Theme 1: Utilize all technology, don't shut down creativity by denying students. I was so excited by the partnering concept discussed in this class. Structuring a course via the partnering concept allows the students to actively learn. They are allowed to utilize any technology available to them and teach others what they have learned.
Theme 2: Distance learning is and will be an essential part of the education system. Even within the classroom with a teacher, distance learning should be happening. As students explore through technology they work with people or institutions not formerly available to them. Virtual field trips, discussion with experts, should be a part of all classes.
Theme 3: Professional development for teachers needs to be continuous and offered in variety to allow for teachers to find comfort with technology and also learn it is okay to not know everything. Again it is essential that teachers have continuous opportunity to learn as well. The variety is also essential as they should be able to learn about what the students utilize in their classrooms.
Theme 2: Distance learning is and will be an essential part of the education system. Even within the classroom with a teacher, distance learning should be happening. As students explore through technology they work with people or institutions not formerly available to them. Virtual field trips, discussion with experts, should be a part of all classes.
Theme 3: Professional development for teachers needs to be continuous and offered in variety to allow for teachers to find comfort with technology and also learn it is okay to not know everything. Again it is essential that teachers have continuous opportunity to learn as well. The variety is also essential as they should be able to learn about what the students utilize in their classrooms.
LT 712 Principles of Learning for Instructional Technology
The piece of this class that I found the most valuable was learning to Partner with your students in their education. The class focused on the idea that the teacher is not the giver of information. The students find the information they need. The teacher facilitates and helps with structure. This is a common concept for Millennial or Gen Y learners, who hate those titles by the way. They do want to be in control of what they learn, how they learn, and how they prove what they learn. This class validated what I have been trying to do with my students. It gave me resources to continue to improve my teaching style and my students' learning process.
Reflection and Analysis
Reflective Response Assignment-Week 1
Introduction:
Romeo and Juliet, this play is never the favorite part of a freshman’s year in English 1. When the class is made up of mainly boys, it is usually an even more difficult time. To make the experience more appealing to the students, they need to have the opportunity to interact with the material and each other. To do this, I have used project based learning, or what I refer to as group projects, to engage and motivate the students.
Review of Instructional Event:
When working with the Romeo and Juliet unit, the class (students and teachers) read through the play together. Roles are assigned, and to keep everyone involved, the roles change from day to day. Before reading begins, the class reviews a list of questions that pertain to the days reading and will need to be answered. As the reading is done, stops at strategic locations are done for class discussion. The group makes sure that everyone comprehends the meaning of the play and language is not a barrier. As answers to the questions come up, the class discusses and comes up with a well-rounded answer.
When the reading is done, the students are divided into groups. Each group selects a “universal truth” about life that they find to fit with the play. For example: “Our families define who we are” would be a truth that can be discussed as we have two opposing families in the play dictating what their children should and should not do. Once the universal truth is chosen, the group brain storms what they will need to present this truth, with evidence from the play and from life, to the class. They are to use technology to help them find information and to present to the class. It is up to the group what they want to use to present. Some groups use PowerPoint, Prezi, PowToons, Video, Games, audio recordings, even Word. It is as in-depth with technology as the group wants.
Identification of Theory Base:
This unit of learning falls in line with the constructivist theory of learning. As stated in the Theoretical Foundations chapter of Teaching and Learning with Technology (2008), “For constructivists, knowledge is a constructed element resulting from the learning process. Further, knowledge is unique to the individual who constructs it.” Another important piece is that constructivism relies on inquire-based learning and social interaction. (Lever-Duffy, 2008, p. 16) This unit asked the students to draw on their knowledge of the play to come up with and explain the reasoning for a universal truth and to then expand on that knowledge by relating it to their lives. They did this through constructing their own presentations and sharing their findings with the rest of the class. The project met the constructive and social interaction elements of the learning theory. As the text, Teaching and Learning with Technology, states in looking at social constructivism, “learning is considered a result of the collaboration of a group of learners in an effort to construct a common core of knowledge.” (Lever-Duffy, 2008, p. 18) this project directly relates to the theory of social constructivism.
Evidence - The Role of Feedback:
Feedback is essential to the success of this learning unit. Feedback came in different forms throughout the process. During the reading, teachers and students discussed the material. As ideas came up that were appropriate, comments followed to support those ideas. When an idea that was not supported in the material came up, comments followed to explain why that idea probably was not what was meant by the text. The class came to a consensus when answering the big questions of the day and made sure everyone was comfortable with the answers. Feedback needed to happen daily through the unit. “Feedback to students that is prompt, relevant and continuous contributes to high student satisfaction levels.” (Wade, 2009) Feedback helped keep the students involved and motivated to keep going. They knew they were on a good path.
During the group portion of the unit, feedback came from the teachers as groups had questions and wanted ideas on how to proceed with their presentation. Feedback most often came in the form of questions to the group that led them to decide how to proceed. Sometimes options were given to give them choices of how to proceed. Feedback also flowed within the group as they evaluated their progress each day and decided on a course for the next day. There was also feedback between groups as they shared ideas. This informal feedback was essential to the process. It allowed for interaction; it built relationships; it made others aware of individual learner needs and desires. All of these are important to successful learning. (Mina, 2013)
During the presentations, feedback was given by the students and the teachers. After each presentation, students were supported in asking questions of the group presenting. Discussion was held on the findings of the group and the consensus of the class. Formative assessment was three-part. Each group member evaluated him or herself and their partners. The class members evaluated each group as a whole. The teachers evaluated the group and individual members. This was done through rubrics decided on by the class at the onset of the project. The tabulation of all rubrics was done by the teachers for a final grade. Written feedback was given to each student for improvement in the next unit.
Evidence – Learning Needs
This unit was successful in meeting the needs of the curriculum, students, and teachers. The curriculum was to teach the students about a required piece of reading. They needed to have exposure to William Shakespeare and how he has impacted and still impacts life today. Common core state standards requirements for reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language were met in this project. Standards for technology were also included in the unit.
The needs of the students were met. They had interaction, used technology, researched information, answered questions sharing thoughts and ideas, practiced with what they learned, and created presentations. According to Lever-Duffy (2008), the primary responsibilities of students in partnering are interacting, using technology, researching, sharing, and presenting. The activity was relevant and real life as the students researched and emailed people to gather information. It gave the students the responsibility for their learning and the flexibility as described in partnering. (Lever-Duffy, 2008)
The needs of the teachers were met as well. The teachers were able to teach the required content, engage the students, and act as facilitator rather than a talking head. It required upfront work and patience, but was rewarding. The teachers were able to be responsible for the creation of questions, guiding of students, working one-on-one, setting rigor and ensuring quality that are their role in partnering. (Lever-Duffy, 2008)
Conclusion:
At the completion of the unit, both students and teachers were happy with the results of the unit. An evaluation of the unit by students and teachers did bring about changes for another unit or year. Time was a big factor. Knowing how much time is enough and not too much is tricky. Some of the students want more direction, but some students wanted less. Groups were an issue also. Trying to figure out how to not let someone slack is difficult. It made for more work for some group members, but the final grade did reflect it.
I did not intentionally set out to do a unit in the “partnering” or “project based learning” format. I called it group work and class discussions. I do teach with lecture still also. I want to do less of that.
Work Cited
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston,
Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon.
Mina, L. (2013). Making distance education work: Understanding learning and learners at a distance. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(2), 124-126. Retrieved from http://www.ezproxy.dsu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 1532179341?accountid=27073
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wade, W. F., and Leah, E. W. (2009). Best practices for online instructors: Reminders. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10(3), 279-284, 319-320. Retrieved from http://www.ezproxy.dsu.edu: 2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/89232155?accountid=27073
Week 2 Discussion: How do people’s experiences, environments, and behaviors affect how they learn?
How people learn varies from person to person. There are many factors that influence how a person learns. Three of those key factors are environment, experiences, and behaviors. These three ideas have separate impacts on learning, yet they are also intertwined.
Environment plays a large role in how people learn. The environment needs to be conducive to the learning. In chapter 2 of Teaching Digital Natives, the author points out the setup of a classroom can help facilitate learning. In order to facilitate an environment of partnering, the room to needs to accommodate the practice. Desks should no longer be in rows and columns. Open rooms, desks set in groups, circular arrangements. These forms of seating help facilitate an environment for partnering. The availability of technology can also affect learning. Having a variety of technology in the classroom environment can enable creativity and allow students more options in their discovery of learning. “To be effectively used, educational technology should not be segregated from the teaching and learning that it supports.” (Lever-Duffy, 2008) Another key component of environment in how a person learns is communication. The environment set up to learn in can have distractions or barriers to learning. This can interfere with messaging and feedback. (Lever-Duffy, 2008) Environment is not just physical space. It is atmosphere. The environment created in the classroom affects learning. Prensky states that for learning to be effective, teacher need to focus on the people and their passions, and learning needs to be real. Environment or atmosphere plays a role in this. The teacher and students need to work together to find trust. This trust opens up the environment of the setting so comfort is there and both students and teachers can look for their passion and find ways to make learning real.
Experiences define how people will learn. Chapter 2 of How People Learn is dedicated to how experts differ from novices. Experts’ prior knowledge and hours of study on a subject give them a different view on a task than what a novice has. Experiences also affect how a person processes learning and is able to transfer learning. Bransford states, “The first factor that influences successful transfer is degree of mastery of the original subject.” This mastery is affected by experiences. In the text, Understanding by Design, Wiggins explains how prior knowledge can lead to misconceptions in understanding. It is important to know where a student is at in their knowledge of a subject to help them move forward with learning and transfer the learning to other contexts.
