrose, D. (10, June 2005). Instructional design for Play. Retrieved on November 17, 2010 from: http://www.edcause.edu/blog/penrose/InstructionalDesignforPlay/164547

Back to Play again...talking about Susan Codone's Report

2010-11-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

Technology based play can be elaborative and promote deeper processing by serving as an exploratory and investigative device (Codone, 2010). Play within interactive multimedia can be open, voluntary, pleasurable, and non-goal oriented. Play has such significant value and has become connected to many other psychological constructs, such as language formation, symbolism, abstraction of intellectual prototypes, acquisition of tool use, social skill development, perspective or role taking, and the development of creativity (Sutton-Smith, 1979; Christie & Johnsen, 1983). Technology can be created as guided play where educators structure an environment around a general curricular goal that is designed to stimulate children’s natural curiosity, exploration, and play with learning-oriented objects/materials(Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2003).

Trying to define “Play” is a construct in itself. There are so many definitions out there as I shared in my Creative piece. Johann Huizinga (1951) defined play as a free activity standing quite consciously outside ordinary life as being not serious, but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. Christie and Johnsen describe play as an activity that is pleasurable, voluntary, spontaneous, devoid of imposed tasks or regulations, intrinsically motivated, undertaken for process rather than expected outcomes and that requires active participation. Gitlin-Weiner (1988) describes play as pleasurable, the antithesis of work, free of extrinsic goals, and an absorbing process involving the temporary loss of awareness of one’s surrounds. In all of the many definitions I read, one common theme was enjoyment, fun, creativity, and a sense of timelessness due to intense immersion.

Constructivist instruction, with its emphasis on student-centered learning, the active construction of knowledge, subjective meaning, and learning situated in authentic, real-world environments, provides an open and acceptable place for play in instruction (Codone, 2010). Play can consist of problem solving, exploration, and an opportunity to try things out without risk or evaluation. Play can allow a student to explore what could happen by trying out a variety of actions and observing the consequences.

Play is consistent with the developmental principles of how children learn. Play is active, has meaningful context, and uses a whole child approach to learning (Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, 2003). Play also fosters strong learning through interest, engagement, attention, and intrinsic motivation.

Gagne, Briggs, & Wager (1992) state that instruction is a human undertaking whose purpose to help people learn. They list five assumptions for the design of instruction.

1. Instructional design must be aimed at aiding the learning of the individual

2. Systematically designed instruction can greatly affect individual human development

3. Instructional design has phases that are both immediate and long-term

4. Instructional design should be conducted by means of a systems approach

5. Designed instruction must be based on knowledge of how human beings learn

There is not a lot of research out there, and since there are so many definitions a long-term goal will be to identify the conditions of play to prescribe them for use by instructional designers (Codone, 2010). These studies will give us a better understanding of play and the ability to train designers on how to “design play” (Codone, 2010). The W.I.R.E. Indicators of Play aids us in determining what “Play” is. The W.I.R.E. model is defined as: Way to use play, an Indicator of play, the Result of using play and the Elements that are necessary for play to occur. This model can be used by instructional designers as a way to “WIRE” their instruction with play, embedding elements into the environment that will stimulate the indicators of play, while at the same time providing designers with specific tactics (ways) to deliver instruction through play (Codone, 2010).

Codone, S. (2010). The Effectiveness of Play as an Instructional Strategy on Procedural Learning, Learner Enjoyment, and Instructional Design. Raytheon Interactive Technologies. Pensacola, FL. Retrieved from: http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=susan+codone+the+effectivenes+of+play&d=4685130859089411&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=87d35d0,914e414f

Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff. (2003) A Mandate for playful learning: Framing the definitions and the evidence. Retrieved on November 15, 2010 from: http://www.researchconnections.org/files/childcare/pdf/KathyHirsh-PasekPresentation.pdf

Humanistic Approach - Self-Actualization

2010-11-15T21:45:00.000-05:00

It was nice to just spend some time reading this weekend. After studying more instructional designs and strategies I have come to the conclusion that before I am done I will create the BOYD model. As I see it the most successful design is one that is a blend of several combined.

I have always been a fan of Maslow and his theory called the Hierarchy of Needs. If you don’t feel like you have a place of meaning in this world – you are not going to become invested to learn anything of the world (Cherry, 2010).

The school has become the provider of many student biological needs. Some of our students do not have basic meals from anywhere other than our school breakfast and lunch programs. The school is a haven of safety for many that have violence, brokenness, and a lack of supervision as the norm. The school is a provider of love, affection, and a sense of belonging for many children. The classroom should provide an environment that is conducive to building self-esteem - a real oasis for the heart to grow.

Children want to learn when relationships are established. Carl Rogers’ central theme was that facilitating learning to develop learning individuals should be the purpose of education (Cherry, 2010 ). Achieving this purpose is a direct result of the relationship between the educator/facilitator and the learner. As a facilitator I feel this is one of my key roles. My relationship with my students is an essential component of a successful learning environment.

Valett suggests that humanistic education is a lifelong process designed to develop individuals who will be able to live a joyous, humane and meaningful life (Brockett, 1997). The mission statement of Warsaw Community Schools is dedicated to providing all students with an excellent education to enable them to be life-long learners and successful citizens (Warsaw, 2010).

To achieve humanistic oriented education you need class sizes that are small enough to encourage person to person relationships. The subject matter is flexible and allows the academic content to meet learner interests, needs or abilities. Classroom practices and procedures should help a learner discover his or her own talents, abilities, and skills.

The central assumptions are that human beings behave out of intentionality and values (Kurtz, 2000). Humanists believe that it is necessary to study the person as a whole, especially as an individual grows and develops over their life.

Cooperative learning, discussion-based learning, confluent education and thematic teaching are specific teaching techniques associated with humanism (2010 ). I measured my obesity unit against many of these requirements and found that our approach has been very humanistic in nature.

Students were put in small groups where each member of the group could participate in clearly assigned and collected tasks. We hoped for lots of synergy that would promote cooperative skills, group reflection and goal setting.

With the team interviews there was a lot of teaching through discussion. As facilitators we did a lot of guided discussion and reflective discussion. We wanted to be sure to promote student understanding as they were processing their research. Through the discussion we asked questions to stimulate critical thinking about obesity and its problems. The discussions include identification of the problem and establishing procedures and definition of terms and concepts related to the topic. Students then had to research, question, and support their opinions. The students have to assume a lot of responsibility for their own learning.

