Web-Enhanced Learning

Today I am writing my first blog post. I am enrolled in the Instructional Design and Technology program at the University of Memphis. I am currently taking a class called School Change and the Internet. For one assignment, I must post my reflections on Web-Enhanced Learning on a blog. So, here I am.

For this assignment, we have to do 4 things: 1. list several class assignments or tasks I have given students; 2. decide what type of theoretical approach to teaching and learning they reflect; 3. choose 2 strategies from chapter 2 of our text, Using the Internet for Active Teaching & Learning, that I resonate with me and reflect on why they do, plus apply them to one or more of the assignments listed above; and 4. provide a complete list of references/acknowledgments.

1.      List of class assignments:

·        Assign reading activity

·        Create an outline of the reading

·        Create a concept map based on the reading

·        Answer questions

·        Draw a storyboard for the reading

·        Draw an illustration for the theme of the book

·        Journal writing

2.      Theoretical approach reflected: Behaviorist/Traditional learning environment (Mills, 2006)

·        Teacher-centered instruction

·        Curriculum-based

·        Students work in Isolation

·        Information delivery method

·        Single-sense stimulation

·        Single-path progression

·        Single media

·        Factual, knowledge-based

·        Reactive response

3.      Strategies from Chapter 2, “Teaching and Learning Theories for Web-Enhanced Learning” (Mills, 2006)

·        Generative Learning

Students need to construct meaning by connecting what they know (prior knowledge) to what they want to know which produces new learning. Students can think of this in 3 ways:

Ø  Relationships among ideas

Ø  Gaps in knowledge

Ø  Conflicts between ideas

Two key elements of generative learning are interaction with the content and time for reflection which is at a premium on most traditional classrooms. It is important that students create a personal understanding of the content and form mental connections among concepts.

I have a question as to how one does this in literature. My goal is to learn how.

In the article, “Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Digital World,” Andrew Churches states that it is important to “prepare students for change, teach them to question and think, to adapt and modify, and to sift and sort” (Hanson, 2008) which help students both in school and at work. The digital examples he give for Bloom’s Taxonomy are helpful and thought provoking. I will be able to use this at my school.

In the video, Project-Based Learning: An Overview, Seymour Papert believes that it is important to place students at the center of the learning process (Ellis, 2001). Papert suggests that curriculum be replaced with student generated units where they learn what they need to accomplish their own learning goal. He does not believe in standardized assessment because it results in low standards that everyone can meet. He would rather see students free to pursue individual interests. I think this sound good in one way, but not completely. There is content that one needs to be considered educated. I think of great works of literature and the ability to read. I believe we need to do more to create student-centered classrooms, but I do not agree that all curriculum should be tossed.

·        Authentic Assessment

Authentic Assessment is defined as “evaluation of student exhibits or work products that represent the culmination of a set of learning tasks” (Mills, 2006). In most traditional classrooms, assessment is measured by a paper test or written paper/report. Because I am a librarian, I do not give graded assignments. Assessment is a weakness of mine that I want to learn how to do better. The descriptions on found on the Internet below were helpful to me. Assessment should involve three assessment types (“Three Types of Assessment,” (2013):

Ø  Formative Assessment - occurs in the short term, immediate learner feedback, allows for adjustments by both teacher and learner, can be formal or informal, the most powerful type of assessment for improving student understanding and performance.

Examples: a very interactive class discussion; a warm-up, closure, or exit slip; n on-the-spot performance; a quiz.

Ø  Interim Assessments - occurs occasionally throughout a larger time period, quick but not necessarily immediate feedback, more formal, allows for student time to digest feedback and then to demonstrate understanding, used by teacher to identify gaps in students' understanding and instruction and to develop remedies in future instruction.

Examples: Chapter test; extended essay; a project scored with a rubric.

Ø  Summative Assessment - occurs at the end of a large chunk of learning, with the results being primarily for the teacher's or school's use; takes longer to give feedback; feedback limited; little or no opportunity to be reassessed; useful for teacher/school to identify strengths & weaknesses in curriculum & instruction for the following year.

Examples: Standardized testing (MEAP, MME, ACT, WorkKeys, Terra Nova, etc.); Final exams; Major cumulative projects, research projects, and performances.

              

               What does authentic assessment look like according to Mills? (2006)

               Assessment techniques:

Ø  Rating items of a scale

Ø  Observing students

Ø  Critiquing work products

Ø  Interviewing students

Ø  Including student portfolios

Ø  Giving credit on the process and the product

Application to learning task from #1:

Traditional	Web-enhanced
Create an outline of the reading	Use an online book tool like StoryJumper
Create a concept map based on the reading	Use graphic organizer like Exploratree
Answer teacher-generated questions	Students develop questions on the text
Draw a storyboard	Work in pairs to create the storyline with Prezi
Journal writing	Journal on a blog

  

References

Ellis, K. (2001). Project-Based Learning: An overview. The George Lucus Educational Foundation. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded  

Hanson, T. J. (2008, April 11). Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Digital World. Open Education RSS. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from http://www.openeducation.net/2008/04/11/blooms-taxonomy-and-the-digital-world  

Mills, S. C. (2006). Using the Internet for active teaching and learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Three Types of Assessment. (2013). Monroe County Intermediate School District. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from http://www.misd.k12.mi.us/departments/curriculum/instructionalservices/assessment/typesofassessment/