Behavior as it affects learning can be challenging. Many things affect behavior.
If we use the behaviorist view found in Bransford’s text, learning is conceptualized “as a process of forming connections between stimuli and responses.” Behavior when related to learning is driven by motivation. If a student has a drive, then the behavior is to accomplish the task and receive the reward for success. If the drive is not there, then there is no motivation and the behavior receives punishment for lack of completion of the task. So motivation is a key part in looking at how behavior affects learning; however, Bransford also talks about culture as a behavior. What is learned through cultural practice affects a student’s experiences which in turn affect the student’s behavior in a given learning experience.
In my personal experiences, I can attest that all three of these factors are connected to how students learn. I have students in class that come from varying home lives. Their home environment affects their learning in school. I made the mistake once of asking a student that if I bought him an alarm clock could he make it to school on time. I wanted to cry when his response was that you cannot plug in the alarm clock in the car he slept in at the salvage yard the night before. Environment in the classroom is similar. I once had a student who was doing something very wrong. I had to send him to the office. He was expelled for 5 days. When he came back to class, I noticed he was not attentive. I pulled him into the hallway and looked him in the eyes and told him that what happened was in the past. I didn’t hold it against him. His education was too important to me, so let’s start over and pretend it didn’t happen. His attitude completely changed and he was ready to go back and learn. I was able to set an environment of care and trust to bring him back to class. This also deals with behavior. He knew he was wrong. He also saw that I didn’t hold onto it and we were able to move on. His past experiences were that the teacher held it against him so he didn’t try and would fail the class. These three factors are intertwined and are so important to reaching the individuals in our classrooms and giving them good experiences to learn in.
References:
Bransford, J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (2015). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston,
Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Instructional Event Analysis – Week 2
Poetry in our Lives
9th Grade English 1
80 students (classes varied from 10-22 students)
Teacher: Janelle Gregg
Assistant: Glenora Arndt (2 of 5 classes)
School: Sisseton High School
General Description of the Instructional Practice:
This lesson is an end product of a two week unit on poetry. The students spent two week learning about different types of poetry and the different devices used to create poetry. They studied examples from different time periods and locations. This lesson takes the information they have gained from the past two weeks and gives them the chance to express their understanding of poetry. The students have a choice of working independently or with a partner. They will find a new poem that they are interested in. They will take their knowledge and explain the meaning of the poem, the style of the poem, and the devices used within the poem. Next they will find a song that they feel connects to the poem. They are to explain the connection. Finally, they write their own poem on the same topic. All of these pieces are put together into a multimedia presentation to be shared with the class.
Theoretical Foundation Evidenced in the Instructional Practice:
This instructional event is based on the theory of constructivism. According to Lever-Duffy, constructivists view knowledge as a learning process that leads to a constructed element. The final presentation is the constructed element in this event. Depending on the preference of the learner, the event will either be of cognitive construct or social construct. Cognitive constructivism is when an individual constructs their own knowledge. Social would be the partner project; the partners work together to form a common knowledge. (Lever-Duffy, 2008). In either choice, the students will take their prior knowledge and apply it the learning event.
Assumptions about Learning made by the Instructor:
There are a few assumptions in this learning event. First, there is the assumption that all of the students have retained knowledge of poetry to base their project from. Second, the instructor assumes that the students will learn to connect content to life through the experience. Third the instructor assumes that the students have knowledge of technology to choose at least two forms to use in their final presentation and during the research phase. Finally the assumption is that through this hand on student led experience that the students will be active learners. Partnering will be the environment of the classroom. The students will move their projects in the direction they want to take them. The instructor will be there to guide and answer questions. (Prensky, 2010)
Instructional Approach:
The instructional approach is project based learning. The students are given a basic set of guidelines and they decide from their how to complete the project. There is an aspect of partnering as the students will be given questions to consider and the teacher will be there to guide them. The teacher will not give them answers or tell them what types of technology to use. (Prensky, 2010)
Teacher’s Roll in planning, implementing, and evaluating the instruction:
The teacher’s role is to do the initial planning of the project, giving the basic directions of what is to be done. When implementing the project, the teacher will be a partner, guiding and facilitating. In evaluation, the teacher will compile the formal evaluation. Students will have rubrics to evaluate each project and the teacher will have a rubric. There will be informal evaluation through the process as the teacher observes the work on the presentations.
Student’s role in the Learning Process:
Each student will be an active learner. It is up to the student or partners to direct their own experience. They should be engaged as they pick their subject matter and use their prior knowledge to put the pieces together.
Role of Technology in Supporting Teaching and Learning:
Technology is heavily used in this instructional event. There are enough computers for every student. The students find their poems and songs on the internet. They choose two forms of media (usually technology) to use in their presentations: PowerPoint, Prezi, PowToons, Video, Audio Recording, etc. the computer and projector or Promethean board are used during the presentations.
References:
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston,
Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Moving to the Partnering Pedagogy
Improvements on Technology-Enhancement:
The project was originally intended to give students an opportunity to express themselves and what they had learned from the poetry unit. The technology part of the event, I feel, is used well. What could use work is partnering aspect of the event. If I were to redo this lesson from a partnering pedagogy, I would not script the details of the project to the students at the onset of the event. The goal of the event is to have the students use the knowledge they have learned about poetry and reflect on how it is used in their lives. I wanted to make it personal to them. To move to partnering, I would need to still go through the two week poetry unit, though I would approach that from the partnering aspect as well. For this event, I would need to come up with guiding questions.
Reaching the Diverse Learner:
One group that I will focus on for this event will be my Native American students. Community and culture is an important part of the learning environment. (Bransford, 2015) One way I would reach out to the learners to ask them to think about their community within our community. How can you portray that aspect of our community? I would have them talk to members of the tribe. If they did not come up with it on their own and asked for help, I would suggest and option that they could use one of their drum groups to create the music. This would bring their interest level up and would be interesting to the rest of the students as well.
An important step from the beginning would be to engage the students in their cultural and family backgrounds. There are preconceived notions and stereotypes. If done correctly, this project could be a benefit to the community as a whole and a step in the healing process of bring two sections of the community together.
Bransford talks about the different levels of understanding between experts and novice learners. I feel it would be important to bring some over 70 community members to the table as experts in our community to talk with the students about the history of the community and the benefits of living here.
Conclusion:
Basically, as I have looked at what I thought was a great project; I realize that it may have been only a little relevant. By using the constructivist theory of learning as Lever-Duffy explains it and letting students construct their own knowledge; by considering Bransford’s suggestions on how people learn and watching for misconceptions in understanding; and by using Pensky’s partnering pedagogy where the student takes active ownership for his or her learning; I will have a much better event that is real to my students and has great potential to help our community.
Works Cited
Bransford, J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (2015). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Individual Response Paper – Week 3
Introduction:
Teaching the 21st century learner is a huge shift in protocol for most schools. Many schools pride themselves in the amount of technology available to students and teachers. Many classrooms have a smart board, one-to-one computers, cameras, video cameras, iPads, iPods, printers, 3-D printers, scanners, etc. If there is a new hardware or software, it is tried out; however, is it used appropriately. Schools have to change. School staffs need to allow the 21st century learners to learn in a way that best fits them.
Roles for teachers & students:
Roles of the teacher and the student will change. The teacher is no longer the person who doles out the content and has all the right answers. The teacher is no longer a lecturer giving all of the knowledge he or she has to the students. According to Pensky, the teacher needs to take on the role of facilitator and guide. The teacher gives the guiding questions and then allows the students to find the information. The teacher may guide them through the process, and if asked for ideas, may give ideas to students to help them continue. Mancabelli tells us that the teacher should shift from the lecturer to a connection for students to reach other teachers. A large shift for most teachers will be Pensky’s idea that students use the technology not the teachers.
The role of the student is a more active role. Generation Y learners were born with the internet. They use the internet and mobile technology to connect and learn. (Cody, 2015) Dr. Eaton explains that the 21st century learner “wants to have a say in their education.” They also “demand the freedom to show their wild creativity.” Students expect that teachers will give them a challenge, and they will find the answers and present it in their own way. They want to learn by doing. (Eaton, 2011)
How can this impact the community in which you live and work?
In Teaching Digital Natives, Pensky tells us that learning needs to be real. Students want to know that what they are learning has an impact on the world we live in. The students and teacher will make connections in the classroom that will impact the community as they are made real and brought out to the community. In Dr. Eaton’s 21 Characteristics of 21st Century Learners, she states that students care more about making a difference in their community than they do about a job. She also tells us that students are more aware of the world than we give them credit for. These motivations in the 21st century learner, if guided properly, can bring those students out into our communities making changes for the better. For example, Trina Cody explains how the recent recession impacted the generation y learners. They witnessed the social and economic struggles of their parents. Because of this, they have a stronger desire for professional development and career services. Implementing these types of programs will better the community.