Humanism provides a way of looking at the instructional design process that emphasizes the strengths the learner brings to the environment (Brocket, 1997). Humanism is a paradigm that emphasizes the freedom, dignity, and potential of humans (Lamont, 1965). There are several components of Humanism that I do not agree on with; the main one dealing with belief.

Humanists do not believe in any supernatural force such as God. They hold the belief that “human beings are an evolutionary product of nature and, since body and personality are inseparably united one can have no conscious survival after death (Brocket, 1997). To this point I disagree. I do believe in a higher power that knew me before I was born. I was gifted with certain talents and traits and when you are achieving the purpose that you were created for you can become self-actualized. With this comes a feeling that surpasses all others. It transcends any earthly happiness, and gives complete contentiveness within an individual. I am so fortunate to experience this within my life. I know what I was called to do and feel very complete to be doing it. I took a break from teaching when I had my children, and I felt a void that was almost unbearable. Through time and circumstance I was provided another opportunity to teach again, and I do not believe that this was just by chance. I know that it is part of the design, and I become self-actualized by participating in that design. I truly believe that this is what has sustained me through my divorce. When your earthly life is challenged or in shambles, the divine purpose of self-actualization is what can give you life and meaning.

Maslow believed that self-actualization was the highest level of human growth, where one’s potential is fully realized.

Maslow held that self-actualizers tend to “possess a more efficient view of reality and a corresponding tolerance of ambiguity; to be accepting of themselves and others; demonstrate spontaneous behavior that is in tune with their own values and not necessarily tied to the common beliefs and practices of the culture; focus on problems that lie outside of themselves, thus demonstrating a highly ethical concern; maintain a few extremely close interpersonal relationships rather than seek out a large number of less intense friendships; and possess high levels of creativity” (Brockett & Hiemstra, 1991).

An important element of Maslow’s theory is the notion of the mystic experience or the high that one can experience when they are in the flow of self-actualization. The goal of humanistic education is to help learners become self-actualizing persons. The curriculum is not the end, but the means of promoting the goals of humanistic education. Learning needs to be fostered in a cooperative supportive environment. It celebrates human goodness and the limitless potential of human beings.

Humanistic education is student-centered with the role of the teacher being that of a facilitator, and helper in the learning process. The facilitator is the one who is able to set a climate that values and emphasizes the unique experiences and needs of each learner. It is important to make the learning highly personal by letting the learner invest in its importance and meaning. Growth is best fostered in a cooperative supportive environment and its main purpose is to help learners become self-actualized.

I think that it is obvious that humanism can compliment other paradigms and contribute to a comprehensive theory of instruction. It fits perfectly with the Warsaw mission as it emphasizes the development of the person across an entire lifespan. Learning is a lifelong process and this approach does put the Learner as the center of the picture. This approach certainly correlates with what we have been exploring in Principles of Leadership. Coincidence?

Brocket,R. (1997). Humanism as an Instructional Paradigm. Retrieved on November 13, 2010 from: http://www-distance.syr.edu/romira1.html

Cherry, K. Hierarcy of Needs Self-Actualization and the Hierarchy of Needs. About.com: Psychology Retrieved on November 13, 2010 from: http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/hierarchyneeds_2.htm

College of Saint Francis/St. John. (2010).Program Goal VI:Instructional strategies. Retrieved on November 13, 2010 from: http://www.csbsju.edu/education/knowledge-base/kb-iv.htm

Retrieved on November 15, 2010 from: http://www.k12academics.com/national-directories/school-district/warsaw-community-schools

Formative Assessment or 'Formative Instruction'?

2010-11-13T08:41:00.000-05:00

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/11/formative_assessment_or_format.html

This article is an interesting springboard. As you know as of late I have been obesssed with assessment and how to do this in a constructivism design.

The key messages being put forth were these: Don't let the push for new-age assessments mess with formative assessment, and don't forget what formative assessment really is.
And what is it, exactly? According to Margaret Heritage of the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, it's a reciprocal feedback loop of students and teachers, figuring out together whether deep learning has taken place. Her very pointed point here was that you can't get there with a pop quiz. (Gewertz, 2010)

It has been an interesting process through the obesity project. How to measure progress? The kids are obessed on how they are going to get a grade.

1. Collection of information about Obesity (definition, what causes it, what happens as a result of it, etc.)
We did a group check to see if they were headed in the right direction - then after several weeks - we asked for a self evaluation on their own individual participation and contribution to the group (Scale of 1-10 - with explanation) I felt the responses were very honest and candid. But as soon as we posted their grade in PowerSchool...I felt from the conversation that from here on out they would give themselves a better grade. So the self-evaluation has now lost its true worth. ( Am I being to pesismistic????) They are learning how to play the game for the A..

2. In the explanation we asked what they thought they could do to improve as an individual...and we thought that we would evaluate them next on that aspect.

3. I had them respond to an article on the moodle and give their opinions and comments. As I read their comments - I asked them questions about their opinions and now they have some individual questions to answer. All of this will eventually contribute to the group work down the road.

I am definitely looking for some input here...on forms of assessment about the journey. Ideas? New territory for me as well...so a lot of design is developing out of each turn of events. It is sort of progressing as we go along. I could go on forever, but I will end with this final comment from the article:

Can such a process be designed, formatted and distributed widely? If not, how can—or should—it be employed in the era of numbers-driven accountability?(Gewertz, 2010)

Gewertz, C. (11, November 2010). Formative Assessment or Formative Instruction? Education WEek Curriculum Matters. Retreived from: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/11/formative_assessment_or_format.html

Creative Assessment

2010-11-01T20:26:00.000-04:00

Creativity is an ability that everyone is born with. In proof, a child left alone will entertain himself with play. As a physical educator I have seen this form of creativity come from a variety of sources. According to Matthew Fox (2002),“ In play, our imaginations not only get refreshed, they also get set up to connect with new and untried possibilities. Play is the mother of surprise. Surprise is a sure sign of the Spirit at play”. All children play, and they play in all kinds of ways. From infancy we see delight in a peek-a-boo game to more sophisticated games that include made up rules. I believe that if adults came back to their roots of “play”, that the spirit of creativity would be fostered in one’s own soul and then become emergent through their work. The word recreation has a form of re-create in it. Play is an opportunity to recreate oneself.

