To anyone who sees this blog post before the exam tomorrow... I just want to wish you all good luck!! (and to say good job on the study notes... I'm sure they're as beneficial to everyone else as they are to me!!)
I always want to say thanks for Dr. Rockwell for his efforts this term! Personally, your classes are my favourite and the only ones that can keep my attention for the full class... that says a lot! haha. Thank you for everything.
Happy holidays to you all =)
Friday, December 7, 2007
Week 8 - Learning Objects
Learning Objects:
"Modular digital resources, uniquely identified and metatagged, that can be used to support learning".
- Durable (long term maintenance)
- Interoperable/Portable (separation of content and rendering)
- Reusable (separation of object and learning objective)
- Accessible (discovery, metadata)
I found an interesting collaboration of articles that are proving useful:
http://reusability.org/read/#3
When I briefed through them I chose to focus on what learning objects were and where they originated because I didn't quite grasp that idea in class.
"Rather than being a single definable object, it is a complex and multi-faceted emerging technological construct—one piece of a larger technological puzzle. The general outlines of the puzzle piece are taking shape concurrently in the several disciplines from which the practices of instructional technology are derived—computer science, information technology, intelligent tutoring systems, and instructional psychology" (Richards 1)
So.... if I'm understand this correctly, learning objects are tools that build on already existent ideas or projects to further explain, personalize and enhance the ideas that they teach.
We talked about XML in class... so if I'm understanding this correctly, XML is the learning object that was built from HTML (and previous languages) and it enhances mark up languages because we can do more things with it.... we can make tags for documents that are specific to that topic (like business or math etc.). These new tags make it easier to understand topic specific documents because of its ability to be universally used... something that people all over the world can understand despite their oral and written language barriers.
Am I on the right path with this?
"Modular digital resources, uniquely identified and metatagged, that can be used to support learning".
- Durable (long term maintenance)
- Interoperable/Portable (separation of content and rendering)
- Reusable (separation of object and learning objective)
- Accessible (discovery, metadata)
I found an interesting collaboration of articles that are proving useful:
http://reusability.org/read/#3
When I briefed through them I chose to focus on what learning objects were and where they originated because I didn't quite grasp that idea in class.
"Rather than being a single definable object, it is a complex and multi-faceted emerging technological construct—one piece of a larger technological puzzle. The general outlines of the puzzle piece are taking shape concurrently in the several disciplines from which the practices of instructional technology are derived—computer science, information technology, intelligent tutoring systems, and instructional psychology" (Richards 1)
So.... if I'm understand this correctly, learning objects are tools that build on already existent ideas or projects to further explain, personalize and enhance the ideas that they teach.
We talked about XML in class... so if I'm understanding this correctly, XML is the learning object that was built from HTML (and previous languages) and it enhances mark up languages because we can do more things with it.... we can make tags for documents that are specific to that topic (like business or math etc.). These new tags make it easier to understand topic specific documents because of its ability to be universally used... something that people all over the world can understand despite their oral and written language barriers.
Am I on the right path with this?
Week 7 - Distance Education
In response to the E Learning Article:
There is little difference between face to face and distance learning achievements.
I took OAC Calculus via correspondence, and although the course was not online.. I feel I have an interesting point to share. I was pretty good at math in high school but I had to work really really really hard at it because it never came easily to me. When I hit OAC calculus...... it was way over my head. I dropped the course (which was my first time ever!) before the drop date because I didn't want my under 40% mark to show up on my high school transcript.
Being an athlete I always thought I'd want to take the kinesiology route.... which I finally realized while struggling with OAC Chemistry as well... miiiiiiight not be the right choice for me. Regardless, I wanted to get my OAC calculus credit because I wanted to keep my options open. I decided to take the course through correspondence and found that I had all of a sudden become in charge of teaching myself how to do calculus......
In the end, I wound up being able to sort through the material on my own better than I could when I was instructed by my teacher. To make a long story short... I think that learning achievements is totally based on who is teaching, and how the information is being presented; there needs to be a variety of ways something can be learned (or at least explained) in order for a larger amount of people to understand it.
Students indicate a slightly higher level of satisfaction with live course settings than distance education formats.
