Blog for Unit IV

Case-based learning and cognitive flexibility are the most similar in this unit.  Both of these theories require the student to act as a detective to piece together the given information to make their own conclusions.  It seems like the more experiences a student has had in the past, the more successful they will be in coming up with a solution to the problem(s) presented.  I think this would be more difficult for younger students and students in rural areas because they have had less real-world experiences.  However, the use of multi-media learning objects can help give these students a taste of the experiences that they are lacking.    

    

Learning objects is the “odd-man out” in this unit because learning objects is not a theory or a model.  Learning objects are online content resources that are tagged for reuse.  I’ve noticed that more and more online tools are requiring that you tag your creations.  YouTube is an example of an online resource that requires tags for creations posted to their site.  At Franklin County Schools, teachers are given the option to override YouTube for several minutes at a time.  Teachers can search for videos that they would like to show to their classes.  Then, the teacher sends the link to that video to either the CRT or the ITF to post to FCSTube.  FCSTube is our very own space, were videos are tagged for educational purposes to reuse in the classroom.  Here is the link: http://fcstube.fcschools.net/safevideos/   

Even though I am not currently teaching at the moment, I have spoken to the English and social studies teachers at the high school where I work.  Since historic Stagville is so close to Franklin County Schools, I am trying to get them to collaborate on a project with students using www.plantationletters.com .  I think it would be a powerful experience for students to be able to take a field trip to the plantation to see exactly where slavery once existed.  So far, the response from the teachers has been positive.  I’ve also sent the link to EASE History to the US history and civics teachers at my schools to help the students understand campaigning and the political process in the United States.         

Blog for Unit III

For me, the following quote best summarizes the models introduced in Unit III:

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius

Goal-Based Scenarios

My initial reaction to goal-based scenarios (GBS) was that this is a model designed to engage students by “doing” with less emphasis on memorization and basic knowledge. 

Within a GBS model, students are given a specific scenario.  The students are then required to use the clues given to them in order to come up with a solution.  After reading about GBS it was hard for me to distinguish this model from PBL, other than PBL is usually done in groups with more open-ended solutions.    

As a former social studies teacher, I immediately thought about using the GBS model to teach students about the justice system.  I can picture a “Law & Order” type of scenario, where an individual is charged with a crime.  The students would serve in the role as the defense attorney.  It is their job to use the clues provided to prove their client is innocent.  This scenario would take the student through all the procedures of due process from indictment to verdict.    

Since I have experience with Alice programming, I would use Alice to create the virtual world for students to move through.    

Anchored Instruction

My first reaction to anchored instruction is that this model is very similar to GBS, yet it appears to work best when applied to math and science courses.  As a social science teacher, I could see using this model to supplement the curriculum is psychology, sociology, and economics. 

Anchored instruction tends to lean towards the thought that the student is the “scientist apprentice”.  It may just be me, but I’m having a hard time seeing the “scientist apprentice” work well as a group activity, especially since students will have to go back and review data they may have missed.   

STAR Legacy

The STAR Legacy model is the most straight-forward and direct model from unit III.  I love the “initial thoughts” step because I think it is important for students to reflect and be able to access prior knowledge.  Since Blogger is blocked by the filter at most schools, I would set up a kid blog account for my students http://kidblog.org/home.php.  The students could also use kid blog to summarize what they’ve learned.      

MOST Multimedia Environments

MOST appears to be different from all the other models, whereas there is no focus on building on prior knowledge.  This model is more suited for students who have a difficult time with language skills. 

I would have used this model when I co-taught an inclusion class with a teacher from the EC department.  One thing that helped then was that I added interactive pictures to my PowerPoint presentations.  I feel like adding the visuals did help increase test scores that year. 

Now that SMART boards have been added to most classrooms, I would have the students use the board to work through the module.  The students would be able to take the clips from the story, and then drag them into the right sequence using the SMART board.  

Unit II

Guided design reminds me of the case studies from my college days as a political science major.  The individual or group is given different scenarios with real-world problems to solve.  It also reminds me of the late 1980s and early 1990s when, as a middle school student, I played “Oregon Trail” on the computer.  The decisions the group makes will have consequences.  I think this is a perfect model for the web, because different actions can lead to more complex problems to figure out.  If the student makes different choices each time they play, they will always have a different experience with a different outcome.  This could increase the student’s motivation to continue moving through the program.  I know as a student I was motivated to play “Oregon Trail” every time we had an opportunity to go to the computer lab.    

The problem-based learning model (PBL) is similar to guided design in that it requires that the students contemplate a real-world problem.  However, PBL is more like the creation of a Model United Nations.  The students are required to do their research ahead of time, so that they can react to different scenarios based on prior knowledge.  I like this model because it requires that the student work individually, plus with a group.  Utilizing the web would make it possible to have students from different countries participate in a Model UN.  That would be awesome!      

I have used the Cooperative Learning models in my classroom before.  I was always very successful with the think-pair-share and the jigsaw activities.  I liked these activities because they got the students up and moving about the room.  I’m not sure how these activities would translate in an online environment, or how you would achieve the same goals.  I’m curious about which online tools could be used to recreate this activity in an online class.  One tool I would probably consider using is Wallwisher, because students can post their thoughts together on one page.  Also I know with Moodle, it is possible to place students in different groups.

When I think of situated learning and cognitive apprenticeship, and am reminded of how I used Paideia Seminar with my US History students.  I would usually start the conversation, and then back off and let the students discuss a primary resource used in that week’s lesson.  An online forum would work just as easily.  The hard part would be keeping the students engaged and motivated to post comments.  I find that the more controversial the topic, the more the motivated the students are to respond. 

Also as the advisor to the mock trial team, I organized times when students could work one-on-one with a local attorney to prepare for the local mock-trial competition.  The students were mini-apprentices to the attorney.  I’m not sure how this could be done in an online setting.  One of the greatest aspects of this project was that the student got to physically go to an actual courtroom to practice their arguments.  I guess students could create a virtual courtroom, but I don’t think it would be as exciting.     .          

With all of these models students are using higher order thinking skills to achieve solutions to real-world problems.  The main barrier to these models is the ability to maintain student motivation.  Also, creating and organizing the content can be time consuming for the teacher at first, but would be well worth it later on.