New learning content:
The content of the learning does not have to change. The students still need to learn the curriculum. How they learn it changes. They will discover the content. Pensky says to reverse the test and the text. Give the students the questions first and let them find the answers and show mastery. The other part that changes is finding ways to make the learning real, not just relevant. While teaching and learning the content, there needs to be relationship building. Trust is a key issue with generation y learners. They want to have equal value in their learning. (Cody, 2015) in the classroom, the students will expect their teachers to be transparent. They want to know when a teacher makes a mistake, and they want the teacher to admit the mistake and move on. (Eaton, 2011) One area of importance in content is Mancabelli’s second pillar for the 21st century learner. “My students should learn from me how to learn without me.” While teaching the curriculum, the teacher needs to give the students the guidance to find networks to learn from.
New learning skills and context:
Schools and teachers must finally make the shift to meet the needs of the learners. Pensky’s “Partnering” method of instruction is a big shift for many teachers. We need to give the students the freedom to learn in their way. We need to let the students use the technology and not teach to them using the technology ourselves but not letting them touch it. Social media and mobile devices will be incorporated into the classrooms if we want to engage our learners. (Cody, 2015)
Cell phones will be a big battle in schools. For years, schools have tried to control the use of cell phones during the day. School policies were put in place so that phones were shut off in lockers. Maybe some schools allowed them during lunch break. Cell phones have been administrators and teachers worst nightmare. With so many of the students having cell phones, they need to be utilized as the technology they are. Schools need to shift and think about the good roles cell phones can have. (Pensky, 2010) Having just attended a workshop put on from the South Dakota Department of Education on promoting good behavior in students. The one thing that was repeated over and over was that students who are engaged in their learning are not behavior problems. The website, Kahoot , was shown as a tool to engage students with their cell phones or computers to answer quiz questions. Not only was their learning, but there was also competition. This drew the students into the class.
Collaboration:
The 21st century learner is a “digital native.” They are comfortable with social media and the variety of technologies. Teachers need to let the students collaborate in their learning. They need to be allowed to use their phones and technology to connect with others outside the classroom for learning. They need to have opportunities for trial and error. (Eaton, 2011) Lever-Duffy gives the approach of social constructivism in learning. Many of the 21st century learner’s characteristics fit into this theory. They enjoy learning with and from each other, and they learn best with a hands-on approach where they are actively engaged in the learning. Besides collaboration with other students, there needs to be collaboration with the teachers. As Pensky states, learning should be a partnership.
Information and communication literacy:
Part of the teaching will be guiding students through good principles for communication. Lever-Duffy discusses learning as communication. Communications need to be clear in order to get the appropriate feedback. Environmental, psychological and personal filters can cause problems in communication. With the communication reaching outside the classroom to the world, students need to be aware of how they are perceived by others and think about how they perceive others. There are personal filters that will have a role in their communications. Having proper skills will be important. They also need to analyze the information they are receiving and using for its relevance and accuracy. Is the information from a reputable source? Here, content will change as the teacher needs to get this information across to the students.
Instructional technologies:
As Pensky says, the teacher does not have to be an expert in all technologies. He or she just has to be open to letting the students try it out. What is available in the school should be utilized by the students not controlled by the teachers. There will have to be new policies adopted in the schools. Control will have to be lifted.
Conclusion:
The biggest AHA! moment is that the teacher needs to let the students use the technology and not monopolize it. There is technology for the students and teachers; it just needs to be utilized appropriately. Even in a physical classroom, a course management system (CMS) has great potential. South Dakota is lucky to have D2L at the university level and Blackboard at the K-12 level. The CMS allows the teacher to put the information in a central location. Students can collaborate through it and ask questions to the teacher. Sources like YouTube that were once shunned in K-12 are a great resource for students and teachers. Not only is it used to view videos, but it is also a place for students to publish their work.
Overall, teachers need to stop lecturing and partner with their students to develop a classroom environment where the students utilize the technology available to learn the course content and apply their learning to their world. If done right, what a difference our students can make.
Works Cited
Cody, T. (2015, April 22). Meeting the eLearning needs of generation y [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://exchanges.wiley.com/blog/2015/04/22/meeting-the-elearning-needs-of-generation-y/
Eaton, S. E. (2011, December 7). 21 characterisits of 21st century learners [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/21st-century-learners/
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
Mancabelli, R. (2012, April). The three pillars of the 21st century learner [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/three-new-pillars-21st-century-learning
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Final: Digital Learning Environments and Resources: Desire2Learn(D2L)
Li Hua Chen, Tosheia Cole,
Janelle Gregg, Samantha Jenkins,
Kirk Schauland, Matthew Schrank
University of South Dakota
Digital Environments Promote Meaningful Learning
In the United States, student population has shifted from U.S. native-born to a mix of students from diverse cultural, economic, and geographic backgrounds. Besides the changes in demographics, the introduction of the microcomputers has changed the characteristics of students (Black, 2010). They become dependent on technology. They are described as digital natives (Prensky, 2010). Some research suggests that they learn differently than those people from previous generations because they are reared in a digital environment which transforms the way they think and the way they process information. They accept diversity; they love frequent and quick interactions with content; they are collaborative and work and learn best with others (Black, 2010). Well-designed digital learning environments can meet the needs of this Gen Y and meet the needs of the increasing population of lifelong learners from everywhere.
According to Bransford, a digital learning environment should contain four important perspectives. They should be learner centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered, and community centered. Desire2Learn (D2L) is a site that has focus on all four areas. The learner can easily maneuver through the site to find all components of the class. If set up by the teacher, a learner can chose different assignments that fit his or her learning style. The site is set up to link to video, audio, websites, text, etc. Learners can use the materials that fit their style. Students can comfortably test different contexts of the class, and the learner is engaged in the class through the work in the environment. D2L is also knowledge centered. The site is set up to allow for different forms of information for learners. The communications section and feedback capabilities of the assignments section allow the learners to gain knowledge from peers and teachers. The homepage or news section allows for early information about the class. (Bransford, (2000, p.136) “The key principles of assessment are that they should provide opportunities for feedback and revision and that what is assessed must be congruent with one’s learning goals.” (Bradford, 2000, p.139-140) D2L provides for instant feedback on assessments. There are the capabilities to reassign quizzes for a second trial after feedback is given. Teachers can also attach rubrics with feedback to assignments for student use on improvement. Finally, D2L is community centered. It has discussion boards and chatrooms for students and teachers to use. As Bradford (p. 144) states,” Especially important are norms for people learning from one another and continually attempting to improve.” D2L allows for communication.
Beyond the four perspectives important to Bransford, online learning environments provide many features and tools that help promote meaningful learning. One feature that you find in many online environments, including Desire2Learn (D2L), is ability to post assignments for students to access on their time. Having the entire semester’s worth of assignments laid out for students to see gives them the opportunity to look ahead and budget their time according to when assignments are due. Just as years ago when schools would use answering machines to post the daily assignments, parents and students are now able to use an online learning environment to see at a glance what and when something is due (Bransford, 2000, p. 224). Another feature is the utilization of asynchronous and synchronous education. Students are able to work on assignments, readings and other aspects of their learning on a schedule that works for them. They don’t need to be at class at a certain time or work on assignments simultaneously. Asynchronous education also ties in directly with providing feedback within a class. Learning via D2L differs from other environments in that it is set up to engage the learner. The learner has to be self-motivated, especially when they are in an asynchronous class. The schedule is available so they can set their timelines, but they have to set timelines and be accountable to themselves to meet them.
One point Bransford et al., mentions is that “different kinds of learning goals require different approaches to instruction,” (131). Those aspects that cater to student’s learning needs and abilities. Bransford uses the term “learner-centered.” For example, tools that are culturally responsive, cater to and include the needs and interests of those students’ diverse cultures. It is agreeable in that teachers who show this type of instructional trait tend to practice building upon students’ prior knowledge and prior experiences to support their comprehension development, (165).
Desire2Learn, or D2L, is an online learning environment that provides opportunities for teachers and students to connect and learn online. 21st century students learn at their own pace, and D2L allows for them to do that. Prensky’s idea of partnering can be and should be used in this environment as well. The teacher can use guiding questions that help students navigate their learning. The use of discussion boards allows students to communicate with each other when discussing the topic at hand, and today’s students want to be able to share their ideas with their peers. In some ways, online learning environments show the purest of learning because students are given the opportunity to give their own answers. Students that get overlooked in the general classroom can fall into others’ ideas, but on D2L, they have more freedom to share. That instantly makes it a more direct learning-centered environment (Bransford 2010). Now that each student has a better chance to share what he or she knows, the teacher has a better idea of the knowledge of each individual in the class.
D2L provides meaningful learning for students in a variety of ways. D2L allows easy collaboration between 21st century learners through the discussion boards. Students have opportunities to show their individual knowledge through the dropbox feature, quizzes, and tests. This platform is learner centered, knowledge centered, and assessment centered (Bransford, 2000, p. 136). It provides timely feedback for students that they can use for improvement on assignments going forward. D2L is a learning platform that provides a place for students and teachers to communicate.
Meeting the Needs of Today’s Learners
Today’s students are dependent upon technology. They are growing up in a world where the Internet is commonplace and the computer has always been around. (Black, 2010, p.94). They want to use technology and expect their teachers to do the same. Using an online learning environment meets the students where they are most comfortable, which helps them be more receptive to learning and working with the teacher. Students are much more comfortable interacting with one another and finding information online. They would much rather go online and find information about something than look it up in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or some other print material. When students are exposed to an online learning environment such as D2L, they have the opportunity to do research online and use a medium they are most comfortable using.