For this I want to compare my thoughts on blog writing vs. class discussion. Although I do love writing, I find that it takes more motivation to write something down then it does to just talk about it. Writing the blog for this class was sometimes difficult (as you can tell by my nice October to December lull...) because when I leave the classroom I'm not in the moment or in the discussion; it takes a lot more effort to regain the focus and concentration to write the blog than it does to have a discussion in class. I feel that motivating oneself to fully engage in distance education might be the same way because for the most part I think it would be self explored and there wouldn't be the discussion or ideas of others to generate ideas or even to continue the progression and growth of those ideas. When you're in class you're surrounded by a group of people that are processing the same thoughts and concepts that you are and you can build off of them to make new ideas.
Some learners felt that online material gave them extra work.
I am sometimes overwhelmed with some of the material that's mediated online. When I log into my e mail account sometimes there is a pile of e mails about things that have been added to the Moodle, and then when I log on to the Moodle to look at the material that was added in support of the things we talked about in class there are links to pages of numerous essays about the topic..... although I love trees and don't necessarily agree with a big giant coursepack of readings, I prefer the "read and learn this" mode to support material vs. the "flip through this and pick out what you want" model. I'm obviously over exaggerating with my example, but sometimes I get a little anxious about all the things that are there and feel like I have to read it all because the stuff I don't read will all end up on the exam or on the text etc. and I won't know any of it.
Everyday activities getting in the way of formal education.
For this reason.......... I think that online and distance education is great. I understand that every person has multiple responsibilities in their life and that sometimes education has to take a back seat: this is hard when you're a full time student. As a full time student it's hard for some to understand how work or other obligations can keep you from being in class all the time or completing every assignment without extensions. Although I have managed to get this far in my university career with only one extension to my name, I definitely am not always in class and I sometimes felt bad about it. It was only up until this year when I realized that school is only part of my life that I stopped feeling bad about missing class. ... to pay tuition and the rest of your bills sometimes you have to pick up an extra shift at work to miss class, or sometimes things are out of your hands.... you wake up and the car won't start etc. etc. For this reason, learning at your own pace, on your own time, could be really helpful for people with even more things on their plate than me!
There is little difference between face to face and distance learning achievements.
I took OAC Calculus via correspondence, and although the course was not online.. I feel I have an interesting point to share. I was pretty good at math in high school but I had to work really really really hard at it because it never came easily to me. When I hit OAC calculus...... it was way over my head. I dropped the course (which was my first time ever!) before the drop date because I didn't want my under 40% mark to show up on my high school transcript.
Being an athlete I always thought I'd want to take the kinesiology route.... which I finally realized while struggling with OAC Chemistry as well... miiiiiiight not be the right choice for me. Regardless, I wanted to get my OAC calculus credit because I wanted to keep my options open. I decided to take the course through correspondence and found that I had all of a sudden become in charge of teaching myself how to do calculus......
In the end, I wound up being able to sort through the material on my own better than I could when I was instructed by my teacher. To make a long story short... I think that learning achievements is totally based on who is teaching, and how the information is being presented; there needs to be a variety of ways something can be learned (or at least explained) in order for a larger amount of people to understand it.
Students indicate a slightly higher level of satisfaction with live course settings than distance education formats.
For this I want to compare my thoughts on blog writing vs. class discussion. Although I do love writing, I find that it takes more motivation to write something down then it does to just talk about it. Writing the blog for this class was sometimes difficult (as you can tell by my nice October to December lull...) because when I leave the classroom I'm not in the moment or in the discussion; it takes a lot more effort to regain the focus and concentration to write the blog than it does to have a discussion in class. I feel that motivating oneself to fully engage in distance education might be the same way because for the most part I think it would be self explored and there wouldn't be the discussion or ideas of others to generate ideas or even to continue the progression and growth of those ideas. When you're in class you're surrounded by a group of people that are processing the same thoughts and concepts that you are and you can build off of them to make new ideas.
Some learners felt that online material gave them extra work.