From the articles that we read, it was easy to correlate play with the potential of unlocking the creativity in each person and how this can contribute to the innovation of an organization. Solitary play is when a child engages in an activity alone. He or she becomes totally absorbed in the activity and is not reliant upon the actions or words of anyone else. It is a form of self-exploration and learning. A lot of the activity involved here is a result of trial and error, but through this type of play children learn through their actions. A child learns to scoot, crawl, walk, skip, run, jump, and dance as creative expressions of the movement action through play. As a child develops, their action, or creativity become more sophisticated and then more deliberate. The important thing to recognize here is that the deliberate movement was born from the creative thought. Through play, children learn the skills necessary to effectively participate in their world. Play provides children with natural opportunities to engage in concrete and meaningful activities that enhance physical, language, social and cognitive development (CPIS, 2004). During play, children increase their knowledge and understand of self and others.

Play nutures creativity, and play can take on many forms as a person grows older. A key element to promote the growth and development of creativity is to provide an environment that stimulates the opportunity to create. Whether it is building a sand castle or creating a new invention or process, it is important to have the time and place to play. Once “play” becomes a social collaboration the possibility for creativity is multiplied. “I have always found creativity to be all about juxtaposing concepts and ideas from different fields and places, making unexpected connections” (Play, 2010). Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, believed that creativity comes from play and fantasy. When a person plays with his or her tools, inspiration, intuition, forms, colors, and the mind, play will take us to realms that are preconscious and pre-judgmental (2004). Fantasy occupies a big role in much if not most of what adults do and is a major element in our intuitive sense of the degree to which adult activities are play (Grey, 2008). An architect designing a house is designing a real house. Yet, the architect brings a good deal of imagination to bear in visualizing the house, imagining how people might use it, and matching it with some aesthetic concepts that she or he has in mind. The house is really a pretend house in the architects mind before it ever becomes a real one.

William Klemm, in the article Leadership: Creativity and Innovation, states that leaders know in their gut that creativity and innovation are the lifeblood of their organization. I believe that leaders know in their gut that creativity and innovation come from the interaction of others in the organization through private thought or collaboration in play situations. The play situation might look like private time during the work day, or the joining of forces to solve a puzzle or problem.

Play provides a state of mind that, in adults as well as children, is uniquely suited for high-level reasoning, insightful problem solving, and all sorts of creative endeavors (Grey, 2008). Play is activity conducted for its own sake. The playful student enjoys studying the subject and cares less about the test. In play, attention is focused on the means, not the ends, and players do not necessarily look for the easiest routes to achieving the ends. One reason why play is such an ideal state of mind for creativity and learning is because the mind is focused on means. It is the journey that is fun, rewarding, and important. There is no fear of failure because players are not confined; they are free to incorporate new sources of information and to experiment with new ways of doing things (Grey, 2008). The player’s attention is focused on the process more than the outcome. The mind at play is active and alert and free from stress. “Attention is attuned to the activity itself, and there is reduced consciousness of self and time (Grey, 2008). Jung shares that the creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity (Grey, 2008).

Strong pressure to perform a certain way inhibits creativity. It narrows the goal, thereby reducing the ability to focus on means. In a pressured state, one tends to fall back on the well-learned ways of doing things.

Lee Vygotsky said in his essay “The Role of Play in Development”, “When we pressure students to do well on their schoolwork by constantly evaluating their work, we put them into a non-playful, goal-directed state that may motivate those who already know how to do it to perform well, but inhibits experimentation and learning in those who don’t already know how” (Grey, 2008).

My Creativity Test score was a 119, which rates me somewhere above average. In a scientifically cautious statement, (Maslow,1977) similarly noted "the concept of creativeness and the concept of the healthy, self-actualizing, fully human person seem to be coming closer and closer together, and may turn out to be the same thing." Most people believe that creativeness is a component of self-actualization. (Yonge 1975), reviewed research showing positive correlations between intelligence and creativity as they relate to self-actualization scores.

Many believe that certain people posses special talents and personality traits that enhance creativity, but you do not have to possess exceptional artistic, literary, scientific, or entrepreneurial talent to consider yourself a creative person and live a creative life (Davis n.d.).

Creativity is a lifestyle – a way of living and perceiving (Davis, n.d.). I found several areas in the creativity test to be ambiguous. The questions regarding, I have engaged in a lot of creative activities and most of my friends are unconventional, can’t really be definitive by any type of definition. What makes a friend unconventional? How do I know if I have engaged in a lot of creative activities? By whose definition am I determining my participation of creativeness on a scale of one to five? These types of tests put a particular mindset to the term creative. These tests “box” us into stereotypical definitions of the term creative. A Mesoamerican poet wrote, “We are creators at our very core. Only creating can make us happy, for in creating we tap into the deepest powers of self and universe and the Divine self” (Fox, 2002 ).

According to Michael Fox, “It is not the essence of the human to be passive. We are players. We are curious. We are yearning to wonder. We are longing to be amazed. We are eager to grow, to learn, to be excited to be enthusiastic, to be expressive. In short, to be alive” (Fox

The Sufi mystic Hafiz once wrote, “All the talents of God are within you. How could this be otherwise, when your soul derived from His genes” (Fox, 2002). We came from the Creator and we were made in his image. I believe that everyone has the creative spirit within them. Creativity knows no age limits. It can come from a natural expression of self, or stem from careful planning and experimentation. Creativity can be alone or with others, but it can be increased to grow, because it exists in all of us.

According to Abraham Maslow, “Self Actualization” is the intrinsic growth, of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is” (Maslow, 1977 ). I have always defined it as becoming the most you can be – living up to your potential. Reaching self-actualization is a constant journey. Events and environments can shake different areas of your life, and I believe that we are in constant flux with self-actualization. I think that the more self-actualized you believe that you are, the happier of an individual you will be. I scored ninety-two on the Maslow test, which rates me highly self-actualized.

Maslow has fifteen characteristics of self-actualized people; the first characteristic being realistic. Personally, I would not rate myself high in this category. I consider myself optimistic, which generally overrides any faction of realism in my life. I often find myself in conflict with things the way they are and the way I hope or believe they can be. This category is conflictive with the fantasy factor in creativity. I tend to strive for a life that can be and not settle for the realism of what it currently is. I find myself scoring high in acceptance, humor, spontaneity, and continued freshness of appreciation. I am ethical and moral, and I rate myself high in the areas of creativity, originality, and invention. My age in life allows me to have a great deal of experiences to hold to on my journey for self-actualization. I feel very connected to others and I am deeply committed to friends. I believe that I am living my mission in life, and that I am actually enhancing it further with my doctoral quest.