Online learning tools should meet certain objectives and goals. For instance, with Desire to Learn or D2L, the site has extensive and intense interactive learning opportunities such as discussion rooms that can be formulated into groups. The site provides a highly interactive experience in that groups and individuals can chat via webcam through the Collaborate link. Through Collaborate link, students can work together while writing as a group. For educators, D2L allows efficient assessment and observation and speedy grading for viewing and feedback.
Digital learning environments like D2L are student centered and are set up to meet the needs of today’s learners. Today’s learners need student centered environments that are “stressing the importance of students’ past experiences, exploring individual needs and interests, promoting active participation, stimulating higher-order thinking, and encouraging life-long learning.” (Hirumi, 2002, p. 497) D2L provides for communication between teacher and students to find out needs and interests. When guided through a course, students use their past experiences to apply to the content of the course and use higher-order thinking when creating their assignments. The structure of the site allows for additional content that is not required but stimulates student growth and desire to learn more. Feedback also plays a role in students’ growth and effort.
The ability to give and receive feedback is another important part of an online learning environment. That feedback can come from many different areas: discussion boards, responses back on assignments and assessments or through basic email communication. Kools (2013) gives a list of items needed to make learning environments most effective. The list included “using assessments consistent with learning aims, with strong emphasis on formative feedback”. Desire2Learn has the ability to give students constructive feedback. When assignments are returned, the teacher is able to add comments on what was done well and what can be improved upon. It is important that learners receive timely feedback so that students remember the assignment and the feedback is meaningful to them.
Today’s learners not only get information quickly, but they need to get it quickly. Patience is a thing of the past, and if teachers want their students to sit in a classroom and wait until they can start to find solutions, it will not work. “Kids today don’t know a world without Google.” Part of the 21 Characteristics of 21st Century Learners; this tells how students find their information. D2L is an online environment, which already makes students more engaged in their learning. The online aspect will also help students to be willing to use information in the content area that the teacher may require. Students are also just a few clicks away from finding other resources on the Internet.
The discussion board is also an important tool that will help teachers meet the needs of their students. “Researchers tell us that students spend far too much classroom time either listening to the teacher or working alone, when what works best for most students is talking together.”(Portner, 2009) Students need to have a voice, and share either experiences or findings. The discussion board does that, and gets students a chance to share with their peers which overall, is what they really want in the end.
Students learn best through technology in the 21st century. They can certainly learn in other ways, but they are accustomed to learning through technology starting at a young age. Students today also learn best through working in collaborative groups. With these two facts in mind, D2L is an excellent learning platform that utilizes technology and collaboration. In order to use D2L, students must utilize several computer skills. It’s important for teachers to remember that using technology is only effective when used appropriately (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p. 206) One of the best ways to ensure that technology is used effectively is by attaching our curriculum to real-world problems that students can explore and solve (Bransford, p. 207).
To create collaboration, the online learning provides community-centered environments. Learners are connected to students, teachers, schools, homes, nations, and even the world. Families provide inspiration and guidance for the learning activities. Global connection allows for borrowing successful educational practices from other countries. Online learning also provides opportunities to interact. One example is with working scientists. This student-scientist partnership is one way of bringing real-world problems into the classroom (Bransford, 2000, p. 207-209).
Students can collaborate through discussion boards and group projects on D2L. For example, an instructor can create learning groups for discussion. A smaller group allows students to have more "face time" with 4-5 people, rather than the whole class. The instructor can also allow all groups to interact, so that every student can read all group discussions that are taking place.
In the small group discussion, students are held accountable for their part of the discussion. Teachers can also provide students with a rubric or requirements for that discussion. Leaving this more open-ended holds students to a higher standard of learning. When a teacher states that two discussion responses are required at a minimum, students of today will likely only respond twice. However, a teacher can post a rubric with requirements that do not include numbers. This encourages students to become more actively involved in the discussion.
Students can also collaborate through group papers or projects as assigned by the teacher. Students can discuss their project on the discussion boards, or through D2L mail. Students can then combine their thoughts and discussions into a meaningful collaboration piece. Finally, they can submit a group project through the D2L dropbox. All of these are ways that allow students to work collaboratively using D2L as the platform.
Students also like an element of competition. Students can compete to see who is best and work individually towards a goal without noticing what others are doing, or work cooperatively with an interest in each other’s contributions (Portner, 2009). Most successful enterprises include collaboration as one of the most dominant ways of interacting. An important example of this is Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who make sure most projects are completed by teams of 3-5 people (Portner, 2009).
Improved Learning Environment & Behavior Expectations in an Online Environment
If students are comfortable and familiar with something, they are likely to put more effort into what they are doing, which will increase their learning. They are also more likely to interact with each other within the learning environment. Students are comfortable and eager to contribute to the knowledge base of the digital community, which, in this case, is the learning environment (Black, 2010, p. 96).
In agreement with Bransford et al, an interesting yet highly significant notion in an effective learning environment, is a sense of community (154). Students need a place to share ideas and opinions and respond to others by giving input and feedback, (154). This community involvement helps promote creativity.
Creativity: digital learning environments improve learning for students because the teacher cannot be the talking head. The student centered site allows for creativity. Students are given opportunities to complete assignments in different ways. In Teaching the Digital Natives, Prensky impresses upon the reader the importance of a “partnering” learning environment. In partnering, students are the ones who discover the information. Teachers guide the learning. Students decide how to show mastery of the information. Prensky also emphasizes the need to let the 21st century learner be creative. They do not all need to learn the exact same way nor complete the exact same assignments. D2L and other learning environments lend to this creative constructivist idea. Students use a variety of materials and digital media to expand their knowledge and think more complexly about their assignments. Prensky also focuses on real world learning. Posting electronically and placing video and content on the web, is real world.
How do you manage behavior from a distance on a digital platform? If we take a look at Prensky’s article “Engage Me or Enrage Me,” we could say that the environment and proper use of it does a lot to manage behavior. Students who are engaged in their learning are not tuned out and do not find the time to cause problems. If set up to be student centered, the self-motivated students want to learn and try new things. They want to be in class and are not finding ways to distract from the class.
Managing behavior online is often times a worry for many teachers. It is also a big reason why most teachers stay away from using technology in their classrooms because something bad might end up on the screens, or a student will take advantage of the experience. Many times if the teacher has taken the time to get to know the student’s interests and the learner is engaged, the problem will take care of itself. Students want to learn, but they want to learn what’s important to them. Teachers have the ability to differentiate learning on D2L, and make the experience important for each student. Teachers can also have immediate feedback for students that will help build their knowledge and keep them captivated to learn more.
There are a number of approaches teachers can use to manage “behavior expectations” when using an online environment. Teachers should establish guidelines for online and offline etiquette that will lead to group and individual successful learning outcomes. For example, everyone logs in daily; everyone posts one response to teacher’s guiding questions and responds to one peer’s post, etc. Teacher also can create subgroups of learners that have their own online space for group learning and project collaboration. Furthermore, Kaplan (2015) suggests create a “buddy system” whereby pairs or groups of learners are responsible for joint participation and contribution, for instance, alternating postings in the discussion area, can keep learners engaged and participate in learning.
An online learning environment provides an opportunity for students to show their individual knowledge and skills. This is a primary way that D2L contributes to an improved learning environment for students. Online learning environments should be shifting away from a place where we can do what we’ve always done in a different way. The paradigm shift that is beginning to occur is the online learning environment being a place where teachers can create learning experiences that were never before possible (Warlick, 2015).
In a face to face classroom, students are often only allowed one chance to state an answer. Even if there is another chance, they are often using another student's answer to enhance their own. With the online setting, students are held accountable for their own learning. They still interact with other students, but most often through discussion. The discussion enhances their learning experience because students can see others' perspectives. They can learn from each other’s' experiences. However, assignments for the dropbox are most often completed by the individual. Support them and answer questions. They truly must show their own knowledge.
In order to manage behavior in any setting, one must try to anticipate what any potential problems might be. A syllabus, participation points, and emails are three methods to manage behavior on D2L. At the start of the class, students would be required to read the syllabus with requirements for online etiquette and behavior. Expectations can be clearly stated in a syllabus along with consequences for not following the expectations. It would be important to address how students interact with each other. It's also important for students to be respectful and courteous with the professor. Participation points can be used as a tool for encouraging appropriate online behavior. If any issues arise, email is a great tool for teachers to communicate these issues with students. Finally, teachers should be reading and moderating any discussions that are occurring as well.
Conclusion
Online learning experiences should be interactive in nature meaning it should serve a purpose but have intense involvement. Desire2Learn is a digital environment that has been well planned and tested. It meets the needs of the 21st century learner. The tool provides educators with speedy grading techniques. The platform is easy to maneuver and is complete in the tools it offers. Whether a class is taught synchronously or asynchronously or even if the site is used within a traditional setting, the site allows and invites the engagement of the students. The discussion boards, calendars, syllabus, resources, and other tools give the students what they need to take their education into their own hands. Technology is here to stay. Students use it regularly. Education needs to embrace it.
Works Cited
Black, A. (2010). Gen Y: Who they are and how they learn. educational HORIZONS,
Winter, p. 92-101.
Bransford, J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind,
experience, and school: expanded edition. Washington, DC: National Academies
Press.
Hirumi, Atsusi. (2002). Student-centered, technology-rich learning environments (SCenTRLE):
Operationalizing constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. Journal of
Technology and Teacher Education. 10(4), 497-537.