I am sometimes overwhelmed with some of the material that's mediated online. When I log into my e mail account sometimes there is a pile of e mails about things that have been added to the Moodle, and then when I log on to the Moodle to look at the material that was added in support of the things we talked about in class there are links to pages of numerous essays about the topic..... although I love trees and don't necessarily agree with a big giant coursepack of readings, I prefer the "read and learn this" mode to support material vs. the "flip through this and pick out what you want" model. I'm obviously over exaggerating with my example, but sometimes I get a little anxious about all the things that are there and feel like I have to read it all because the stuff I don't read will all end up on the exam or on the text etc. and I won't know any of it.
Everyday activities getting in the way of formal education.
For this reason.......... I think that online and distance education is great. I understand that every person has multiple responsibilities in their life and that sometimes education has to take a back seat: this is hard when you're a full time student. As a full time student it's hard for some to understand how work or other obligations can keep you from being in class all the time or completing every assignment without extensions. Although I have managed to get this far in my university career with only one extension to my name, I definitely am not always in class and I sometimes felt bad about it. It was only up until this year when I realized that school is only part of my life that I stopped feeling bad about missing class. ... to pay tuition and the rest of your bills sometimes you have to pick up an extra shift at work to miss class, or sometimes things are out of your hands.... you wake up and the car won't start etc. etc. For this reason, learning at your own pace, on your own time, could be really helpful for people with even more things on their plate than me!
Week 6 - Assessing Instructional Technology
We talked a lot about space in class this week so I figured I'd go over some of my favourite spaces at Mac:
1. The IWC Pool
I think this is probably an obvious for me....... but for me, this space is my place to relax, the space where I get to exercise my body and creativity and the only space where I find that I can totally escape everything. When I'm in this space the outside world is kept outside and the space where my mind is always the clearest. I especially like the spot in the deep end near the dive towers where you can sink under the surface and look into the filter room through the glass window.... it always intrigues me when the lights of that room are on and I'm looking in at it from underneath the surface because I've never actually seen that room from anywhere else but in the pool....
2. The 3rd Floor of Mills
There are some sofas and big comfy chairs that are over in front of a window that looks down on the space between the library, the art gallery and the student centre. It's peaceful and quiet enough that I can get work done, but it's also a place where I can take a break and watch the people below.
3. The 3rd floor of the Student Centre
Down the hall where the elevator is there are some sofas and chairs... if I'm on campus really early or really late I like to be here because it's peaceful and comfy enough to take a nap. And the fact that everyone uses that space for this reason, makes sleeping in a public place more acceptable than it might generally be.
4. The Sil Office
Although the office itself is sometimes loud, distracting and too hot.... I love what comes out of this office. On Wednesday nights the editorial staff all get together and piece together a big giant puzzle. Although we are often there until 3am or later, I love what we produce. Seeing students walking around with The Silhouette in their hands or bags... or wherever... makes me smile because our work is appreciated............ or at least just being read haha.
1. The IWC Pool
I think this is probably an obvious for me....... but for me, this space is my place to relax, the space where I get to exercise my body and creativity and the only space where I find that I can totally escape everything. When I'm in this space the outside world is kept outside and the space where my mind is always the clearest. I especially like the spot in the deep end near the dive towers where you can sink under the surface and look into the filter room through the glass window.... it always intrigues me when the lights of that room are on and I'm looking in at it from underneath the surface because I've never actually seen that room from anywhere else but in the pool....
2. The 3rd Floor of Mills
There are some sofas and big comfy chairs that are over in front of a window that looks down on the space between the library, the art gallery and the student centre. It's peaceful and quiet enough that I can get work done, but it's also a place where I can take a break and watch the people below.
3. The 3rd floor of the Student Centre
Down the hall where the elevator is there are some sofas and chairs... if I'm on campus really early or really late I like to be here because it's peaceful and comfy enough to take a nap. And the fact that everyone uses that space for this reason, makes sleeping in a public place more acceptable than it might generally be.
4. The Sil Office
Although the office itself is sometimes loud, distracting and too hot.... I love what comes out of this office. On Wednesday nights the editorial staff all get together and piece together a big giant puzzle. Although we are often there until 3am or later, I love what we produce. Seeing students walking around with The Silhouette in their hands or bags... or wherever... makes me smile because our work is appreciated............ or at least just being read haha.
