Module 4 Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Both Students and Teachers need new approaches to learning.  There are new Educational tools being developed and used on a daily basis.  Everyone wants to use the most current and up to date tools.  We are constantly searching for the next better and updated tool to use with our students to capture and keep their attention.  One of the largest trends in education is the ipad.  With the use of the ipad, the students do have access to websites, games, videos, blogs, skyping, and many other tools used for collaboration in the classroom.  Many schools are now using cell phones in the classroom as learning tools.  This is something the students use on a daily basis in their own lives so they are familiar with them when using them in class.  Being able to talk across the room, school, town, state, country and world with the use of programs such as skype helps the students to reach out and find out how students do things outside of their small circle of friends or community.  It helps them to find experts in what they are trying to do and also helps the students to get their ideas out into the world.  When students use tools that they are familiar with, they become more involved in their own education.  They stay focused longer in the class. 

Finding content the students are interested in is important.  Using a variety of videos help to ensure that the students can use what type of information helps them learn the concepts.  Websites help to scaffold learning.  Guest Speakers can give many different views of the same subject so the student can find out what he believes in and can relate to.  Blogs can help the students to work together and to see what other students are finding out which can help if a student does not understand what they read in the course readings. 

Communication tools are important.  Being able to get the students point across a certain subject is important to the student.  They want a voice to be heard.  They can do this privately through email or openly in a discussion board, wiki, or blog.  With skype, they can see the people they are collaborating with if they feel that is necessary in order to succeed in their education.

Collaboration tools are important since this is how the real world works.  We all work together to create one project.  Each person can be an expert in a certain part of the work and they can bring it all together to make one excellent project.  Having collaboration rooms in a virtual setting is the best tool to use.  Using blogs and wikis that others can edit are readily available on the internet.  Cell phones are at most students disposal now.  Students feel comfortable using their own technology.  They can take it home with them and work on projects and then bring it back to school with them to continue working.

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Module 3 Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Module 3 Assessing Collaborative Efforts

Assessment while students are collaborating can be achieved in many ways.  Dr.  Siemens discusses a few  ways to assess student while collaborating in an online classroom.  One suggestion is to have the peers assess each other rather than the instructor assesses the students.  In my experience with peer assessment at the elementary level, the students are very critical of the others.  I think if students are assessing each other in elementary school, they would have to have strict guidelines and be taught how to assess others.  Another way Dr. Siemens suggests to assess others is for students to receive feedback from online communities.  I teach at the elementary level and feel the one that would have to assess a student would be one that is trained at this level.  Untrained people assessing the students could hurt the education and expression of students at this level.  The last one he discussed was that Educators assess the students based on the student’s contributions.  I feel this I the best way to assess the students because students can see clearly what they did and did not do and with feedback from the instructor, they can see what they will need to do the next time they are in a collaboration group.  . 

There are students that will request to work alone rather than in collaboration groups.  Many students in classes have asked to work alone.  These students seem to be ones that are leaders in the class.  They want the work done their way or have experienced groups that they have completed all the work due to lack of participation from others in the group.  When this happens in class, I will usually have the student participate in a collaboration group but will try to match them up with others that have the same work ethic as the child requesting to work alone.   This seems to work most of the time.  Sometimes I will have as many jobs in a classroom as there are students so that each student can be an expert at one part of the project and then the work will come together as one big project.  Students need to learn how to work with others due to the fact that this is how the real-world is working in their jobs.   Instructors have to recognize that students have needs while working with others and need to be sensitive to the students needs. 

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). "Assessment of collaborative learning". Principles of Distance Education [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Siemens, George. (2009).  Assessment of Collaborative Learning.

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Module 3 Updated Story Board

Sychronized Interactions in the Virtual Classsroom
Introduction	powerpoint slide with title
narration	video me speaking
Using technology in the classroom
introduction ot Dr. Trombetta	picture of Dr. Trombetta
key speaker	Video clip Dr Trombetta speaking
narration	video me speaking
whole group instruction
introduction of students in sychronized class	video of students working in class
narration scaffold learning	video me speaking
introduction of students in large group	video of students in large group in class
introduction of students in breakout rooms	video of students in small groups collaborating
conclusion	powerpoint closure
references	scrolling references

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Module 3 Story Board

Sychronous Interactions in the virtual classroom

Introduction

Using technology in the classroom

Using technology to scaffold learning

Videos of students collaborating in math class

Videos of expert on the synchronized classroom

Conclusion