I do recognize that I have areas of improvement as well. I have constantly sought praise and I do not feel that I have a great degree of patience. I feel that I need to work on handling the stresses of life better, but this has fluctuated with the different experiences I have encountered in life. I am a bit too egotistical for my own good and lately I have not felt real comfortable with being self-sufficient and autonomous. These are growth areas on my continued journey to realizing my own self and all that I can become.

My areas of most peace and pleasure are in my “peak experiences” – moments of intense enjoyment. My faith enables me to look at life in awe and wonderment. I am truly convicted that something extremely important and valuable happens to us with each experience and that there is a message and meaning for our betterment in all of them. From this hope I construct my existence. I do feel that I have something to contribute and by doing so I am becoming more self-actualized. There is a limitless horizon opening up to me, and I want to take the path towards it. Perhaps because I am by myself now, I can concentrate on my own “flow” and creatively pursue any avenue that lies before me. I can “PLAY” any game that I want to in life now.

As a leader, I want to provide opportunities for others to have “peak experiences”. I want to provide others around me with an environment where they can be creative. People need the space and time to just be still from the daily rigors of life to re-CREATE themselves.

British scientist Peter Russell states “What most affects our development is no longer our genes, but our ideas. With ideas and creativity to put them into action, we can turn space into a home away from home; we can turn places of 120-degree heat into dwelling places through air-conditioning. We can live under the sea for months at a time.

I can do this on creative avenues of constructive thinking in the classroom to stimulate both critical and creative intellectual processes. I want my students to think outside the box, inside someone else’s box, look for other boxes, and live in a no limits virtual transparent box. 3M is reported to encourage their research people to spend up to 15% of their time on exploratory projects, thinking out-of-the- box, while still accomplishing the 100% of their work they have contracted to complete within the other 85% of the time (Black, 1990). Miles Davis is quoted as saying, “I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” As a visionary leader, I want to teach others the benefits of virtual box thinking, while I learn the benefits I have never considered that lie within the boxes where I already am. Let’s play!

Black, R. Out-of-Box, In-the-Box, New-Box, Other-box, No-Box Thinking. Retrieved on October 31, 2010 from: http://www.creativityforlife.com/full_article.php?article_id=37

Children’s Play Information Service. (2004). Retrieved on October 28, 2010 from www.ncb.org.uk/library/cpis

Fox, M. (2002). Creativity: where the divine and the human meet. Retrieved on October 28, 2010 from: http://books.google.com/books?id=L7zpIztJLgEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=creativity&source=bll&ots=IdSAyiSH4f&sig=EinvbzBVd5B-BOZOBwqAWXYgnwg&hl=en&ei=0PDOTOSMD4X6lweTo5CtBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=20&ved=0CIoBEOgBMBM#v=onepage&q&f=false

Gray, P. (19, November 2008). The Value of Play. Psychology Today Retrieved on October 30, 2010 from: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200811/the-value-play-i-the-definition-play-provides-clues-its-purposes?page=2

Klemm, W. R. (2001). Leadership: Creativity and innovation. In R. I. Lester & A. G. Morton (Eds.), Concepts for Air Force leadership (pp. 449-461). Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Air University Press. Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/cover.htm

Play- What is Play? The Importance of Play, Elements of Children’s Play, Social Elements of Play. Retrieved on October 28, 2010 from http://social.jrank.org.pages/492/Play.html#1xzz13zjDzRz

Retrieved from http://www.raphkoster.com/2010/07/12/games-and-the-creativity-crisis/

Woopidoo Business and Finance http://www.woopidoo.com/business_quotes/authors/carl-jung/index.htm

2010-10-24T08:45:00.001-04:00

Instructional Design Article Critique #2

2010-10-21T20:04:00.000-04:00

Vail, K. ( 2010, March) American School. Leveling the Field. Volume 197, No.3 pages 14-19

“All research shows when you do something new, it takes five years to show results”. (p.15) The Adams County School District 50 in Colorado did not have five years to turn things around. They had persistently low achievement scores, 75 percent of their students were eligible for free and reduced lunches, and almost 40 percent were ELL. So Adams 50 adopted a standards-based education policy with the idea that children should demonstrate that they have mastered skills before they advance to learn new ones.

They selected the Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC) model because it replaces grade levels with skill levels. Designer Richard DeLorezo describes it best with “We give kids the road map; they figure out how they learn best”. (p.17) They wanted to empower kids to take responsibility for their education. If students were struggling, the teachers helped them. Students determined and controlled the pace that they learned, and it proved successful. Achievement soared with 95 percent of students going onto postsecondary education.

The system searched for teachers with a “constructive critical eye” and they attended training by DeLorenzo’s group. Board members, principals, and central office staff also attended. Stipends were paid out, and in return for this money and training, teachers signed a contract to stay within the district for three years. It took a superintendent with vision to convince parents and community members. Together they formed an alliance to bring reform to the classroom. Ten levels were identified that would replace the current grade system. Robert Marzono agreed to work with teachers to determine what skills would be included in each level and how they would be measured. (p.18)

Students were placed in their level groups in literacy and math. The reform started in the 2008-2009 school year and early signs of progress are encouraging, with fifth-grade reading and math scores rising and discipline problems decreasing by 40 percent, “because kids were at their own level, not bored or frustrated.”(p.18) Students will graduate from high school when they have mastered Level 10 learning targets in the four core classes of reading, math, science, and social studies. Some students finish early and then continue to take AP classes for college credit. “Our dream is to have kids walk across the stage with 18 college credits” says Principal Shannon Willy. (p.19)

This article raised numerous questions in my mind. It is obvious for a reform as dramatic as this, to get everybody on board. What would happen to traditionalist teachers, principals, school board members and parents who were unwilling to change? Would teachers quit? School board members change every two to four years and our current administrators and educators being trained in this methodology?

It seems to make sense that this would help slow lowest-performing students by giving them more time and not holding back high-performing students who could move at their own pace. In my school corporation we have students in middle school who cannot read, or do so at a third grade level. Indiana schools have passed that promotion will not continue past the third grade if a student does not meet the competency level in reading. This is a small step towards competency based learning, but perhaps it is the beginning of reform as a State.