Week 5 - Interactive Media
In response to Jenkin's Participatory Learning:
Play - The capacity to experiment with your surroundings as a form of problem solving
Performance - the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery
Simulation - the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real world processes
The things we talked about in class this week reminded me of being in grade school and getting to play Cross Country Canada.
Although there weren't many computers to go around, and we usually had to share, Cross Country Canada was so much more fun than learning how to type. In the game you get to be a transport truck driver and you pick up and deliver commodities across Canada. The point of the game is to learn about provinces, territories, cities etc. while you develop skills in map reading, problem solving, geography, decision making and even... in a very abstract way.... programming.
Learning is quite possibly the most fun when you don't realize you're learning. When a student can be distracted from the fact that an application is teaching you school type things... learning is at its best.
Week 4 - Drill Software
Notes on Emerging Technologies Article:
I think that in some cases the students that are enrolled in university, and prospective university students sometimes have a greater level of experience and expertise when it comes to technology just because of the world they are growing up in. Although some professors do embrace new technology in the classroom, I feel like they might be a little bit behind the knowledge of the students because they have to learn how to use the technology, and then learn how to use it in a way that is beneficial and interesting to the students. Again, I know this is not the case of all professors, but when I'm sitting in a class and my professor is fumbling to work the A/V equipment... it totally defeats the purpose of trying to implement it into the class anyways. I find that by the time they get it up and running, I've already lost my attention and concentration. When there is a giant pause in classroom flow as professors try to set up the equipment, the media they originally thought would enhance the topic they were talking about doesn't because we've already forgotten what the professor was talking about in the first place.
When the article looks at why instructors should embrace technology in the classroom it talks about internal motives, but I fear not all professors are university are there primarily to teach. Research is a primary concern for many professors (and rightfully so), and I don't think some of them think about the way they are delivering information in class or whether that information is interesting for the students or not.
Although students' learning experiences may be motivation enough for some professors to take courses to upgrade their tech skills, there has to be alternative motivation in the form of rewards or promotions as well. We talked about this in lecture and in tutorial, and to be honest... even just as a student trying to balance the various parts of my life on a daily basis, I am usually more motivated to prioritize my schedule in a way that puts the events in which I make money or advance as a person or professional before something else.
I think that in some cases the students that are enrolled in university, and prospective university students sometimes have a greater level of experience and expertise when it comes to technology just because of the world they are growing up in. Although some professors do embrace new technology in the classroom, I feel like they might be a little bit behind the knowledge of the students because they have to learn how to use the technology, and then learn how to use it in a way that is beneficial and interesting to the students. Again, I know this is not the case of all professors, but when I'm sitting in a class and my professor is fumbling to work the A/V equipment... it totally defeats the purpose of trying to implement it into the class anyways. I find that by the time they get it up and running, I've already lost my attention and concentration. When there is a giant pause in classroom flow as professors try to set up the equipment, the media they originally thought would enhance the topic they were talking about doesn't because we've already forgotten what the professor was talking about in the first place.
When the article looks at why instructors should embrace technology in the classroom it talks about internal motives, but I fear not all professors are university are there primarily to teach. Research is a primary concern for many professors (and rightfully so), and I don't think some of them think about the way they are delivering information in class or whether that information is interesting for the students or not.
Although students' learning experiences may be motivation enough for some professors to take courses to upgrade their tech skills, there has to be alternative motivation in the form of rewards or promotions as well. We talked about this in lecture and in tutorial, and to be honest... even just as a student trying to balance the various parts of my life on a daily basis, I am usually more motivated to prioritize my schedule in a way that puts the events in which I make money or advance as a person or professional before something else.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Week Three Readings: Collaborative Software
When I read Dr. Rockwell's research notes about Wikipedia, it prompted my own questions about the reliability of wikis, wikipedia and online material in general.