Kaplan, S. (2015). Strategies for collaboration learning: Building elearning and blended learning
communities. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from
https://www.icohere.com/CollaborativeLearning.htm
Kools, M. (2013). Education Today: Designing 21st century learning environments.
Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2013/09/
designing-21st-century-learning.html
Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me: What today’s learners demand. Educause Review.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching the digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks,
CA:Corwin.
Portner, H. (2009) The 21st Century teaching-learning environment (Think Outside the
Classroom Box) Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://teachers.net/gazette/
MAR09/portner/
Warlick, D. (2015, August 1). Integration: Building 21st century learning environments.
Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://landmark-project.com/edtechnot_warlick/
Introduction:
Romeo and Juliet, this play is never the favorite part of a freshman’s year in English 1. When the class is made up of mainly boys, it is usually an even more difficult time. To make the experience more appealing to the students, they need to have the opportunity to interact with the material and each other. To do this, I have used project based learning, or what I refer to as group projects, to engage and motivate the students.
Review of Instructional Event:
When working with the Romeo and Juliet unit, the class (students and teachers) read through the play together. Roles are assigned, and to keep everyone involved, the roles change from day to day. Before reading begins, the class reviews a list of questions that pertain to the days reading and will need to be answered. As the reading is done, stops at strategic locations are done for class discussion. The group makes sure that everyone comprehends the meaning of the play and language is not a barrier. As answers to the questions come up, the class discusses and comes up with a well-rounded answer.
When the reading is done, the students are divided into groups. Each group selects a “universal truth” about life that they find to fit with the play. For example: “Our families define who we are” would be a truth that can be discussed as we have two opposing families in the play dictating what their children should and should not do. Once the universal truth is chosen, the group brain storms what they will need to present this truth, with evidence from the play and from life, to the class. They are to use technology to help them find information and to present to the class. It is up to the group what they want to use to present. Some groups use PowerPoint, Prezi, PowToons, Video, Games, audio recordings, even Word. It is as in-depth with technology as the group wants.
Identification of Theory Base:
This unit of learning falls in line with the constructivist theory of learning. As stated in the Theoretical Foundations chapter of Teaching and Learning with Technology (2008), “For constructivists, knowledge is a constructed element resulting from the learning process. Further, knowledge is unique to the individual who constructs it.” Another important piece is that constructivism relies on inquire-based learning and social interaction. (Lever-Duffy, 2008, p. 16) This unit asked the students to draw on their knowledge of the play to come up with and explain the reasoning for a universal truth and to then expand on that knowledge by relating it to their lives. They did this through constructing their own presentations and sharing their findings with the rest of the class. The project met the constructive and social interaction elements of the learning theory. As the text, Teaching and Learning with Technology, states in looking at social constructivism, “learning is considered a result of the collaboration of a group of learners in an effort to construct a common core of knowledge.” (Lever-Duffy, 2008, p. 18) this project directly relates to the theory of social constructivism.
Evidence - The Role of Feedback:
Feedback is essential to the success of this learning unit. Feedback came in different forms throughout the process. During the reading, teachers and students discussed the material. As ideas came up that were appropriate, comments followed to support those ideas. When an idea that was not supported in the material came up, comments followed to explain why that idea probably was not what was meant by the text. The class came to a consensus when answering the big questions of the day and made sure everyone was comfortable with the answers. Feedback needed to happen daily through the unit. “Feedback to students that is prompt, relevant and continuous contributes to high student satisfaction levels.” (Wade, 2009) Feedback helped keep the students involved and motivated to keep going. They knew they were on a good path.
During the group portion of the unit, feedback came from the teachers as groups had questions and wanted ideas on how to proceed with their presentation. Feedback most often came in the form of questions to the group that led them to decide how to proceed. Sometimes options were given to give them choices of how to proceed. Feedback also flowed within the group as they evaluated their progress each day and decided on a course for the next day. There was also feedback between groups as they shared ideas. This informal feedback was essential to the process. It allowed for interaction; it built relationships; it made others aware of individual learner needs and desires. All of these are important to successful learning. (Mina, 2013)
During the presentations, feedback was given by the students and the teachers. After each presentation, students were supported in asking questions of the group presenting. Discussion was held on the findings of the group and the consensus of the class. Formative assessment was three-part. Each group member evaluated him or herself and their partners. The class members evaluated each group as a whole. The teachers evaluated the group and individual members. This was done through rubrics decided on by the class at the onset of the project. The tabulation of all rubrics was done by the teachers for a final grade. Written feedback was given to each student for improvement in the next unit.
Evidence – Learning Needs
This unit was successful in meeting the needs of the curriculum, students, and teachers. The curriculum was to teach the students about a required piece of reading. They needed to have exposure to William Shakespeare and how he has impacted and still impacts life today. Common core state standards requirements for reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language were met in this project. Standards for technology were also included in the unit.
The needs of the students were met. They had interaction, used technology, researched information, answered questions sharing thoughts and ideas, practiced with what they learned, and created presentations. According to Lever-Duffy (2008), the primary responsibilities of students in partnering are interacting, using technology, researching, sharing, and presenting. The activity was relevant and real life as the students researched and emailed people to gather information. It gave the students the responsibility for their learning and the flexibility as described in partnering. (Lever-Duffy, 2008)
The needs of the teachers were met as well. The teachers were able to teach the required content, engage the students, and act as facilitator rather than a talking head. It required upfront work and patience, but was rewarding. The teachers were able to be responsible for the creation of questions, guiding of students, working one-on-one, setting rigor and ensuring quality that are their role in partnering. (Lever-Duffy, 2008)
Conclusion:
At the completion of the unit, both students and teachers were happy with the results of the unit. An evaluation of the unit by students and teachers did bring about changes for another unit or year. Time was a big factor. Knowing how much time is enough and not too much is tricky. Some of the students want more direction, but some students wanted less. Groups were an issue also. Trying to figure out how to not let someone slack is difficult. It made for more work for some group members, but the final grade did reflect it.
I did not intentionally set out to do a unit in the “partnering” or “project based learning” format. I called it group work and class discussions. I do teach with lecture still also. I want to do less of that.
Work Cited
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston,
Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon.
Mina, L. (2013). Making distance education work: Understanding learning and learners at a distance. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(2), 124-126. Retrieved from http://www.ezproxy.dsu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 1532179341?accountid=27073
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wade, W. F., and Leah, E. W. (2009). Best practices for online instructors: Reminders. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10(3), 279-284, 319-320. Retrieved from http://www.ezproxy.dsu.edu: 2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/89232155?accountid=27073
Week 2 Discussion: How do people’s experiences, environments, and behaviors affect how they learn?
How people learn varies from person to person. There are many factors that influence how a person learns. Three of those key factors are environment, experiences, and behaviors. These three ideas have separate impacts on learning, yet they are also intertwined.
Environment plays a large role in how people learn. The environment needs to be conducive to the learning. In chapter 2 of Teaching Digital Natives, the author points out the setup of a classroom can help facilitate learning. In order to facilitate an environment of partnering, the room to needs to accommodate the practice. Desks should no longer be in rows and columns. Open rooms, desks set in groups, circular arrangements. These forms of seating help facilitate an environment for partnering. The availability of technology can also affect learning. Having a variety of technology in the classroom environment can enable creativity and allow students more options in their discovery of learning. “To be effectively used, educational technology should not be segregated from the teaching and learning that it supports.” (Lever-Duffy, 2008) Another key component of environment in how a person learns is communication. The environment set up to learn in can have distractions or barriers to learning. This can interfere with messaging and feedback. (Lever-Duffy, 2008) Environment is not just physical space. It is atmosphere. The environment created in the classroom affects learning. Prensky states that for learning to be effective, teacher need to focus on the people and their passions, and learning needs to be real. Environment or atmosphere plays a role in this. The teacher and students need to work together to find trust. This trust opens up the environment of the setting so comfort is there and both students and teachers can look for their passion and find ways to make learning real.
Experiences define how people will learn. Chapter 2 of How People Learn is dedicated to how experts differ from novices. Experts’ prior knowledge and hours of study on a subject give them a different view on a task than what a novice has. Experiences also affect how a person processes learning and is able to transfer learning. Bransford states, “The first factor that influences successful transfer is degree of mastery of the original subject.” This mastery is affected by experiences. In the text, Understanding by Design, Wiggins explains how prior knowledge can lead to misconceptions in understanding. It is important to know where a student is at in their knowledge of a subject to help them move forward with learning and transfer the learning to other contexts.
Behavior as it affects learning can be challenging. Many things affect behavior.
If we use the behaviorist view found in Bransford’s text, learning is conceptualized “as a process of forming connections between stimuli and responses.” Behavior when related to learning is driven by motivation. If a student has a drive, then the behavior is to accomplish the task and receive the reward for success. If the drive is not there, then there is no motivation and the behavior receives punishment for lack of completion of the task. So motivation is a key part in looking at how behavior affects learning; however, Bransford also talks about culture as a behavior. What is learned through cultural practice affects a student’s experiences which in turn affect the student’s behavior in a given learning experience.
