IT8140 Reading Reflection #4

IT8140 Reading Reflection #4

Student Name: Aisha Scott

Briefly list the top 2 new things (e.g., knowledge, skills, ideas, perspectives, etc.) you’ve learned in this unit from exploring the websites, instructor’s presentation files, conversations & discussions in class, group activities, guest speak, and other learning activities:
Although I am familiar with the R2D2 model, this is a new idea that can be introduced to my district. We are in the process of developing…again…our district school improvement plan. We are trying to address students who fail and supplemental instruction through a virtual high school. This model addresses varied online learners. We will have to shape and develop students to use online tools and resources for academic growth and not just socialization.
Another key idea that I learned is the evolution of the classroom. In the How Distance Education Has Changed Teaching and the Role of the Instructor, it relates to the development of the classroom and how we are going in the direction of a virtual environment. It talks about how there is an important need for teachers to be trained in order for them to productive facilitators in a distance learning environment.

How would the new ideas/knowledge/skills influence your technology integration efforts as a teacher or school administrator? I believe in order for me to introduce distance education in my district is to do it now. We are currently in the process of revising our school improvement plan. One of the key areas not discussed was technology integration and distance education. We are a school that focuses on real world learning. Yet my district is apprehensive about incorporating technology tools to enhance education. One way that I can introduce it to them is to access and show how it works in our district and how it can help improve some of the key areas administration would like to increase or enhance.

List one idea/ opinion/ argument/ statement that you would challenge or disagree with in the learning materials in this unit.
· First, briefly describe the idea/opinion/argument/ statement you’d challenge
· 2nd state your idea and position
· 3rd explain why and support your argument
Distance learning between a student and a tutor has a negative effect on performance quality, student engagement, and development in a music class. I would challenge this because it would depend on the type of technology that is use. I don’t think this would be effective if you are just using the computer, but if you are using a webcam or a video conferencing tool, this probably would be a better tutoring session. I think the medium that you use in distance learning makes a difference. In a music class, it would be more effective to use a medium that allows for one to see and hear each other.


Among the various learning activities in this unit (e.g., readings, web resources, discussions, critical friends activities, individual assignments, etc.), which 2 do you find most helpful in your study so far, and why? Use the Table below to organize your response.

Favorite learning activity
How was it helpful?
How did it help with your learning?
How can it be further improved in the future?
Virtual Schools
It allows for students to work at their own pace and they can review information as much as needed.
A teacher needs to be attentive to students who may need to be monitored. They still need to make sure students stay motivated.
Course Management
It’s helpful because it allows for you to see some of the other concepts that go along with distance learning. Working with other facilitators and collaborating works with the development of online courses.
People will need to work on their presentation/communication skills. They will now need to work on engaging students online.


Any additional thoughts, comments or suggestions you’d like to share with the instructor about this course or your learning experience so far?

Literature Review #3

We received some very interesting articles. The focus on the articles were not just solely based on technology, but a look at the school system as well. A model of change was introduced by Riley (2007). Riley touches on how that all change is not good change. There needs to be a process. Teachers are required to change with the times, but in order for it to be a success, it must go slowly. Frick speaks on being specific on the change that is needed. So many times, school districts believe they need to change certain aspects of their curriculum, staff, structure, etc. But are not specific on the outcome they are trying to reach. Frick believes that we should change what?, change how? and "How do you know that change is working"?
There needs to be a systematic change. This is also what was written in Duffy's response. Districts pick specific areas to address, but they need to decide the process they will use and what is the outcome of change.
I have always thought that technology integration was a way to help enhance the learning experience. But in order for this to be successful, we must look at other things. We may have to look at data, training and development of staff, the structure of the school, etc. in order for the change to be effective.
With all the demands that educators have, rather NCLB, State of Michigan, etc. we still have to find a way to make sure the learning environment is innovative and staff is equipped with the proper tools. Change is no longer a top down way of working. It involves a broader scope.

Working with My FIT group

Tonight, we finished the finishing touches on our project. I think everything turned out well. I enjoyed my group. Two of my group members I have never worked with before. One of the members I had a class with previously. It is different to work in groups on this level. Not a different that I don't like, but one that I can count as a new experience. We shared some similarities though. We were all FITs for the same class. It is interesting because we shared the same frustration with the group participants and course instructor. I think the FIT experience was not so much a bad experience, but a learning one. It allowed me to see that grown ups are sometimes no different than highschoolers. FITs are charged with pulling learning experiences from the students. Overall, it was a learning experience. But what's different is putting our project together. We all bring something different. I had some personal issues to take care of when the group had their initial meeting. I was lost when we first hooked back up. But Wali, the only male in the group, assured me that I could just fall into place. When putting the project information together, we all had dialogue on our experience. Because some of us have education backgrounds, we made comparisons on the qualities of a good teacher and a bad teacher. We even went as far to say that a good teacher can do well face to face or online. I agree. A teacher has the ability to pull information and make connections like no one else. I have to do this everyday. In the case of LaCema, she has to direct professional students to get the most out of their education. Overall, I enjoyed the group aspect of this class. I didn't feel overly stressed. We talked like adults when we needed clarification and was able to get the job done.