Sites that are controlled by the general populous are obviously not academic sources, but I don't think they can be ruled out as a resource tool. A conversation started in my Communications 4E03 class about what sites we deem reliable on the Internet, and what the qualities of those sites are. There was a general consensus that personal websites and any sites that were governed by the general public were not reliable sources. There was also a consensus that most of the students in the class use these sites as starting points for research. Something like Wikipedia may give us histories, terms or related subjects that we can use to guide us to the information we're looking for. Even though the majority of the class thought books were generally more reliable than information found on Wikipedia, the majority used Wikipedia as a starting block to come up with ideas to research at the library.
With that in mind, I decided I wanted to see if anyone had looked into Wikipedia's reliability. I found this article to be most interesting:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4530930.stm
Although they believe information written in wikipedia may be misleading because of the way it is written (with bad grammar and structure), overall the content seems to be accurate.
The article outlines a test where Wikipedia was compared with the Encylopedia of Britannica - a source who claims to be the "most authorative source of information" (http://info.britannica.com/?bbcam=adwds&bbkid=encyclopedia+britannica&x=&source=USJ59742&promocode=). The study found four major errors in each source, but when omissions, misleading statements and factual errors were counted, Britannica finished with 123 and Wikipedia not far infront with 162.
So who do we trust?
Sites that are controlled by the general populous are obviously not academic sources, but I don't think they can be ruled out as a resource tool. A conversation started in my Communications 4E03 class about what sites we deem reliable on the Internet, and what the qualities of those sites are. There was a general consensus that personal websites and any sites that were governed by the general public were not reliable sources. There was also a consensus that most of the students in the class use these sites as starting points for research. Something like Wikipedia may give us histories, terms or related subjects that we can use to guide us to the information we're looking for. Even though the majority of the class thought books were generally more reliable than information found on Wikipedia, the majority used Wikipedia as a starting block to come up with ideas to research at the library.
With that in mind, I decided I wanted to see if anyone had looked into Wikipedia's reliability. I found this article to be most interesting:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4530930.stm
Although they believe information written in wikipedia may be misleading because of the way it is written (with bad grammar and structure), overall the content seems to be accurate.
The article outlines a test where Wikipedia was compared with the Encylopedia of Britannica - a source who claims to be the "most authorative source of information" (http://info.britannica.com/?bbcam=adwds&bbkid=encyclopedia+britannica&x=&source=USJ59742&promocode=). The study found four major errors in each source, but when omissions, misleading statements and factual errors were counted, Britannica finished with 123 and Wikipedia not far infront with 162.
So who do we trust?
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Week Two: CMS (Course Management Software)
My feelings are mixed.
I think CMS is a great tool for undergrad education if it's used properly and designed in a useful way.
In my time spent at Mac I've used three systems: Learn Link, WebCT and Moodle. I don't even really feel like talking about Learn Link.... we used it when I was in second year a couple times... and then I never heard about it again... and for good reason. The design was confusing and even though I spent the time to figure out how the program worked... I still had assignments lost, or was registered in the wrong section of a class.......... it was just messy. WebCT is a big step up from Learn Link because it's simple and effective. WebCT doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Moodle, but it's easy for someone with basic computer knowledge to figure out. The prof posts something... you download it. Simple. I think WebCT is sufficient enough for any program. Moodle is my personal favourite... because of the bells and whistles. I quite enjoy logging on and having Moodle remind me when my next assignment's due. I'm not sure however, if this system might be a little too complex for the basic level of computer knowledge. The "Key Findings" from the ECAR article noted that students use computers mainly for e mail, creating documents, creating presentations and accessing their school's website; Moodle might be a little too advanced for the norm.
I have tree hugging tendancies and absolutely love how the various CMSs at Mac are cutting back the use of paper (and cost of courseware!!), but my beef lies in the fact that there's too many to choose from. In my perfect world the university would choose one system to work with.
The results found that most students who use CMS in their courses found it beneficial.... I think this could be for a couple reasons:
1. All the information is in one place - there's no losing papers or not being able to read the notes you took in class etc.
2. Learning can continue even when class is over - if the professor thinks of something he or she forgot to mention in lecture, the information can immediately be disseminated through the system
3. It allows flexibility - students have the ability to contact each other or their professors at any time of day, they can have group meetings in the comfort of their home etc.
I think CMS is a great tool for undergrad education if it's used properly and designed in a useful way.