In my personal experiences, I can attest that all three of these factors are connected to how students learn. I have students in class that come from varying home lives. Their home environment affects their learning in school. I made the mistake once of asking a student that if I bought him an alarm clock could he make it to school on time. I wanted to cry when his response was that you cannot plug in the alarm clock in the car he slept in at the salvage yard the night before. Environment in the classroom is similar. I once had a student who was doing something very wrong. I had to send him to the office. He was expelled for 5 days. When he came back to class, I noticed he was not attentive. I pulled him into the hallway and looked him in the eyes and told him that what happened was in the past. I didn’t hold it against him. His education was too important to me, so let’s start over and pretend it didn’t happen. His attitude completely changed and he was ready to go back and learn. I was able to set an environment of care and trust to bring him back to class. This also deals with behavior. He knew he was wrong. He also saw that I didn’t hold onto it and we were able to move on. His past experiences were that the teacher held it against him so he didn’t try and would fail the class. These three factors are intertwined and are so important to reaching the individuals in our classrooms and giving them good experiences to learn in.
References:
Bransford, J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (2015). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston,
Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Instructional Event Analysis – Week 2
Poetry in our Lives
9th Grade English 1
80 students (classes varied from 10-22 students)
Teacher: Janelle Gregg
Assistant: Glenora Arndt (2 of 5 classes)
School: Sisseton High School
General Description of the Instructional Practice:
This lesson is an end product of a two week unit on poetry. The students spent two week learning about different types of poetry and the different devices used to create poetry. They studied examples from different time periods and locations. This lesson takes the information they have gained from the past two weeks and gives them the chance to express their understanding of poetry. The students have a choice of working independently or with a partner. They will find a new poem that they are interested in. They will take their knowledge and explain the meaning of the poem, the style of the poem, and the devices used within the poem. Next they will find a song that they feel connects to the poem. They are to explain the connection. Finally, they write their own poem on the same topic. All of these pieces are put together into a multimedia presentation to be shared with the class.
Theoretical Foundation Evidenced in the Instructional Practice:
This instructional event is based on the theory of constructivism. According to Lever-Duffy, constructivists view knowledge as a learning process that leads to a constructed element. The final presentation is the constructed element in this event. Depending on the preference of the learner, the event will either be of cognitive construct or social construct. Cognitive constructivism is when an individual constructs their own knowledge. Social would be the partner project; the partners work together to form a common knowledge. (Lever-Duffy, 2008). In either choice, the students will take their prior knowledge and apply it the learning event.
Assumptions about Learning made by the Instructor:
There are a few assumptions in this learning event. First, there is the assumption that all of the students have retained knowledge of poetry to base their project from. Second, the instructor assumes that the students will learn to connect content to life through the experience. Third the instructor assumes that the students have knowledge of technology to choose at least two forms to use in their final presentation and during the research phase. Finally the assumption is that through this hand on student led experience that the students will be active learners. Partnering will be the environment of the classroom. The students will move their projects in the direction they want to take them. The instructor will be there to guide and answer questions. (Prensky, 2010)
Instructional Approach:
The instructional approach is project based learning. The students are given a basic set of guidelines and they decide from their how to complete the project. There is an aspect of partnering as the students will be given questions to consider and the teacher will be there to guide them. The teacher will not give them answers or tell them what types of technology to use. (Prensky, 2010)
Teacher’s Roll in planning, implementing, and evaluating the instruction:
The teacher’s role is to do the initial planning of the project, giving the basic directions of what is to be done. When implementing the project, the teacher will be a partner, guiding and facilitating. In evaluation, the teacher will compile the formal evaluation. Students will have rubrics to evaluate each project and the teacher will have a rubric. There will be informal evaluation through the process as the teacher observes the work on the presentations.
Student’s role in the Learning Process:
Each student will be an active learner. It is up to the student or partners to direct their own experience. They should be engaged as they pick their subject matter and use their prior knowledge to put the pieces together.
Role of Technology in Supporting Teaching and Learning:
Technology is heavily used in this instructional event. There are enough computers for every student. The students find their poems and songs on the internet. They choose two forms of media (usually technology) to use in their presentations: PowerPoint, Prezi, PowToons, Video, Audio Recording, etc. the computer and projector or Promethean board are used during the presentations.
References:
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston,
Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Moving to the Partnering Pedagogy
Improvements on Technology-Enhancement:
The project was originally intended to give students an opportunity to express themselves and what they had learned from the poetry unit. The technology part of the event, I feel, is used well. What could use work is partnering aspect of the event. If I were to redo this lesson from a partnering pedagogy, I would not script the details of the project to the students at the onset of the event. The goal of the event is to have the students use the knowledge they have learned about poetry and reflect on how it is used in their lives. I wanted to make it personal to them. To move to partnering, I would need to still go through the two week poetry unit, though I would approach that from the partnering aspect as well. For this event, I would need to come up with guiding questions.
- How does poetry affect you personally? (Find the poem that shows your connection)
- What role does poetry play in society? (Find the music –lyrics are poetry)
- How can we paint a picture of our community for others through poetry? (Self-written poem)
Reaching the Diverse Learner:
One group that I will focus on for this event will be my Native American students. Community and culture is an important part of the learning environment. (Bransford, 2015) One way I would reach out to the learners to ask them to think about their community within our community. How can you portray that aspect of our community? I would have them talk to members of the tribe. If they did not come up with it on their own and asked for help, I would suggest and option that they could use one of their drum groups to create the music. This would bring their interest level up and would be interesting to the rest of the students as well.
An important step from the beginning would be to engage the students in their cultural and family backgrounds. There are preconceived notions and stereotypes. If done correctly, this project could be a benefit to the community as a whole and a step in the healing process of bring two sections of the community together.
Bransford talks about the different levels of understanding between experts and novice learners. I feel it would be important to bring some over 70 community members to the table as experts in our community to talk with the students about the history of the community and the benefits of living here.
Conclusion:
Basically, as I have looked at what I thought was a great project; I realize that it may have been only a little relevant. By using the constructivist theory of learning as Lever-Duffy explains it and letting students construct their own knowledge; by considering Bransford’s suggestions on how people learn and watching for misconceptions in understanding; and by using Pensky’s partnering pedagogy where the student takes active ownership for his or her learning; I will have a much better event that is real to my students and has great potential to help our community.
Works Cited
Bransford, J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (2015). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Individual Response Paper – Week 3
Introduction:
Teaching the 21st century learner is a huge shift in protocol for most schools. Many schools pride themselves in the amount of technology available to students and teachers. Many classrooms have a smart board, one-to-one computers, cameras, video cameras, iPads, iPods, printers, 3-D printers, scanners, etc. If there is a new hardware or software, it is tried out; however, is it used appropriately. Schools have to change. School staffs need to allow the 21st century learners to learn in a way that best fits them.
Roles for teachers & students:
Roles of the teacher and the student will change. The teacher is no longer the person who doles out the content and has all the right answers. The teacher is no longer a lecturer giving all of the knowledge he or she has to the students. According to Pensky, the teacher needs to take on the role of facilitator and guide. The teacher gives the guiding questions and then allows the students to find the information. The teacher may guide them through the process, and if asked for ideas, may give ideas to students to help them continue. Mancabelli tells us that the teacher should shift from the lecturer to a connection for students to reach other teachers. A large shift for most teachers will be Pensky’s idea that students use the technology not the teachers.
The role of the student is a more active role. Generation Y learners were born with the internet. They use the internet and mobile technology to connect and learn. (Cody, 2015) Dr. Eaton explains that the 21st century learner “wants to have a say in their education.” They also “demand the freedom to show their wild creativity.” Students expect that teachers will give them a challenge, and they will find the answers and present it in their own way. They want to learn by doing. (Eaton, 2011)
How can this impact the community in which you live and work?
In Teaching Digital Natives, Pensky tells us that learning needs to be real. Students want to know that what they are learning has an impact on the world we live in. The students and teacher will make connections in the classroom that will impact the community as they are made real and brought out to the community. In Dr. Eaton’s 21 Characteristics of 21st Century Learners, she states that students care more about making a difference in their community than they do about a job. She also tells us that students are more aware of the world than we give them credit for. These motivations in the 21st century learner, if guided properly, can bring those students out into our communities making changes for the better. For example, Trina Cody explains how the recent recession impacted the generation y learners. They witnessed the social and economic struggles of their parents. Because of this, they have a stronger desire for professional development and career services. Implementing these types of programs will better the community.
New learning content:
The content of the learning does not have to change. The students still need to learn the curriculum. How they learn it changes. They will discover the content. Pensky says to reverse the test and the text. Give the students the questions first and let them find the answers and show mastery. The other part that changes is finding ways to make the learning real, not just relevant. While teaching and learning the content, there needs to be relationship building. Trust is a key issue with generation y learners. They want to have equal value in their learning. (Cody, 2015) in the classroom, the students will expect their teachers to be transparent. They want to know when a teacher makes a mistake, and they want the teacher to admit the mistake and move on. (Eaton, 2011) One area of importance in content is Mancabelli’s second pillar for the 21st century learner. “My students should learn from me how to learn without me.” While teaching the curriculum, the teacher needs to give the students the guidance to find networks to learn from.