This model would also take a lot of new learning and training to be successful. Reading about it is one thing, but witnessing its proof is another. It would take a substantial amount of money for visitations, to train, promote, and implement this new methodology. Colorado is depending on Race to the Top monies, but Indiana is already out of the running. Where would this money come from? Professional development money has been suspended in Indiana. Perhaps corporation sponsorship could be one source or a tuition requirement placed on participating students.

Graduation is based on the RISC model, but how would different colleges look at a nontraditional transcript? Most colleges require SAT scores and credit hours in a college prep curriculum. I feel that this reform would need to be nation-wide or at least state wide to be understood and accepted by state schools. Everyone would need to be on the same page of understanding.

This is a radical change on a model that has been in place for centuries, so I can see why pilot schools are necessary to test the water. Competence is not trained behavior but thoughtful capabilities and a developmental process (Barrie and Pace 1997; Chappell 1996). Studies of the development of expertise as well as the constructivist view of learning suggest that people make judgments and review, reflect on, and change behavior, continually reconstructing relevant and useful knowledge as they interact with a situation (Hodkinson and Issitt 1995; Hyland 1994). This brings assessment to mind. How would each level of competency be assessed? Would it be a checklist approach, a pass/fail/ or performance of a skill? Would students only seek to achieve a minimum level of competency or would they strive for the highest standard? Would it be a one- time assessment or one of an on-going application? The nature of these competency standards will obviously determine how they should best be assessed. Since they are based on the idea that competence is a construct that is not directly observable but rather is inferred from successful performance, it is clear that performance will be vital for assessment (Education Commission of the States. (1995, January).

I believe that this would foster more authentic forms of assessment. I know that Physical Education is rather subjective in assessment. Heart rate monitors would provide data to prove a performance level of competency. In Language Arts the written word could be a form of assessment as well as solving math problems. In Indiana it is projected that in three years graduated students could be assessed in the fulfillment of their job performance and their college progression. Competence-based assessment needs t o be relevant for students. Competence, being largely work-based, introduces us to the idea that assessment can be made to be relevant, and to be based on 'real' and lived experience, whether in the workplace, or through hobbies, leisure activities or in wellness practices. I could see where competency-based education could be more conducive to 21^st Century learning and prepare students for their life’s work.

There are no set rules for how learning takes place. In theory the RISC model means that students can take as much time as they need to learn and develop. An open-ended commitment to an individual education would prove to be most difficult with the implementation of individual learning plans and assessment. There would have to be some form of a time constraint. I think that going from a time-based system to a competency-based system will be most difficult. It would certainly require year-round school and a complete revamp of our thinking. It will be interesting to watch trends, check achievement, and to see if this reform will take hold all over the country.

Armstrong, P. Raising standards: a creative look at competence and assessment and implications for mainstreaming in university adult education. Retrieved from: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00002988.htm 10/17/2010

Education Commission of the States. (1995, January). "Outcome-based" education: An overview. Denver, CO: Author. Retrieved from: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/go4outcm.htm

Vail, K. ( 2010, March) American School. Leveling the Field. Volume 197, No.3 pages 14-19

Instructional Design Model Comparisons

2010-10-21T16:36:00.000-04:00

Instructional design is considered to be both a science and an art. “A science because it is rooted in learning theories…and an art because the designing of instructional materials is a highly creative process” (Moore, Bates, & Grundling, 2001). The goal of instructional design is to create successful learning experiences that create the transfer of knowledge. It is a representation of a view on how people learn. Models help conceptualize a process or system. They simplify the complexities of real situations into sets of generic steps that can be applied in many contexts (Gustafson & Branch, 2002).

Knowing that learning theories are an integral part of the instructional design process, the designer must understand how the three fundamental frameworks of theories become guidelines to creating good design models.

Behaviorism is linking learning to observable behaviors (McGriff, 2001). Instruction has the target stimulus and the provision of opportunities for the learner to practice making the proper response (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). Behaviorism theory is basically passive and just requires a learner to respond to stimuli (Boetcke, 1998). That stimuli being examples like training and the traditional classroom.

Cognitive learning theories place more emphasis on factors within the learner. It is more about the mental activity, memory, internal coding and structuring by the learner (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). Examples are field trips, Discovery Learning, and science labs. The learners process, store, and retrieve information in the mind for further use (Boetcher, 1998).

Constructivists believe that knowledge is a combination of prior knowledge from prior experiences and they intertwine and build on each other. Learners have personal interpretations of the world based on individual experience and interactions (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). A successful constructivist learning environment could consist of the internet and hypermedia. Tasks would be situated in real world contexts like group work, debates, and evidence-giving discussions. Learners create their own unique education.

Teachers must use some type of instructional design models in order the plan the instruction. Without it there is no road map, or real meaning. It becomes a “fly by the seat of your pants” approach and students are kept busy with a variety of hands-on-activities or they are overwhelmed with information as the teachers ask them to answer the questions at the end of the chapter. By utilizing an instructional design model the teacher forces him or herself to establish what learning goals are going to be met, and by using different instructional design models in a way that takes the theories and research into account, he or she can implement a valid working lesson.

Gustafson and Branch (2001) have developed taxonomy of models based on specific characteristics. Classroom-oriented models concentrate on an instructor, students, a classroom, and a piece of instruction that needs to be improved (Prestera, 2002). Product-oriented models focus on making production more efficient, and Systems-oriented models aim to provide “a complete instructional system for managing learning needs” (Prestera, 2002).

The basic design model is: Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate or the ADDIE. This model is a systematic approach that is highly adaptable to a variety of learning needs. Analysis is when you identify the problem, understand what it is and determine the scope of the project before the attempt to solve it. The time involved in this could require a few hours or a long time depending on the complexity of the problem. The Design phase is where the teacher constructs the objectives and then the performance steps. It should be systematic and specific (Culatta, 2010). The design phase not only addresses the learning objectives, but also the assessment instruments, exercises, content, subject matter analysis, lesson planning and media selection. The Development portion is where the fine tuning of the instruction begins. The Implement phase is where the instruction is finally put into play. All aspects are made clear to the learner in this phase so that they understand purpose, method of delivery, testing procedures, and any new learning application that is going to be used. The Evaluation phase of the model is actually not last or least. The evaluation is actually performed throughout the process. A teacher would not want to spend all the time in building a solution and then wait until the end to see if it was successful. The evaluation can consist of two parts, formative and summative. Formative evaluation is present in each stage of the ADDIE process and the summative could consist of tests and providing opportunities for feedback from the users. In the ADDIE model, each step has an outcome that feeds into the next subsequent step.