In my time spent at Mac I've used three systems: Learn Link, WebCT and Moodle. I don't even really feel like talking about Learn Link.... we used it when I was in second year a couple times... and then I never heard about it again... and for good reason. The design was confusing and even though I spent the time to figure out how the program worked... I still had assignments lost, or was registered in the wrong section of a class.......... it was just messy. WebCT is a big step up from Learn Link because it's simple and effective. WebCT doesn't have all the bells and whistles of Moodle, but it's easy for someone with basic computer knowledge to figure out. The prof posts something... you download it. Simple. I think WebCT is sufficient enough for any program. Moodle is my personal favourite... because of the bells and whistles. I quite enjoy logging on and having Moodle remind me when my next assignment's due. I'm not sure however, if this system might be a little too complex for the basic level of computer knowledge. The "Key Findings" from the ECAR article noted that students use computers mainly for e mail, creating documents, creating presentations and accessing their school's website; Moodle might be a little too advanced for the norm.
I have tree hugging tendancies and absolutely love how the various CMSs at Mac are cutting back the use of paper (and cost of courseware!!), but my beef lies in the fact that there's too many to choose from. In my perfect world the university would choose one system to work with.
The results found that most students who use CMS in their courses found it beneficial.... I think this could be for a couple reasons:
1. All the information is in one place - there's no losing papers or not being able to read the notes you took in class etc.
2. Learning can continue even when class is over - if the professor thinks of something he or she forgot to mention in lecture, the information can immediately be disseminated through the system
3. It allows flexibility - students have the ability to contact each other or their professors at any time of day, they can have group meetings in the comfort of their home etc.
Week One
Seven Principles
The Principles to good practice in undergrad education and my thoughts:
1. Encourages contact between students and faculty
When we first came to university we were all warned by our high school teachers how different the atmosphere would be because we'd be in classes of hundreds of students and the professors wouldn't take the time to learn all of our names ... now that I'm in fourth year I've realized that it's up to ME to make sure that my professors do know my name. Our professors are such great resources for us for knowledge, networking etc. I'm interested in pursuing a masters degree in journalism after I complete my undergrad and to do so I have to include a reference letter from a professor in my application.... yet another reason to make the connection.
The cycle can work both ways; students have information that can be useful to professors as well.
2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students
In class we discussed the importance of team/ group work. We decided that teams generally produce better results than a single person so learning how communicate effectively and cooperate with groupmates is essential to team work.
3. Uses active learning techniques
From my experience, the best way to learn is through doing. The best way to understand a theory presented in class is to test it in real life situations or play with it until we can draw our own meaning from an idea. For example, blogging about our readings is a unique way to make us read the information that's relevant to what we're learning about in lecture AND a way to make us take the information and interact with it on a level we don't normally do when we simply open up our courseware and read (....and then forget).
4. Gives prompt feedback
Feedback is important for us to learn and grow. If students are expected to put a lot of effort into creating a project or writing a paper, then professors should do the same when they mark. When I get a paper back with a B- scribbled on the top and nothing else.... I'm frustrated because B- is obviously not what I thought the project was worth, and because there's nothing to tell me WHY the project is a B-..... how do I know I won't make the same mistakes on the next project?
.. With that said... I also think the timeliness of feedback is important as well. I should have assignment A back before I hand in assignment B so that I can use assignment A as a guide to things I need to steph up in assignment B.
5. Emphasizes time on task
This is something I struggle with. I have sooooooooo many things going on in my life that I most often pick the more inticing tasks to do over the boring or tedious ones. Three weeks down the road I'll realize that I've totally neglected a certain course's readings and the task of reading all of them because wayyyyyy more tedious than if I had just read a page everyday.
6. Communicates high expectations
I'm a self admitted over achiever. Although I stress myself out trying to reach expectations that I've either set for myself or that someone has set for me..... it makes me work harder to achieve my goals. When someone expects something of me I'm more apt to deliver a better product because I don't want to let anyone down (this includes myself).
