Week+1+Reflection

November 22, 2009



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This is the first week for the course Teaching With Technology EDLD 5364. This week, we had several interesting articles to read as well as some chapters from our course textbooks. The overall message from these readings is clear--educators must use and implement technology in their curriculum to meet the needs of the 21st century learner and prepare our students for the global economy our world has rapidly become. In this week's reading from __Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works__ (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 1996), nine categories of instructional categories affecting student learning are identified and defined as well as the four planning questions teachers can use to implement these strategies. Using technology which coincides with these instructional strategies is essential for the future success of our public schools.

Also discussed in this week's readings and lectures are the three theories of learning which are Constructivism, Connectivism, and Cyborg. Much emphasis was placed on the Constructivist theory which states that all learning is based on previous personal knowledge. According to this theory, information and learning is gained from a variety of sources and is constantly expanding the learners' knowledge base. Nothing is seen as objective, but rather subjective, because of the bias of the learner's previous knowledge. In contrast, the theory of Connectivisim suggests that learning is not exclusive within an individual. New knowledge is acquired through a "network" and how people make connections with each other. Information is continually evolving and learners must constantly be in touch and "connected" in order to assimilate new knowledge. Finally, the third theory of learning is the Cyborg theory, which suggests that human learning will eventually be an interaction between humans and machines. With Cyborg theory, human capacity for memory and processing will certainly be enhanced. Also, abilities such as telecommunication and sonar may be possible in people.

This week, we also formed into learning teams and set up an online collaborative document on which we will work together on a final project through GoogleDocs. We were also able to set up an online email account and instant chat through GoogleTalk, which I have already used extensively with one of my new group members. I have used GoogleDocs once before in addition to a wiki for collaboration. I am looking forward to using the GoogleDoc to see how it compares to a wiki when working in groups. My collaborative team is called the Dream Team and consists of Jamie Gustin (team leader), Pamela Comer, Emily Priesmeyer, Emily Wisbrock, and myself, Amy Raley. I am looking forward to working in a group and learning from the course material and readings as well as my teammates.