Reflection - Lesson Four

Facebook was one of my first social websites and one in which I have participated for many years. I originally opened a Facebook account to keep track of my daughter's posts when she first began an account at 14, but quickly I realized that the site had benefits for me as well. Through Facebook (FB), I enjoy staying connected with family and friends. Even though my high school sons tell me that FB is not relevant anymore, I still find it to be a great medium to connect with friends from my past and present as well as family members.

The FB site also exposes me regularly to many interesting and relevant readings. I enjoy when someone posts something provocative or on a topic that I find interesting but know little about. For example, a recent posted article discussed how the elderly can interact regularly with preschoolers through an innovative program being used in a European country. Another was about how Sweden has created a "town" to mimic real life for those with Alzheimers so that they can seemingly live "normal" lives while still being cared for by people in the town who are care givers disguised
 as town members. This type of reading stimulates my interest, and even though it may not be an area in which I research and read regularly, I find that it extends my thinking. As well, recent political  posts have been intriguing to read written by experts in the psychological and political science realm related to recent political events, and I have read numerous articles about issues related to teens, children, and child rearing. Needless to say, I have found Facebook to provide a variety of uses that have allowed me to learn and extend my thinking as well as stay connected to those for whom I care.

I have found the Internet to be a tremendous benefit to my overall learning. When I am seeking knowledge, I can easily find trustworthy resources to gain information. When I am researching and in need of articles, I use Google Scholar to help me identify sources of information. If faced with medical questions or other queries, the Internet is an unlimited source of information. It is a place to store and exchange information has been a tremendous resource in my work. As found in this class, the Internet is also an incredible source of tools and helps to support online and blended instruction.

Even though the Internet has been a positive influence on my learning, I have found it at times to be distracting. Amazingly, time seems to escape when I get on FB. Since I am a night owl, this can be detrimental to my sleep and sometimes I find myself going "brainless" in the late hours of the evening by being drawn into looking at videos or reading posts. I also must be vigilant when working on the computer not to be tempted to check online websites or even email, for that matter. These easy distractions can keep me from being productive.

These same type of distractions also seem to resonate with many students. I had one who flat out told me at the start of class that he was addicted to a game and that I should know. I had to remind him that he was responsible for his behavior during class and that I would expect him not to touch his technology unless we were using it for an in-class purpose throughout the semester. There was only one time that I had to remind him of our contract. I have had other students who have confessed that while they were studying they were endlessly drawn off task by the lure of the Internet. For these students, I can see how app blockers to social websites could be a benefit. I recognize that these distractions are real for students and that many of them struggle with focus and self-control when it comes to the Internet, especially when they try to complete assignments and do online learning that requires cognitive rigor. With my own son, he has struggled with this same issue. He has learned to give himself Internet breaks and to time his breaks so that he does not get off track. I think it is important to openly state to students that the Internet may be a distraction to their productivity and provide them with some suggested app blockers and also to give them suggestions for how to handle their online learning. Students need to learn self-monitoring techniques that can benefit them while studying since it also affects other areas of their lives and potentially their work-life.

Reflection - Lesson Three

At the start of this week, I was a bit worried about completing the main assignment. Though now that I have made it to the end of the module, I realize it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. Perhaps it was hearing all the directions at first that somehow heightened my affective filter, or perhaps it was just thinking about the vastness of what I do not know about technology that started me along the worry path. What I realize now is that the activity was manageable and also that I have used more of the Web 2.0 tools than I originally thought. Once I saw the lists and the variety of the tools, I found many that I was familiar with and some that I had even incorporated into my own teaching.

During the past year, I began using a few different Web 2.0 tools. For example, I used Poll Everywhere both as a "hook" with a polling question at the start of the lesson and also as a polling question with a word cloud at the end of a significant piece of learning. This, of course, took place in a classroom face-to-face setting, not online; however, I could see how this tool could work in an online or blended course so that students respond before coming to class. For example, students could respond online to a poll question before reading or watching a video and then reflect online on the results of the poll. They could also take a poll to help stimulate an idea and then bring the results of the poll into the online discussion forum to stimulate group discussion on a topic. These types of learnings could require students to analyze a situation, reflect on a variety of ways that they might respond, and then justify their response to varied topics, such as effective pedagogy or classroom management. Students could also critique each others' actions. This type of interactive learning would challenge students to be reflective, which is an objective at the core of our teacher preparation classes and also think about appropriate instruction.