ADDIE has been criticized for being too linear or step specific. Its basic structure does not take a close look at the learner as an individual. It is designed to meet criteria. Most instructional design models are spin-offs or variations of the ADDIE model. I chose these three to compare because as a classroom teacher I can use all three of these models and give a variation to the content each time that I design. One model concentrates on the problem, the learner, and the content. All of these can be successful models dependent on the situation.

The Kemp Design model concentrates on the learner and any of their characteristics that could limit instruction. It is a holistic approach to instructional design that considers all factors in the environment. This model prescribes a process that is repetitive and subject to constant revision. It is very flexible, focuses on content, and appeals to teachers (Prestera, 202).

One element that makes it different from some other models is that the instruction is considered from the perspective of the learner. “The designer begins by asking six questions related to the required level of learner readiness, instructional strategies and media that are to be most appropriate for the content and the target population, level of learner support required, measurement of achievement, and strategies for formative and summative evaluation “(Morrison, Ross, & Kemp, 2001).

This analysis might change the original intention, but can create some great challenges for creative design (Morrison, Ross, & Kemp, 2001). “The Kemp Model consists of nine elements:

1. Identify instructional problems, and specific goals for designing an instructional program

2. Examine learner characteristics that should receive attention during planning.

3. Identify subject content, and analyze task components related to stated goals and purposes.

4. State instructional objectives for the learner

5. Sequence content within each instructional unit for logical learning

6. Design instructional strategies so that each learner can master the objectives.

7. Plan the instructional message and delivery.

8. Develop evaluation instruments to assess objectives.

9. Select resources to support instruction and learning activities.” (Fauser, Henry, & Norman, 2006).

This model does recognize that not all nine elements are required for all projects. Due to its lack of connectivity between elements and the ability to start at any place within the model, a designer can examine the entire scope of a project or the smallest detail of it just as effectively (Remley, 2002). It is a classroom-oriented model where the designed can select from existing instructional materials. It also allows for instructional strategies and media to be selected before the content is analyzed, since one can start at any phase. The required level of instructional design skill is low, the level of front end analysis is minimal and the level of formative evaluation is moderate. This model supports motivation and feedback approaches which any teacher would appreciate.

The Gerlach & Ely Model is a prescriptive model that is best suited to K-12. This model allows for a beginning instructional designer to be successful without a lot of front-end analysis. It emphasizes existing content as the basis for new instruction. You are not set into a rigid patter of procedure. A teacher can modify the order of the steps at anytime depending n the settings of the instructional situation. It starts with a specific content and specific objectives are looked at. Does the objective look at something which the learner does or produces? Does it state a behavior or a product of the learner’s behavior and it observable or measurable? Does it state the conditions under which the behavior is to occur as in the example of time or materials? Can it be related to a required standard in the curriculum?

A teacher would want to assess the student’s present skill or if they need instruction. This could be done with a pre-test. With this information the teacher can then decide how to use this information, select the resources needed and define the role of the student. From here the teacher will decide what type of instructional approach should be used. It could be inquire-based or expository, but either way it is essential to determine which strategies will best allow the students to meet their objectives.

The organization of groups determines whether a student learns best with others or individually, or through an interaction with the teacher. Gerlach and Ely also emphasize “the need to accommodate individual learning rates via "individual student prescriptions" based upon 1) well-ordered behavioral objectives and 2) appropriate materials to get there” (Gerlach, Vernon, & Ely, 1980).

The usage of space, time, and resources are important aspects to the success of instruction. Can the objectives be met with what you have or need (resources) in the time allotted and the space provided? Gerlach and Ely differentiate between Learning Resources and Instructional Materials. Materials do not become resources until there is a meaningful context for their use (Gerlach, Vernon, & Ely, 1980).

The evaluation of performance includes that the students did learn something and was that observable and measurable. Did changes occur in the students and did this happen because of the instruction?

Feedback is this model is essential to the design process. A teacher can use the information gained from the performance evaluation to determine the quality of the student behavior and the effectiveness of the instructional techniques.

Most instructional designed models, when diagrammed, appear to be linear and rigid, but in application, they are “iterative, moving backwards and forwards between the activities” (Moore, Bates & Grundling, 2002). Most models are flexible; leaving the designer to decide how much details is required at each step.

An instructional designer cannot be effective if they are familiar with only one model. Designers must be able to fit the design to the situation and if you know a variety of models that will enable a designer to be more successful. Although models have differences, they share a fundamental principle of attempting to deliver effective learning or educational tools. One is to be reminded that “most research suggests that it is the analysis process, and not the delivery mode, that determines the success of the instruction” (The Herridge Group, Inc. 2010).

ADDIE Model, (n.d.) Retrieved Oct. 4, 2010, from Learning Theories: http://www.learning –theories, com/addie-model.html

CornerStone Newsletter (n.d.) Retrieved on Oct. 7, 2010 from: http://web.pace.edu/CTLT/newsletter/Volume%202%20Issue%201/articles/idm.htm

Frauser, M. Henry, K. & Norman, D. (4, Feb. 2006). David Kent Norman Online Notebook. Comparison of Alternative Instructional Design Models. Retrieved on October 4, 2010 from : http://deekayen.net/comparison-alternative-instructional-design-models

Gerlach, Vernon S. & Donald P. Ely. Teaching & Media: A Systematic Approach. Second edition. (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1980) Retrieved from http://www.umich.edu/~ed626/Gerlach_Ely/ge_co.htm

Instructional Design, (n.d.) Kemp Design Model. Retrieved on October 11, 2010 from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/kemp_model.html

The Herridge Group, Inc. (n.d.) Retrieved October 4, 2010 from The Use of Traditional Instructional Systems Design Models for eLearning from

http://www.herridgegroup.com/pdfs/The%20use%20of%20Traditional%20ISD%20for%20eLearning.pdf

