Last years I facilitated a professional development workshop on the components of our model classroom. Our staff was surveyed in August about what type of training they would like throughout the year, and this was in response to the surveys. Most of the teachers were used to the traditional classroom setup and they were surprised when they arrived in their classrooms at the beginning of the year to find that all of the classes were now considered 21st Century Classrooms. Three teachers were trained the year before the initial roll out and were instructed to redeliver for the other teachers.

During the first hour of the workshop I was inundated with basic question like:
“How do I turn on the Promethean board?”
“How do I calibrate the board?”
“What are docking stations?”
“How do I work the TV?”
“How do I use the performance system?”

I wasn’t expecting such simple questions because the same groups of teachers should have already been using the components to deliver instruction in their classrooms. I realize then that no one had done redelivery.

At that moment my whole plan had to change. This is just like I would have done in my own classroom if I found that the students just weren’t getting it. Keller’s ARC model for the motivation of learners can be used to analyze this situation. Keller listed four conditions for motivation that must be met to have a motivated learner (Driscoll, 2005, p333).
A- Attention R-relevance C- confidence S- Satisfaction

1. I had the attention of this group of teachers, but I knew it could change quickly.
2. The teachers’ only relevance was the fact that they were forced to learn how to use the components in their classrooms
3. My goals and objectives for the Staff Development were overshadowed by the fact that the teachers’ skills were low.
4. What would satisfy the teachers’ needs? This had to be redefined.

After the first hour I asked the teachers if they were using any of the components. Over half responded “no”. From their response I invited the principal and assistant principal in to see if we could add additional PD workshops. These workshops would focus on the new components in the classroom. I also enlisted the help of our Instructional technology specialist and the three teachers who were trained to develop a plan for training teacher on how to use the new technology in their classroom. The ARCs model worked and by the end of the second nine weeks all of our teachers were using the promethean board, the projector, the docking station, the camera, the Sherwood audio system, and all of the computers in the classroom for instruction.

Connectivism

Technology has made a great impact on the networks that surround me. When I started in education nineteen years ago, the only networks that I had were face-to-face, by telephone, email and the internet. I remember once in a faculty meeting my principal mention sending information via email, only to find out the only ten teachers had an email account. It’s amazing how times have changed. My network now is formed entirely by using technology, and it has completely changed the way that I learn. Below is a mind map of the technology network that surrounds me:





The digital tools that best facilitate learning for me are ProQuest Central, which is found on the Walden University Library website. It is a one-stop-shop for current reviews of research in any area of study. It allows me to expand my knowledge base and learn what other professional are sharing with the professional community. I use email to communicate with colleagues in my learning community, Skype with classmates around the world, and create GoogleDocs to collaborate on assignments with fellow student at Walden University.

When I have a question I typically start with my networks online, Yahoo or Google or some other search engine. If that doesn’t work, I will send an email to colleagues and/or friends to see if they can help. If I am still without an answer I will create a Blog on my personal blog to see if I get any good answers. The most amazing thing I can say about my networks is that sometime after answering my original question I’ve created three of four new questions and I get answer that would have never been produced..

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold (2008) proposed ?
After listening to Rheingold’s lecture I’ve decided that humans will work together whether it is for profit or not. For instance, Rheingold discussed that many people collaborate on a voluntary basis in order to input data on free informational websites such as Wikipedia. (2008). On the reverse, others will become enrolled in a project if there is profit involved.
I personally believe that whether there is a financial gain or just the feeling you get from working with other I considered both to be a gain, therefore humans interact and work as groups, for a price. Some people like working with others and some people don’t. My sister likes to work alone. I on the hand enjoy being around people and working with others. I like to bounce ideas off of other people to see what new ideas I can come up with. Conflicts and collaboration with others help me to find new ways to form relationships and see, in myself, what personality traits are accepted, refused, and what needs work.

How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?
With learners, technology is ever-changing and can facilitate collaboration. Dewey (1997) describers learning as what occurs through a person’s experience. Learning activities such as simulations, cooperative group work, and open-ended problems are examples of constructivist learning experiences (Driscoll, 2005).

Dewey, J. (1997). Experience & education. New York: Kappa Delta Pi.
Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. Boston: Pearson.
Web video. (2008). Howard Rheingold: Way-New Collaboration. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Congnitivism as a Learning theroy

Each of these theories is equally important. So how do you decide which theoretical strategies to use? I agree with Karl Kapp, I think that it is important to use a range of theoretical perspectives to optimize teaching and learning. Where technology is concerned, I think that no one theoretical foundation exists that is suitable for all applications. Theories continually evolve or are revised as a result of research or critique by designers or theorists in the field. In the long term a blending of behaviorist and cognitive approaches seems inevitable. A blending would offer the most flexibility for learners.

_isms as filter, not Blinker
http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

Out and About: Discussion on Educational Schools of Thought
http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

What are my beliefs about how people learn
I believe that learning is an individualized process. Most people learn best through personally meaningful experience that enable them to connect new knowledge to what they already believe or understand. A teachers main role is to facilitate learning rather than be the source of all knowledge. This means teachers have to deliberately help learners construct their own understanding, rather than simply tell them things that they are expected to memorize. I believe that teaching is no longer about helping students to accumulate knowledge that is passed on to them by the teacher; it is about helping students to make sense of new information, to integrate new information with their existing ideas and to apply their new understanding in meaningful ways.

The primary and essential purpose of educational technology is helping people to learn. Learning Theories provide an account of the key elements in the process of gaining new knowledge and the capabilities of how those elements interact (Januszewski, 2008). Learning theories (as they relate to educational technology) are useful to the extent that they allow us to articulate issues sensibly and to conduct inquiry to test hypotheses that flow from the theory.

Reference:
Januszewski, A. (2008). Educational technology: A definition with commentary, New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Siemens, G (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: changing roles for educators and designers. Paper presented to ITFORUM. Retrieved from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/Paper105/Siemens.pdf

Links

Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Aligning Learning Theory with Instructional Design
http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/tag/learning-theory/page/3/