New learning skills and context:
Schools and teachers must finally make the shift to meet the needs of the learners. Pensky’s “Partnering” method of instruction is a big shift for many teachers. We need to give the students the freedom to learn in their way. We need to let the students use the technology and not teach to them using the technology ourselves but not letting them touch it. Social media and mobile devices will be incorporated into the classrooms if we want to engage our learners. (Cody, 2015)
Cell phones will be a big battle in schools. For years, schools have tried to control the use of cell phones during the day. School policies were put in place so that phones were shut off in lockers. Maybe some schools allowed them during lunch break. Cell phones have been administrators and teachers worst nightmare. With so many of the students having cell phones, they need to be utilized as the technology they are. Schools need to shift and think about the good roles cell phones can have. (Pensky, 2010) Having just attended a workshop put on from the South Dakota Department of Education on promoting good behavior in students. The one thing that was repeated over and over was that students who are engaged in their learning are not behavior problems. The website, Kahoot , was shown as a tool to engage students with their cell phones or computers to answer quiz questions. Not only was their learning, but there was also competition. This drew the students into the class.
Collaboration:
The 21st century learner is a “digital native.” They are comfortable with social media and the variety of technologies. Teachers need to let the students collaborate in their learning. They need to be allowed to use their phones and technology to connect with others outside the classroom for learning. They need to have opportunities for trial and error. (Eaton, 2011) Lever-Duffy gives the approach of social constructivism in learning. Many of the 21st century learner’s characteristics fit into this theory. They enjoy learning with and from each other, and they learn best with a hands-on approach where they are actively engaged in the learning. Besides collaboration with other students, there needs to be collaboration with the teachers. As Pensky states, learning should be a partnership.
Information and communication literacy:
Part of the teaching will be guiding students through good principles for communication. Lever-Duffy discusses learning as communication. Communications need to be clear in order to get the appropriate feedback. Environmental, psychological and personal filters can cause problems in communication. With the communication reaching outside the classroom to the world, students need to be aware of how they are perceived by others and think about how they perceive others. There are personal filters that will have a role in their communications. Having proper skills will be important. They also need to analyze the information they are receiving and using for its relevance and accuracy. Is the information from a reputable source? Here, content will change as the teacher needs to get this information across to the students.
Instructional technologies:
As Pensky says, the teacher does not have to be an expert in all technologies. He or she just has to be open to letting the students try it out. What is available in the school should be utilized by the students not controlled by the teachers. There will have to be new policies adopted in the schools. Control will have to be lifted.
Conclusion:
The biggest AHA! moment is that the teacher needs to let the students use the technology and not monopolize it. There is technology for the students and teachers; it just needs to be utilized appropriately. Even in a physical classroom, a course management system (CMS) has great potential. South Dakota is lucky to have D2L at the university level and Blackboard at the K-12 level. The CMS allows the teacher to put the information in a central location. Students can collaborate through it and ask questions to the teacher. Sources like YouTube that were once shunned in K-12 are a great resource for students and teachers. Not only is it used to view videos, but it is also a place for students to publish their work.
Overall, teachers need to stop lecturing and partner with their students to develop a classroom environment where the students utilize the technology available to learn the course content and apply their learning to their world. If done right, what a difference our students can make.
Works Cited
Cody, T. (2015, April 22). Meeting the eLearning needs of generation y [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://exchanges.wiley.com/blog/2015/04/22/meeting-the-elearning-needs-of-generation-y/
Eaton, S. E. (2011, December 7). 21 characterisits of 21st century learners [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/21st-century-learners/
Lever-Duffy, J. and McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn & Bacon.
Mancabelli, R. (2012, April). The three pillars of the 21st century learner [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/three-new-pillars-21st-century-learning
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.
Final: Digital Learning Environments and Resources: Desire2Learn(D2L)
Li Hua Chen, Tosheia Cole,
Janelle Gregg, Samantha Jenkins,
Kirk Schauland, Matthew Schrank
University of South Dakota
Digital Environments Promote Meaningful Learning
In the United States, student population has shifted from U.S. native-born to a mix of students from diverse cultural, economic, and geographic backgrounds. Besides the changes in demographics, the introduction of the microcomputers has changed the characteristics of students (Black, 2010). They become dependent on technology. They are described as digital natives (Prensky, 2010). Some research suggests that they learn differently than those people from previous generations because they are reared in a digital environment which transforms the way they think and the way they process information. They accept diversity; they love frequent and quick interactions with content; they are collaborative and work and learn best with others (Black, 2010). Well-designed digital learning environments can meet the needs of this Gen Y and meet the needs of the increasing population of lifelong learners from everywhere.
According to Bransford, a digital learning environment should contain four important perspectives. They should be learner centered, knowledge centered, assessment centered, and community centered. Desire2Learn (D2L) is a site that has focus on all four areas. The learner can easily maneuver through the site to find all components of the class. If set up by the teacher, a learner can chose different assignments that fit his or her learning style. The site is set up to link to video, audio, websites, text, etc. Learners can use the materials that fit their style. Students can comfortably test different contexts of the class, and the learner is engaged in the class through the work in the environment. D2L is also knowledge centered. The site is set up to allow for different forms of information for learners. The communications section and feedback capabilities of the assignments section allow the learners to gain knowledge from peers and teachers. The homepage or news section allows for early information about the class. (Bransford, (2000, p.136) “The key principles of assessment are that they should provide opportunities for feedback and revision and that what is assessed must be congruent with one’s learning goals.” (Bradford, 2000, p.139-140) D2L provides for instant feedback on assessments. There are the capabilities to reassign quizzes for a second trial after feedback is given. Teachers can also attach rubrics with feedback to assignments for student use on improvement. Finally, D2L is community centered. It has discussion boards and chatrooms for students and teachers to use. As Bradford (p. 144) states,” Especially important are norms for people learning from one another and continually attempting to improve.” D2L allows for communication.
Beyond the four perspectives important to Bransford, online learning environments provide many features and tools that help promote meaningful learning. One feature that you find in many online environments, including Desire2Learn (D2L), is ability to post assignments for students to access on their time. Having the entire semester’s worth of assignments laid out for students to see gives them the opportunity to look ahead and budget their time according to when assignments are due. Just as years ago when schools would use answering machines to post the daily assignments, parents and students are now able to use an online learning environment to see at a glance what and when something is due (Bransford, 2000, p. 224). Another feature is the utilization of asynchronous and synchronous education. Students are able to work on assignments, readings and other aspects of their learning on a schedule that works for them. They don’t need to be at class at a certain time or work on assignments simultaneously. Asynchronous education also ties in directly with providing feedback within a class. Learning via D2L differs from other environments in that it is set up to engage the learner. The learner has to be self-motivated, especially when they are in an asynchronous class. The schedule is available so they can set their timelines, but they have to set timelines and be accountable to themselves to meet them.
One point Bransford et al., mentions is that “different kinds of learning goals require different approaches to instruction,” (131). Those aspects that cater to student’s learning needs and abilities. Bransford uses the term “learner-centered.” For example, tools that are culturally responsive, cater to and include the needs and interests of those students’ diverse cultures. It is agreeable in that teachers who show this type of instructional trait tend to practice building upon students’ prior knowledge and prior experiences to support their comprehension development, (165).
Desire2Learn, or D2L, is an online learning environment that provides opportunities for teachers and students to connect and learn online. 21st century students learn at their own pace, and D2L allows for them to do that. Prensky’s idea of partnering can be and should be used in this environment as well. The teacher can use guiding questions that help students navigate their learning. The use of discussion boards allows students to communicate with each other when discussing the topic at hand, and today’s students want to be able to share their ideas with their peers. In some ways, online learning environments show the purest of learning because students are given the opportunity to give their own answers. Students that get overlooked in the general classroom can fall into others’ ideas, but on D2L, they have more freedom to share. That instantly makes it a more direct learning-centered environment (Bransford 2010). Now that each student has a better chance to share what he or she knows, the teacher has a better idea of the knowledge of each individual in the class.
D2L provides meaningful learning for students in a variety of ways. D2L allows easy collaboration between 21st century learners through the discussion boards. Students have opportunities to show their individual knowledge through the dropbox feature, quizzes, and tests. This platform is learner centered, knowledge centered, and assessment centered (Bransford, 2000, p. 136). It provides timely feedback for students that they can use for improvement on assignments going forward. D2L is a learning platform that provides a place for students and teachers to communicate.
Meeting the Needs of Today’s Learners
Today’s students are dependent upon technology. They are growing up in a world where the Internet is commonplace and the computer has always been around. (Black, 2010, p.94). They want to use technology and expect their teachers to do the same. Using an online learning environment meets the students where they are most comfortable, which helps them be more receptive to learning and working with the teacher. Students are much more comfortable interacting with one another and finding information online. They would much rather go online and find information about something than look it up in a dictionary, encyclopedia, or some other print material. When students are exposed to an online learning environment such as D2L, they have the opportunity to do research online and use a medium they are most comfortable using.
Online learning tools should meet certain objectives and goals. For instance, with Desire to Learn or D2L, the site has extensive and intense interactive learning opportunities such as discussion rooms that can be formulated into groups. The site provides a highly interactive experience in that groups and individuals can chat via webcam through the Collaborate link. Through Collaborate link, students can work together while writing as a group. For educators, D2L allows efficient assessment and observation and speedy grading for viewing and feedback.
Digital learning environments like D2L are student centered and are set up to meet the needs of today’s learners. Today’s learners need student centered environments that are “stressing the importance of students’ past experiences, exploring individual needs and interests, promoting active participation, stimulating higher-order thinking, and encouraging life-long learning.” (Hirumi, 2002, p. 497) D2L provides for communication between teacher and students to find out needs and interests. When guided through a course, students use their past experiences to apply to the content of the course and use higher-order thinking when creating their assignments. The structure of the site allows for additional content that is not required but stimulates student growth and desire to learn more. Feedback also plays a role in students’ growth and effort.