Collaborative Learning in the High School Setting

This is such a taboo subject in my district. If I'm lying, I am flying, but there is very little collaborative learning or sharing in my district. The only time when we collaborate is at grade level meetings and staff meetings. We very seldom use technology or learning environments to collaborate techniques, lessons, ahh ha moments, on-line. I think when you collaborate online, it opens up just that much more space for sharing. For instance, most schools are gearing up for the Michigan Merit Exam. It is a state test that is published in the news papers (results). Funding is apart of this as well. If we see that we are making way with a lesson or our students are really reaping the benefits from a concept covered, we wait till the staff meeting to discuss it. In the case of my district, we have whats called Big Picture On-Line. There we are linked with other schools across the United States. When you look at the information in the Knowledge Exchange, its over 4 years old. Our district rarely uses it and the others do not participate with it much either. I would like to see a change in the way instructors communicate. I think we would be able to share so much more if we utilized the tools we have more. I think a few reasons that instructors may not use it like they should is lack of training. Most schools throw programs at you, but don't properly train teachers. In addition to that, they don't assess much to see how its going. Some people are just down right scared of using technology. That's another topic in itself. I think all teacher and instructors need to get over their fears and use at a exchange of ideas. It should be used as a way of collaborating. So many learning environments have it as a feature. So I think at my next staff meeting, I will bring up staff using technology to collaborate more.

Been A long time

It's been a long time for me. I have been doing things with work and reading more in the past few months than I have in my whole entire life. But its cool, I will get over it. Besides I am learning some valuable information. I have been trying to develop a Blackboard site for my students to gain experience with. They have been having online discussions, quizzes and posting comments to each others discussion boards. I have been really pushing technology integration at my school. But I feel like administration may be resistant to it right now because state testing and other things are going on. Well, I think my kids are finally getting the hang of it. I want them to see that its more to the Internet than myspace and facebook. But after reading a journal that was assigned in my graduate course, some colleges are really embracing the on-line learning. I read how a school authentic assessments are on the rise in the graduate setting. I particularly took an interest to this article because as I develop materials for my students, I see how they freak when I say we are going to have a quiz on-line. They get so nervous, but they need to know that when they leave me and go to a place far far away, that's the way schools are handling test administration. They are moving to another level. Some may think that using a computer to take a quiz, should be very easy. But the design and tools of assessments is improving daily. It is adjusting to the fast paced world. My biggest fear is that my students may not feel like they received the exposure they should have while with me. I am trying everyday to give them something they are promised to see in the future, the evolution of the learning environment.

Asynchronous learning environments-Midterm

Being a FIT has been a learning experience. I am currently in the process of working on my master's project. So with being a student in my current IT class, I have had the ability to read articles that gives insight on how to keep your class involved in an online program in an asynchronouse environment. One of the articles focused on the graduate level student. Although that is an age difference from the students that I teach everyday, it has allowed me to see that the same rules apply. First, with the group that I am a FIT, they were very slow to respond and may not respond at all. As with high school students, I see that there HAS to be a requirement. I know that when you put requirements, students tend to do the bare minimum, but in some cases, its either that or nothing. I tell my students guidelines all the time. Whether its applying for 3 scholarships or 5, if I don't give them a number, they won't complete any. The one area that I would recommend to improve my FIT course is the participation level of the students. I think even though they may be graduate level students, they could still participate more. Some of the discussions are benefical for everyone. It requires you to think and respond. For example, one of the discussions that was presented was taking a high school course for credit. I think that everyone in the academic professions should have chimmed in on this discussion. Mainly because financial resources play a big part in the participation of this learning environment. Some students have computers at home, others don't. Some schools have effiecient computer labs, others don't. Some schools have teachers that have been trained to lead or facilitate computer based curriculums, others don't. So there are a varying amount of aspects to look at. With all this being said, we need to be more active in these discussions. We need to be more active in these classes. Although I enjoy the concept of this class, I would like to see more participation. I would like to see responses that don't "ditto" what the next persons said. We need to have more instructional discourse. I guess that's enough for today...

Remember its just me talkin'

Are you fit to be a F.I.T.?

This is a question I have been asking myself. I am currently a F.I.T. instructor for a class. I have noticed that this is very much different from the classroom I run everyday. This class is asynchronous. And lets just say that I have my own opinions about that. I believe that this class can really be proven to beneficial for the person that is committed to learning in this type of environment. While dealing with my group, I had to introduce myself to the teacher and the teacher introduced me to my group members. I then introduced myself to my group members. I was quite excited about the topic they were presenting, virtual schools. I have a strong interest to want to learn more about this topic. I think once society breaks into this learning community, there will be so many more learning opportunities for our youth. (Let me get off my soap box). This is where things have gotten a little tricky for me. My group does not really communicate online like I think they should. The instructor can make more of the collaboration tools available to students. But in my reading and research regarding a learning environment like Blackboard, there are technical issues that may come into play. Also, instructors may only want to keep so many features available to help control and monitor the class. The class I am currently enrolled in with Dr. Zhang has been the first class that I feel like the work directly relates to what I want to do or information that I want to learn. The readings assigned is information that I can utilize and research that makes me want to learn more. I read a journal published by the British Journal of Educational Technology. This journal is the reason why I had to write this blog. The title of the journal is "How to structure online discussions for meaningful discourse: a case study". The group that I am 'f.i.t.ing' does not engage in discussion like I think they should. I think in order to have a asynchronous environment, there needs to be 'meaningful discourse'. Not the posting of materials and waiting for your time to be over. This is not an attack of the group members, but an encouragement for them. I would love to see the dialogue between them and the rest of the members from the class. I even post questions just to stimulate conversation. As I read this journal, there seems to be room for improvement. Researchers are still looking for ways to stimulate interaction and exchange of information. I enjoyed my readings this week and look forward to see the progress made in this learning environment.

Until next time....
Aisha

Remember its just me talking!!!!