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
Our multimedia program is a great venue to recognize that the students enrolled are all talented, but excel in very different areas from one another. Personally, I think I have an eye for design and layout, but my technical skills (especially in networking and anything involving math) are a little sub par and take me wayyyyyyy longer to figure out. However, there are some people that can run circles around me in code or calculating transfer speeds ... but they can't put together an eye catching poster or website to save their life. Especially in fourth year and on the brink of our thesis projects we really need to use each other to make the best projects possible.
As for ways of learning, but this time most of us know what type of learners we are. I'm a kinestetic learner and learn best through doing. University isn't really the ideal place for learners of my type, but I've clearly made it work if I've gotten this far!! I've found that engaging as many senses as possible in a task is the way that I produce my best results. For example, if I want to remember something I'm told I repeat it over and over to myself, connect a visual cue to what I'm trying to remember and even write it down. Or, if I'm editing an essay I read it out loud to myself while I'm editing so that I not only see what I'm trying to say, but I can also hear what is sounds like.
The Principles to good practice in undergrad education and my thoughts:
1. Encourages contact between students and faculty
When we first came to university we were all warned by our high school teachers how different the atmosphere would be because we'd be in classes of hundreds of students and the professors wouldn't take the time to learn all of our names ... now that I'm in fourth year I've realized that it's up to ME to make sure that my professors do know my name. Our professors are such great resources for us for knowledge, networking etc. I'm interested in pursuing a masters degree in journalism after I complete my undergrad and to do so I have to include a reference letter from a professor in my application.... yet another reason to make the connection.
The cycle can work both ways; students have information that can be useful to professors as well.
2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students
In class we discussed the importance of team/ group work. We decided that teams generally produce better results than a single person so learning how communicate effectively and cooperate with groupmates is essential to team work.
3. Uses active learning techniques
From my experience, the best way to learn is through doing. The best way to understand a theory presented in class is to test it in real life situations or play with it until we can draw our own meaning from an idea. For example, blogging about our readings is a unique way to make us read the information that's relevant to what we're learning about in lecture AND a way to make us take the information and interact with it on a level we don't normally do when we simply open up our courseware and read (....and then forget).
4. Gives prompt feedback
Feedback is important for us to learn and grow. If students are expected to put a lot of effort into creating a project or writing a paper, then professors should do the same when they mark. When I get a paper back with a B- scribbled on the top and nothing else.... I'm frustrated because B- is obviously not what I thought the project was worth, and because there's nothing to tell me WHY the project is a B-..... how do I know I won't make the same mistakes on the next project?
.. With that said... I also think the timeliness of feedback is important as well. I should have assignment A back before I hand in assignment B so that I can use assignment A as a guide to things I need to steph up in assignment B.
5. Emphasizes time on task
This is something I struggle with. I have sooooooooo many things going on in my life that I most often pick the more inticing tasks to do over the boring or tedious ones. Three weeks down the road I'll realize that I've totally neglected a certain course's readings and the task of reading all of them because wayyyyyy more tedious than if I had just read a page everyday.
6. Communicates high expectations
I'm a self admitted over achiever. Although I stress myself out trying to reach expectations that I've either set for myself or that someone has set for me..... it makes me work harder to achieve my goals. When someone expects something of me I'm more apt to deliver a better product because I don't want to let anyone down (this includes myself).
7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
Our multimedia program is a great venue to recognize that the students enrolled are all talented, but excel in very different areas from one another. Personally, I think I have an eye for design and layout, but my technical skills (especially in networking and anything involving math) are a little sub par and take me wayyyyyyy longer to figure out. However, there are some people that can run circles around me in code or calculating transfer speeds ... but they can't put together an eye catching poster or website to save their life. Especially in fourth year and on the brink of our thesis projects we really need to use each other to make the best projects possible.
As for ways of learning, but this time most of us know what type of learners we are. I'm a kinestetic learner and learn best through doing. University isn't really the ideal place for learners of my type, but I've clearly made it work if I've gotten this far!! I've found that engaging as many senses as possible in a task is the way that I produce my best results. For example, if I want to remember something I'm told I repeat it over and over to myself, connect a visual cue to what I'm trying to remember and even write it down. Or, if I'm editing an essay I read it out loud to myself while I'm editing so that I not only see what I'm trying to say, but I can also hear what is sounds like.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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