The Obsolete Teacher

2010-09-18T17:15:00.000-04:00

Both responses by Della and Lisa were most interesting...so I tried to go on and research this out a bit.
I found the most interesting talk by Prof. Sugata Mitra. His theory of MIE (Minimally Invasive Education) endorses both of your comments, but in a provocative way. His experiments include grandmother types giving praise and encouragement behind the children learning.(Lisa) His study also states that "if children have interest, then education happens." They will learn what they want to learn.(Della) His study (The Hole in the Wall) is about children learning in a unsupervised environment. It supports a lot of what we have been reading about - with children's collaboration being an important element of it's success. His study promotes the fact that every child has a different learning style and pace and so reinforces my IEP theory for everyone. This is most interesting...and I realize that the video is about 17 minutes...it will be 17 minutes well spent. I am really hooked on this concept and the use of technology as a tool. The Hole in the Wall project would definitely substaniate that technology tools (such as a computer) can help us build knowledge, and
http://technologyinclass.com/blog/2010/09/17/the-obsolete-teacher/
that unsupervised use of computers can lead to accelerated learning of skills in children. It also shoots down my former statement involving children of poverty, as the study involves the poorest of India. Most interesting - I am sure that this will not be the last of my blogging on this subject. Enjoy the video.

This is an interesting article from Teacher Magazine - open-ended ed.

2010-09-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

http://www.cheshire.mmu.ac.uk/bms/home/research/pdf-doc/doc-07.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7X7sZzSXYs&feature=player_embedded

2010-09-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

Still pondering the "Win" thing!!! I think I am stuck on this!!!!

2010-09-16T19:28:00.000-04:00

I just read Professors post on video games...and what if school was a video game?...When I think of winning something...I think of a game..or race...or????? I know an awlful lot of kids that would love to tap into that. I think that "pleasure" is only possible if the learner is engaged..and wants to be engaged. Everyone has "something" that they are into...and that interest and investment makes something worth "winning?" Accomplishment of the task..could be a form of winning...but again I ask...how do I convince them of the worth of the task to begin with? How do I I lure them into the den to fight the lion? Perhaps the TOOL could be the bait of interest.

I would like some feedback on this quote please

2010-09-14T19:09:00.000-04:00

"Understanding is not something that comes free with full databanks and thorough practice; it is something won by the struggles of the organism to learn - to conjecture, probe, puzzle out, forecast, and so on." ( p.51)
I find the word "won" most interesting here. What is the learner does not want to learn...no interest in the content? What motivates the learner to "want" to learn? Any thoughts?

Duffy, T & Jonassen, D. (Eds.). (1992). Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Wanted input...

2010-09-08T21:14:00.000-04:00

Okay I was going to share my thoughts and excitement about this new project that I told you guys about. My obesity project through constructivism....I am soooooooooooo excited about things so far...but need and want some input...BUT...I have already been on the computer for four hours now...and...
Americas Got Talent is coming on (Priorities you know) Let's talk tomorrow!!!!

GAMING ADDICTION - IF YOU CAN'T BEAT IT JOIN IT!

2010-09-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

When I posted earlier on Instructional design - I mentioned how designers must "talk" the same language as the learners. I have done "some research" on gaming - in reference to it being a negative habit forming activity that occupies children's time instead of true physical activity. But the more I read on the subject - the more I believed that all disciplines should be tapping into the concept. It has been proven that "excitement" is addicting..not only pyschologically, but physically as well. The physical release of adrenaline, endorphines - dopamine promotes that feeling of well-being and thrill that all humans crave. The psychological addiction is that escape of life.. A virtual life is better than a real one. I can see that this is a basic selling point of Second Life...come join us and meet the man of your life??? ( husband #2???) Meet others - go to exciting places, etc. etc. The same is true of gaming..it takes us to exciting places..it allows us to do what we never dreamed we could do. So there why not tap into the concept. JASPER seems to do that..Dance Revolution seems to do that..Zoo Tycoon seems to do that.
We have a product to sell...so we had better reach our audience - or they are not going to buy into it. Not all gaming appeals to everyone...but you find the interest and you can build around it.
I must share that I have seen students addictive to reading..but again they are reading what interests them...
You know of many people that are addicted to exercise...when they are doing something they are interested in. Instructional designers will have to keep up with the growing array of "interests" to hook our learners...and see them expand.
I am a perfect example. I read something, which leads me to something else...which leads me to another site...the possibilities here are endless...and before I know it I look at the clock and I have spent four hours just surfing and learning. The quest actually becomes addictive! So we need to make the quest for reading...math...history...interesting and addicting..by tapping into "INTERESTS." Interest breeds excitement...that does lead to addiction.. Designers will have to consider the ENDLESS variety and complexity of personal choices. I guess that is why there are games that are so diverse for our diverse learners who have diverse interests. Perhaps designers will become specialists in an area...let's say physcial education for example. They will take their expertise..that they learned because they were addicted to the subject matter...and design in that area of content. I do not think that one instructional designer could be successful in every subject matter. Specialization will spur it onto excellence. If you have passion - it generates motivation and excitement...which catches others "INTEREST"...to try. Learning is like a smorgasboard...learners will be excited to try something (some they will like - others they will not), but eventually they will find that "thing " that excites them enough to continue pursuit. Just some random thoughts.

My struggle through Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction

2010-09-05T07:52:00.000-04:00

Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction was honestly very difficult for me. Once I waded through epistemological, empirically, priori and an inordinate myriad of vocabulary words, I was met with some comprehensive difficulties. There was often no coherency in the references made to other dialogues. After five days I noted several comments that could lead to discussion or a fuller understanding for me.

Duffy and Jonassen state that knowledge is believed to exist independently of instruction (p.3).

Kember and Murphy (1990) state much of current instructional design is based on the presumption that we can give individuals plans of action, and success is simply a matter of following the plans (p.4).

Cunningham argues that skills cannot be considered independently of the problems to which they are applied (p.7).

Vanderbilt shares that the learner has the information available in memory, but simply never recognizes it when it is relevant. The learner must be immersed in the environment (p.8).

Spiro and his colleagues emphasize that if we focus on only the critical features of a concept – we will have limited understanding (p. 8) We cannot simplify the context by removing the complex environment, experiencing (exploring, evaluating) the complex interrelationships in that environment that determine how and when the concept is used (p.8). Spiro’s chapter also highlights that perhaps the greatest difference between designers and constructivists is that designers focus on skills to be learned and constructivists focus on learning a “domain” of knowledge (p. 9)

Perkins argues that a constructivist approach need not be discovery learning (Without the Information Given WIG), but can also focus on more direct instruction as long as the emphasis is ongoing “Beyond the Information Given” (BIG) (p.7).