The ability to give and receive feedback is another important part of an online learning environment. That feedback can come from many different areas: discussion boards, responses back on assignments and assessments or through basic email communication. Kools (2013) gives a list of items needed to make learning environments most effective. The list included “using assessments consistent with learning aims, with strong emphasis on formative feedback”. Desire2Learn has the ability to give students constructive feedback. When assignments are returned, the teacher is able to add comments on what was done well and what can be improved upon. It is important that learners receive timely feedback so that students remember the assignment and the feedback is meaningful to them.
Today’s learners not only get information quickly, but they need to get it quickly. Patience is a thing of the past, and if teachers want their students to sit in a classroom and wait until they can start to find solutions, it will not work. “Kids today don’t know a world without Google.” Part of the 21 Characteristics of 21st Century Learners; this tells how students find their information. D2L is an online environment, which already makes students more engaged in their learning. The online aspect will also help students to be willing to use information in the content area that the teacher may require. Students are also just a few clicks away from finding other resources on the Internet.
The discussion board is also an important tool that will help teachers meet the needs of their students. “Researchers tell us that students spend far too much classroom time either listening to the teacher or working alone, when what works best for most students is talking together.”(Portner, 2009) Students need to have a voice, and share either experiences or findings. The discussion board does that, and gets students a chance to share with their peers which overall, is what they really want in the end.
Students learn best through technology in the 21st century. They can certainly learn in other ways, but they are accustomed to learning through technology starting at a young age. Students today also learn best through working in collaborative groups. With these two facts in mind, D2L is an excellent learning platform that utilizes technology and collaboration. In order to use D2L, students must utilize several computer skills. It’s important for teachers to remember that using technology is only effective when used appropriately (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p. 206) One of the best ways to ensure that technology is used effectively is by attaching our curriculum to real-world problems that students can explore and solve (Bransford, p. 207).
To create collaboration, the online learning provides community-centered environments. Learners are connected to students, teachers, schools, homes, nations, and even the world. Families provide inspiration and guidance for the learning activities. Global connection allows for borrowing successful educational practices from other countries. Online learning also provides opportunities to interact. One example is with working scientists. This student-scientist partnership is one way of bringing real-world problems into the classroom (Bransford, 2000, p. 207-209).
Students can collaborate through discussion boards and group projects on D2L. For example, an instructor can create learning groups for discussion. A smaller group allows students to have more "face time" with 4-5 people, rather than the whole class. The instructor can also allow all groups to interact, so that every student can read all group discussions that are taking place.
In the small group discussion, students are held accountable for their part of the discussion. Teachers can also provide students with a rubric or requirements for that discussion. Leaving this more open-ended holds students to a higher standard of learning. When a teacher states that two discussion responses are required at a minimum, students of today will likely only respond twice. However, a teacher can post a rubric with requirements that do not include numbers. This encourages students to become more actively involved in the discussion.
Students can also collaborate through group papers or projects as assigned by the teacher. Students can discuss their project on the discussion boards, or through D2L mail. Students can then combine their thoughts and discussions into a meaningful collaboration piece. Finally, they can submit a group project through the D2L dropbox. All of these are ways that allow students to work collaboratively using D2L as the platform.
Students also like an element of competition. Students can compete to see who is best and work individually towards a goal without noticing what others are doing, or work cooperatively with an interest in each other’s contributions (Portner, 2009). Most successful enterprises include collaboration as one of the most dominant ways of interacting. An important example of this is Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who make sure most projects are completed by teams of 3-5 people (Portner, 2009).
Improved Learning Environment & Behavior Expectations in an Online Environment
If students are comfortable and familiar with something, they are likely to put more effort into what they are doing, which will increase their learning. They are also more likely to interact with each other within the learning environment. Students are comfortable and eager to contribute to the knowledge base of the digital community, which, in this case, is the learning environment (Black, 2010, p. 96).
In agreement with Bransford et al, an interesting yet highly significant notion in an effective learning environment, is a sense of community (154). Students need a place to share ideas and opinions and respond to others by giving input and feedback, (154). This community involvement helps promote creativity.
Creativity: digital learning environments improve learning for students because the teacher cannot be the talking head. The student centered site allows for creativity. Students are given opportunities to complete assignments in different ways. In Teaching the Digital Natives, Prensky impresses upon the reader the importance of a “partnering” learning environment. In partnering, students are the ones who discover the information. Teachers guide the learning. Students decide how to show mastery of the information. Prensky also emphasizes the need to let the 21st century learner be creative. They do not all need to learn the exact same way nor complete the exact same assignments. D2L and other learning environments lend to this creative constructivist idea. Students use a variety of materials and digital media to expand their knowledge and think more complexly about their assignments. Prensky also focuses on real world learning. Posting electronically and placing video and content on the web, is real world.
How do you manage behavior from a distance on a digital platform? If we take a look at Prensky’s article “Engage Me or Enrage Me,” we could say that the environment and proper use of it does a lot to manage behavior. Students who are engaged in their learning are not tuned out and do not find the time to cause problems. If set up to be student centered, the self-motivated students want to learn and try new things. They want to be in class and are not finding ways to distract from the class.
Managing behavior online is often times a worry for many teachers. It is also a big reason why most teachers stay away from using technology in their classrooms because something bad might end up on the screens, or a student will take advantage of the experience. Many times if the teacher has taken the time to get to know the student’s interests and the learner is engaged, the problem will take care of itself. Students want to learn, but they want to learn what’s important to them. Teachers have the ability to differentiate learning on D2L, and make the experience important for each student. Teachers can also have immediate feedback for students that will help build their knowledge and keep them captivated to learn more.
There are a number of approaches teachers can use to manage “behavior expectations” when using an online environment. Teachers should establish guidelines for online and offline etiquette that will lead to group and individual successful learning outcomes. For example, everyone logs in daily; everyone posts one response to teacher’s guiding questions and responds to one peer’s post, etc. Teacher also can create subgroups of learners that have their own online space for group learning and project collaboration. Furthermore, Kaplan (2015) suggests create a “buddy system” whereby pairs or groups of learners are responsible for joint participation and contribution, for instance, alternating postings in the discussion area, can keep learners engaged and participate in learning.
An online learning environment provides an opportunity for students to show their individual knowledge and skills. This is a primary way that D2L contributes to an improved learning environment for students. Online learning environments should be shifting away from a place where we can do what we’ve always done in a different way. The paradigm shift that is beginning to occur is the online learning environment being a place where teachers can create learning experiences that were never before possible (Warlick, 2015).
In a face to face classroom, students are often only allowed one chance to state an answer. Even if there is another chance, they are often using another student's answer to enhance their own. With the online setting, students are held accountable for their own learning. They still interact with other students, but most often through discussion. The discussion enhances their learning experience because students can see others' perspectives. They can learn from each other’s' experiences. However, assignments for the dropbox are most often completed by the individual. Support them and answer questions. They truly must show their own knowledge.
In order to manage behavior in any setting, one must try to anticipate what any potential problems might be. A syllabus, participation points, and emails are three methods to manage behavior on D2L. At the start of the class, students would be required to read the syllabus with requirements for online etiquette and behavior. Expectations can be clearly stated in a syllabus along with consequences for not following the expectations. It would be important to address how students interact with each other. It's also important for students to be respectful and courteous with the professor. Participation points can be used as a tool for encouraging appropriate online behavior. If any issues arise, email is a great tool for teachers to communicate these issues with students. Finally, teachers should be reading and moderating any discussions that are occurring as well.
Conclusion
Online learning experiences should be interactive in nature meaning it should serve a purpose but have intense involvement. Desire2Learn is a digital environment that has been well planned and tested. It meets the needs of the 21st century learner. The tool provides educators with speedy grading techniques. The platform is easy to maneuver and is complete in the tools it offers. Whether a class is taught synchronously or asynchronously or even if the site is used within a traditional setting, the site allows and invites the engagement of the students. The discussion boards, calendars, syllabus, resources, and other tools give the students what they need to take their education into their own hands. Technology is here to stay. Students use it regularly. Education needs to embrace it.
Works Cited
Black, A. (2010). Gen Y: Who they are and how they learn. educational HORIZONS,
Winter, p. 92-101.
Bransford, J., Brown, A., and Cocking, R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind,
experience, and school: expanded edition. Washington, DC: National Academies
Press.
Hirumi, Atsusi. (2002). Student-centered, technology-rich learning environments (SCenTRLE):
Operationalizing constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. Journal of
Technology and Teacher Education. 10(4), 497-537.
Kaplan, S. (2015). Strategies for collaboration learning: Building elearning and blended learning
communities. Retrieved August 5, 2015, from
https://www.icohere.com/CollaborativeLearning.htm
Kools, M. (2013). Education Today: Designing 21st century learning environments.
Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.com/2013/09/
designing-21st-century-learning.html
Prensky, M. (2005). Engage me or enrage me: What today’s learners demand. Educause Review.
Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching the digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Thousand Oaks,
CA:Corwin.
Portner, H. (2009) The 21st Century teaching-learning environment (Think Outside the
Classroom Box) Retrieved August 5, 2015, from http://teachers.net/gazette/
MAR09/portner/
Warlick, D. (2015, August 1). Integration: Building 21st century learning environments.
Retrieved August 6, 2015, from http://landmark-project.com/edtechnot_warlick/