To ensure success with using Poll Everywhere to stimulate reflection and analysis, I would want to make sure that students know how to respond to the poll. Although there are directions on each of the slides, I have found that more mature students struggle with the technology. I would want to detail a step-by-step "how to" respond to the slide to make sure there is no confusion. Another challenge that I could imagine is that students are not sensitive in their comments of disagreement on a discussion forum. Thus, I would want to set up discussion forum norms in advance and make sure that students know how to disagree in ways that are acceptable. It is also important that the person on the receiving end of suggestions is not defensive and that they are open to ideas from their peers, Again, discussion norms are critical. Assessment would also need to be clear and, just as we have been given succinct and clear rubrics in this class, I would want to do the same so that students know the expectations before they begin any kind of assignment.

Knowing and experimenting with the Web 2.0 tools myself is most important. I need to make sure that I have played with the tools so that I know what potential difficulties students may experience. I am impressed with the amount of tools available and actually excited to try more. In one class I am teaching in the fall, students use mind maps on a regular basis. I have heard about Creately before but have not used it until this week. This is another tool that I plan on incorporating into my student assignments. These tools are not "add-ons" but rather enhance the instruction and deepen conversation. It appears that this is the premier way to use Web tools to harness learning.

Reflection - Lesson Two

1. Reflecting on the information covered in this module so far, how might your instructional methodologies need to change in an online or blended learning environment?

After learning about the various online and blended learning models, I feel that my instruction needs to harness more online interaction and learning experiences for students. Primarily, students have are expected to engage in text readings in preparation for course work, with occasional videos; however, in using the pedagogy from this module, I could incorporate more online web tools in Moodle (the electronic learning environment used in my classes) to regularly include video, discussion boards, and assignments that engage students in learning and reflecting. If students have to articulate their knowledge and identify questions ahead of time on their own, our class time could be used to explore those questions more deeply. 

I particularly enjoyed learning and reflecting on the flipped classroom. My own high school children have been told they are experiencing the "flipped classroom," according to a few of their teachers, however, it is not truly using online resources and video, but rather lecture video with worksheets. I have known that this is not the flipped classroom as originally designed; however, it is interesting to note that there is no defined definition for this phenomenon. Though I typically do not lecture during class but rather engage them in interactive activities and experiences, I still could be incorporating elements of the flipped classroom to enhance and engage students during their time of preparation at home. This was a very meaningful part of this module.

In addition, if I were to develop an online blended graduate course, I can see how using one of the hybrid models, such as the Intrinsic Schools model, could radically change my pedagogical style. This would really place me in the role of designer of curriculum which would emphasize students learning approximately 50% of their content online. I then would be more of a learning coach and could come alongside during course time to facilitate the content students were exposed to while learning independently or interactively online with their colleagues. I already use socratic seminar, but this might be more meaningful with additional online knowledge and preparation prior to the seminar rather than only text readings. 

2. What skills and strategies might you improve or expand upon in order to best support student learning in a blended or online environment?

My masters degree was in curriculum and instruction, and I actually enjoy designing instruction and thinking of the possible new ways to organize learning; however, I have previously not had to think about technology as the central part of the learning experience which will be new in planning a blended learning environment. From the sounds of it, planning online instruction is time consuming and I can already tell from my initial struggles with something like embedding a link from Google docs, that my skill set needs developing and refinement so that I can more easily harness online tools. I have had opportunities with past classes to plan online discussion forums though I could do more of this on a regular basis to engage students in discussions and reflection related to their learning. 

What is likely to be most difficult is mapping out a course-long plan and determining how best for students to meet the learning goals through online experience. Deciding how to organize a course that balances learning through various tools and reflection with enough variety will also be challenging. This semester I taught three new courses from scratch and there was a lot to consider, including time that it might take a student to complete an assignment, the right amount of rigor without causing frustration, and developing projects with rubrics that are aligned to learning goals. Regardless, there is much to explore and learn in order to develop these skills and strategies.