Cunningham shares that the most distinguishing feature of constructivism is its emphasis on argument, discussion, and debate, because from that debate emerges some socially constructed meaning (p. 11)

Does this have a familiar ring to our class?

The evaluation section of Chapter Two had particular interest to me, especially with the problem-solving approach. Evaluation in the constructivist perspective must examine the thinking process. Instruction is the act of providing student with these tasks and providing them with the tools needed to develop the skills of constructing an informed response and for evaluating alternative responses (29). Examples were given where students might be asked to address a problem in the field of content and then defend their decisions. (This brings me back to my thoughts on the Obesity project). Another example was to have the learner reflect on his or her own learning and document the process through which they have constructed their view of the content (p. 29)

I end with Cunningham’s indication that the teacher should be the judge as to whether a task has been successfully completed (learned). Reigeluth replies that putting the teacher in the role of judge is an industrial-age mindset that establishes an adversarial relationship between the teacher and the learner (p.153). He goes on to state that to meet the needs of learners in the information age are calling for outside evaluators – often a panel of evaluators that include community members and other students, as well as teacher – so that the teacher assumes the role of coach or facilitator, someone who is on the learner’s side (153).

I found this concept fascinating, but wonder the practicality of application. Most schools would have a hard time with the time constraints. What qualifies these people on the panel to evaluate the process? I see this application from a doctoral committee of experts – but for middle school students ? We cannot always be in real-world situations. Limited access to technology tools that could take us there are often not in place. Is there never a time when we need to “test” for individual learning? I would like to continue a discussion on these aspects.

Bednar, A. K., Cunningham, D., Duffy, T., & Perry, J.D.. (1992). Theory into practice: how do we link?Duffy, T.M. & Jonassen, D.H. Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Duffy, T.M & Jonassen, D.H. (1992). Constructivism: new implications for instructional technology. Duffy, T.M. & Jonassen, D.H. Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Reigeluth, C.H. (1992). Reflections on the implications of constructivism for educational technology. Duffy, T.M. & Jonassen, D.H. Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Constructivism by Chris

2010-09-05T01:43:00.000-04:00

Constructivism is student centered learning with real life (authentic) situations and circumstances. Student-centered, learner-centered environment provide interactive, complimentary activities that enable individuals to address unique learning interest and needs, study multiple levels of complexity and deepen understanding (Hannafin & Land 1997, p. 2)

Constructivism relates to how individuals think and learn. One of it’s key components is that learning is personal – how learners view their reality is based on their own foundation of experiences, beliefs, prior knowledge, culture, and environment. So when diverse learners come together - there are many perspectives – many opinions – many answers. Rather than applying standard equations to problems involving only a single correct solution, students create unique approaches to addressing complex problems involving multiple perspectives and solution paths (Savery & Duffy 1996 p. 13). Traditional learning is concerned with one answer – the right answer (according to the teacher????)

Many programs providing open-ended questions were introduced in Chapter One such as CSILE and Model-It. Being a middle school teacher, I took specific note of Ergo Motion. We take our eighth grade students in May to Indiana Beach to ride roller coasters and associate force and motion concepts. Zoo Tycoon is one of the favorite technology applications at my school. So many kids were interested in this, that an after-school club was created. It correlated to one of the theories presented in Chapter One. According to Perkins, given opportunities to make choices and pursue individual interests, learners evolve greater responsibility for their own learning (Perkins 1993 p.12). Of course my favorite (big guess here) would be Virtual Human. I am going to be all over this one. (More residual benefits – I am stoked!!!)

In Chapter Two of Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments, I felt validated as Brown, Collins, and Duguid argued that "knowing and doing are reciprocal – knowledge is situated and progressively developed through activity" (p.28). These “activities” are enriched in practice fields where there are no boundaries between the learner and the world; instead learning, thinking, and knowing are relations among people engaged in activity in, with and arising from the socially and culturally structured world (Lave 1997 p.29). An essential goal presented was to move from practice fields to a community - where the learner can become “a part of something larger” (p.41)

The reciprocal teaching approach and the jigsaw method was MOST interesting to me. My colleague and I are currently “constructing” an open-ended study on the problem of obesity in middle school students. As I looked over our current outline, it matched up with both of these models. I see the need to expand this beyond the classroom and the task if we wish to go beyond the practice field. After reading and further consideration, we need to consider the question of how can we as a community prevent the rise of obesity in middle school students? (Wow more residual benefits!) I certainly met the goal of this chapter “to further thinking on the characteristics of communities of practice, the advantages of learning from them, and the approaches used by educators to develop them in schools” (p.49).

Duffy, T.M & Jonassen, D.H. (1992). Constructivism: new implications for instructional technology. Duffy, T.M. & Jonassen, D.H. Constructivism and the Technology of Instruction. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Treading water to save my life....

2010-09-02T18:13:00.000-04:00

It seems that the swimming and wading has now gone to another level for me. I am treading like crazy with this Constructivism and the Technolog of Instruction. I have been looking at it for five days now...and can't seem to really get into the meaning. They all seem like snippets - I cannot seem to grasp the big picture. Am I even getting the meaning of Constructivism? I am seeing it based on the idea that we all "construct" our own sense of reality???? That the learning is different for each person because each person has had their own experiences and their own perspectives - so this effects the way that person learns? The way they have lived their life and the way that life has impacted them influences the way that person learns and sees the content? It is more about problem solving problems that they are not really engaged in? It is an abstract world? I give my statements with question marks, because I feel that I am actually still struggling with the definition itself. I know that we are supposed to be talking about the articles...but I need to back the boat up...and really grasp the meaning of the term first. (Get it -backing the boat up - sticking to the water theme). Someone throw me a life jacket...and talk to me about this!

Body By Boyd 2010-2011

2010-08-13T09:14:00.000-04:00

I will be blogging about the new path in life that I am embarking on.
Starting my EdD Technology Leadership on Aug. 23, 2010
I will be sharing my excitement, my frustrations, my concerns, and achievements.
Please comment on anything that you read, see, or feel about my experiences or even your own personal ones. I look forward to the New Adventure!