Static versus Dynamic Concept Map

This week we explored the static technology versus dynamic technology. I found this to be quite interesting because I never knew that there were two categores of technology and I never truly pondered on where I fell on the static- dynamic continuum. While analyzing various technologies, particularily those on the dynamic side I realized that the dynamic technologies are the tools that are needed to fully educate our students. In today's world students cannot fully learn by being taught using static technology. The days of straight teacher lectures and reading out of textbooks are becoming obselete. Now, students need to be taught by using all senses and by touching students of all learning styles. For example, a unit on cell division would be much more impactful by using tools such as whiteboards and discussion boards as opposed to teacher led lectures and various worksheets. Students are able to dive into the material in a deeper manner through the use of technology. It also allows for more collaboration and discussion among their peers. I feel that I am a novice on the more dynamic technologies but I am definitely leaning more towards that side than the static side. My plan to move more towards the dynamic side is to become more knowledgeable about dynamic technologies and integrating them into my classroom.

I have attached my concept map to the link below.

Concept Map

Graphic Organizer

Storyboard for final project

Sorry for the delay but here is my storyboard. I am very confused and I hope this is the correct format. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

I will record myself during this period		Introduction of Speaker and Introduction of topic of learner assessment
I will record myself during this period		Importance of learner assessment in online learning
I will record various slides that show descriptions of summative assessment and provide examples.		Description of Summative Assessment and Examples
I will record various slides that show descriptions of formative assessment and provide examples.		Description of Formative Assessment and Examples
I will record myself during this period		Introduction to the different types of assessments
I will record different images of information maps and people creating them.		Information Maps
I will record different images of group projects and their finished projects.		Group Projects
I will record images of sample self assessments and discuss the benefit of using this assessment tool.		Self Assessment
I will record images of collaborative learning environments		Collaborative learning environments
I will record sample project based assessments and show examples.	Project based assessments
I will record myself during this time period. I will explain the purpose of discussion boards and show examples of discussion boards.	Discussion boards
I will show images of different software that can be used for online assessments.	Software that can be used for assessment
I will record myself during this time.	Conclusion: Tie up all previously discussed material and reiterate the importance of learner assessment in online learning.

Module 3

According to Swan (2004) in order to truly create an online environment that allows for a deeper understanding of the content material there must be a social presence and a cognitive presence. This means that there must be interaction with peers and with content. This statement is so true when dealing with online learning. By creating community building activities students learn the content in a deeper manner because they learn through their own understanding and through their peers feedback. Participation should be assessed in a learning community through the use of weekly discussion boards or various weekly assignments. I really enjoy the discussion boards because it allows learners to post their thoughts on the subject matter and get feedback from their peers and faculty. This allows learners to view differing opinions and to see the subject matter from a different perspective. Students in online learning come from various background and have varying knowledge bases. This can sometimes be difficult for teachers to accurately assess learning and various activities because of the varying levels. I believe that one sure way to ensure that assessment is done in a fair and equitable way is to create a rubric, provide this rubric to the students, and use this as a grading tool. By allowing the students to see the rubric they know exactly what is needed for the assignment and there is no confusion in the grading of the assignment. 
If a student does not want to participate in networking with other members in an collaborative learning community then those members should address the wayward member. First, find out if there is a reason for their lack of participation, then encourage them to become a more integral part of the community. If those methods do not work ask the professor to talk to the member about the importance of participating in the group. The instructor should play the role of mentor in an collaborative learning community because the focus should be on the student members of the group. The instructor is there to provide feedback, give encouragement, and mediate if need be.

Swan, K. (2004). Relationships between interactions and learning in online environments. The Sloan Consortium.

Collaborative Interactions

This week I will be discussing the element of "Collaborative Interaction" and how it has evolved. When looking at the progression of online education the collaborative aspect of it has progressed tremendously. Online education began as a lonely road where the only interaction that occurred was between the student and the professor but as online education as expanded so as the collaborative sides. Now, students are able to communicate with one another in a variety of ways. They are able to learn from one another based on discussion boards, wiki groups, blogs, and social networking. There are many tools that facilitate this type of learning that are more readily available now. Some of those tools are skype, facebook, twitter, blogs, wikis, and personal websites. Collaboration is key to truly learing from your cohorts and developing a deep level of understanding.






http://vidamartin.wordpress.com/2011/09/29/collaborative-interaction-in-distance-education/


http://minerclass.edublogs.org/2010/12/31/collaborative-interaction-in-distance-education%E2%80%A6/

Module 1 Discussion

In Moller, Huett, Foshay & Coleman's articles they discuss the need for an evolution of distance education. I teach at an alternative school that serves middle and high school students so I focused primarily on article three( K-12). In this article they discussed why the need for more distance education programs was needed. Some of their top reasons was teacher shortages, funding issues, and meeting the needs of all demographics of students. I totally agree with their position because I feel that in our society not all children are able to learn adequately in the traditional classroom. Some students benefit emmensily from online education for a plethora of reasons. For example, some of our students are considered "at risk" students because they are lacking credits or have missed school because of varying reasons. Due to this factor we offer online credity recovery classes that allow them to receive credit by completing courses through this online program. They are able to access the program both at home and at school and they can progress as quickly as they can if they put in enough effort. Many of our students have said that if they were not able to use this program they would have dropped out of school because they felt hopeless. Online education can save some of our "confused" students by showing them that they still have an opportunity to be successful if they put in the hard work that is needed.

http://dx.doi.org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1007/s11528-008-0199-9 

Week 5 Blog

Describe a situation in which you have encouraged people to use a new technology and have been met with resistance or disappointing results.

Two years ago my principal asked me to train the middle and high school ELA teachers on using the ELA program Teenbiz. Teenbiz is an online program that generates a new article each day that the student reads, answers questions on, and submits a short essay. I used this program primarily for my special education students  and they loved it and were reaching more gains in reading comprehension by doing it. The teachers were hesitant about the program because they were worried about learning to use the program themselves and they did not want to teach their class to use it. I conducted a three day, afternoon only training and they did not truly comply and "buy" into it until the second day. It took some time and much work but eventually they began to love the program and the students loved it as well.

What attitudes did these people exhibit?

They were angry about having to attend the trainings or use the program. They were resentful because they had to change their lesson plans to adapt to this program. Lastly, they were uninterested in the idea of incorporating the program.

What behaviors did they demonstrate?

They complained about having to use the program and voiced their opinions about how unfair it was that they were being forced to attend and comply. The teachers were at times unfocused because they did not see the usefulness of the program. On the flip side, as the training continued they became more compliant and even began to enjoy the program.

Use Keller's ARCS model, describe how you could change the motivation of these people.

I would incorporate activities that allowed the teachers to feel successful while learning the new material. I would also find activities that showed the success level we could achieve by using this program.