A Reflection on the Great Debates

There are problems and barriers related to online learning that do not always allow a positive experience. Cultural differences and self-directed learning are just a few of the barriers to OLCs mentioned in this debate. There will be cultural differences in just about anything that we do. However self-directed learning creates a culture of differences because of the various styles of learning in which case an OLC may have a harder time of adapting. Vicki provided research indicating that online learning is not always appropriate for the more dependent learner. Similarly, Bonnie brings up the point of online collaboration. Collaborating with others is not always an easy feat whether it be online or face to face. I agree with Bonnie and the suggestion that teachers need to feel comfortable in guiding collaborative work and "turning over the reins to the learners..." (Palloff & Pratt, 2005, p. 36). A point that Ron brings up is instructional design for dual enrollment students. I know this is an up-and-coming trend here locally for high school students and I applaud the forward thinking in education with technology. However there is a disconnect with high school students in OLCs compared to the more mature post-secondary students. For high school students OLCs nees to be a blended learning environment instead of solely online because this type of learning has not yet been developed. And equally discerning problem that Angela brings up is online cheating. With technology readily available to most people it makes cheating a lot easier. Angela reflects that cheating comes down to instructional design. However she makes no suggestion on how to instructionally design a course that will deflect online cheating. All of these barriers to OLCs can be exacerbated by technical difficulties or the lack of technical availability.  With these kinds of difficulties it is no wonder that some people prefer face-to-face learning as Maria suggests. However if we take a step back and look at all of these barriers to online learning communities these problems also arise in face-to-face learning. In f2f classrooms there are still cultural differences, technical difficulties, collaborative learning issues, cheating and time management conflicts. Sometimes a student does not always have the choice in the type of learning environment they will be subject to, but the choice is ours in how we will produce a successful outcome. Just as teachers will adapt the various learning styles in a f2f environment, OLCs must do the same. "The key to creating a positive experience is to identify the students' needs and then incorporate activities that address their various learning styles... This means getting to know the learner as soon as possible through the use of profiles and introductory activities that provide insight into who the learner is..." (Conrad & Donaldson, 2004, p. 19).

References

Conrad, R. & Donaldson, J. (2004). Engaging the online learner. San Francisco, CA: Jossy-Bass.

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossy-Bass.

Out of School Suspension

Yesterday my son was suspended out of school for the remaining of the day. He was involved with two others in throwing rocks that purportedly hit another student in the head the prior day. I am not condoning my son's behavior of throwing rocks...he is a boy age 12. My son is a good boy, and has never been referred to the office for misconduct or misbehavior. However, today he got an out of school suspension for "creating an unsafe environment" which is a Category C write-up and will remain in his student file. Not only do I work at the school that gave my son the suspension, but I had no choice but challenge the Asst. Principal disciplinary action of an out of school suspension. Both my husband and I let him know we did not agree with the punishment fitting the "crime" and that further discretion should have been considered. Instead of a "horseplay" Category A write-up, which was reflected by my son as an appropriate punishment, the Asst. Principal already had in his mind what the punishment would be and was promised to the parent of the student purportedly hit. I challenged every aspect of disciplinary consideration that was forwarded to my son, which they were willing to amend. However, in all equity we felt that would not be fair to the other two students suspended that just took whatever was handed down to them. I advocated not only for my son, but also for the other two students suspended defending them as good students without prior disciplinary referrals and an out of school suspension was unjust. The Asst. Principal was baffled by the lack of respect and consideration that the students did not display toward the injured student. However, none of the three boys were aware that someone got injured as a possible result of them throwing rocks. What I am baffled by is the lack of respect and consideration that was given to these students in receiving the punishment that they did. I believe that both administrators and educators alike forget that just because they are in a position of power, mutual respect between school and student should be present.

Wordle.net

My try at a word cloud on Wordle.net.  A pretty cool app I must say and is something I can see using with my Language Arts class.

StoryBird, Dream Big!

Thanks to my daughter, Regan, for helping me narrate this story on StoryBird.com! An excellent and easy platform to use for people of all ages. My daughter loved exploring with this application and thought it was fun.  Enjoy the story!



 http://storybird.com/books/dream-big-1809/

Holy Hell!

Spring Break has come & gone and despite my efforts to get ahead in my classes, I didn't accomplish much. So I sit down to "study" but first had to review & prioritize what needs to be done. Holy Hell...there is a lot to do in 30 days! Stressing on one class, I tap into this class...the one that this blog is for. I realize... Holy Hell, I haven't written in my weekly blog in weeks! Self-incriminating I know, but frankly the only reason I am writing in this blog right now is to defer what I actually have to get done, which is the class facilitation part...for this class! Holy Hell, not only do I seem to be going in circles, but I am also talking in circles. Is it time for a break yet? Yep! One blog assignment down, I can take a break! Chao!

Suggestions for Using Social Networking in the Classroom

As a future Language Arts teacher, I would utilize social networking sights to collaborate and discuss topics. For instance, I would use Twitter for students to submit figures of speech and then have people reply back with its meaning or literary device used. For example, I would tweet, "Don't take wooden nickels." Students would respond to the meaning of that particular figure of speech. Another subject that I could utilize social networking for would be in service learning and advocating causes that are actually submitted to a social networking site in hopes of a public following. I don't know which particular social networking site I would use other than Facebook. However, Facebook is currently blocked by the local school district on school computers so this particular site may not work unless I asked for special permission from the district to unblock the site. On the other hand, student's cell phone access to Facebook is not blocked by the district and could be a way to use the site to advocate a cause. If students didn't have a smartphone or accessible use to Facebook, I would implement groups or pairs to work collaboratively on the project. Another social networking site would be blogging on various platforms and should not necessarily be blocked or filtered. Blogging about social causes or advocating for them would give students critical thinking, analyzing, creative writing by persuasion or arguing a point of view. Lastly, I would utilize Pintrest as a community board of ideas and references that teachers, students and parents could contribute to. Students would not necessarily have to log-on to school computers to do this if it were a blocked site. Addtionally, students smart phones could be utilized or computers at home or grouping students that don't have access with those that do.

Prezi Tryout

Practicing with Prezi. I have tried using it on my iPad, and had only frustration. I have now updated my Prezi using my laptop. Here is what I have...Fib or Fact

http://prezi.com/0vjkuqa7vlza/present/?auth_key=9w0tumu&follow=tafoya