I have officially been bitten by the wiki bug. I am so excited I can’t stand it. Now that I have read and understand wikis. I will use one in my new class Complementary and Alternative Health Therapies. The class wiki can be found at http://alternativehealththerapies.wikispaces.com/. As I am designing the wiki, I will begin with a page for each topic, which is each class session. Examples would be a page for massage therapy, Reiki, acupuncture, yoga, and meditation. The text will be very similar to my power point presentation. My plan is that students will need to read the page before class so we can have discussion in the classroom. I will also include movie and youtube videos. The class wiki will also have a link to the class blog.
Each student will research an alternative health topic of her choice and write a paper. The student will place a link to the research articles or journals used on the appropriate wiki page. We will add pages as needed. Students will also be encouraged to participate in the wiki, but adding or updating information they find from their research papers and add it to the wiki.
I am still debating whether or not to put the entire syllabus in the wiki or leave it on blackboard. I am thrilled about the opportunity to use wikis in my new class. I hope it will inspire students to contribute factual, useful, though provoking information to the web. I also hope that increased critical thinking communication is a wonderful by-product.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Will's Blog 2020 Vision
Will Richardson was blogging about the vision of education in 2020. He had read the following quote from Collins and Halverson’s book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology, “we are not going to fix education by fixing the schools”. This quote really disturbed and concerned Will who has two children in the school system. He felt that much could change in the next ten years, but how much really will change. He believes “that the current structure of the education system in this country is fundamentally flawed in preparing students for a life of learning”.
I agree with Will that our structure of education is flawed. I know more about the college system than the K-12 educational system. I know at the college level, students are far superior than most of their instructors when it comes to using technology to find and share information. Because of that, students are learning in a variety of ways that are not traditional. Basic teaching has not changed in 100 years. The teacher standing at the front of the classroom lecturing and students sitting in rows of desks were common place. Today, students learn by reading, writing, and watching the web. I know just as my college students want to use technology to learn, the younger students in school are even more adapt at technology and social media. They are the ones who are really growing up in this techo-environmental age and will know no other way. How will teachers be able to relate in ten years?
Our students need to learn how to continue learning throughout their lives. If teachers cannot guide them, then who? Some students believe everything on the internet is real. Who’s duty is it to tell them the truth and help them find their way through all the murky statements on the web? I hope teachers will still be a facilitating force in 2020.
As for the first quote, I agree that fixing the schools is not the way to fix education. We are moving beyond the walls of the physical school. Ten years ago, on-line courses were just beginning to form. Now on-line courses are the fastest growing courses. At my college one classroom course may have four versions of the same course on-line. Sometimes it is a space issue, other times we just have so many students wanting to take the same course. I understand the issues, but I still hope the classroom does not disappear by 2020.
I agree with Will that our structure of education is flawed. I know more about the college system than the K-12 educational system. I know at the college level, students are far superior than most of their instructors when it comes to using technology to find and share information. Because of that, students are learning in a variety of ways that are not traditional. Basic teaching has not changed in 100 years. The teacher standing at the front of the classroom lecturing and students sitting in rows of desks were common place. Today, students learn by reading, writing, and watching the web. I know just as my college students want to use technology to learn, the younger students in school are even more adapt at technology and social media. They are the ones who are really growing up in this techo-environmental age and will know no other way. How will teachers be able to relate in ten years?
Our students need to learn how to continue learning throughout their lives. If teachers cannot guide them, then who? Some students believe everything on the internet is real. Who’s duty is it to tell them the truth and help them find their way through all the murky statements on the web? I hope teachers will still be a facilitating force in 2020.
As for the first quote, I agree that fixing the schools is not the way to fix education. We are moving beyond the walls of the physical school. Ten years ago, on-line courses were just beginning to form. Now on-line courses are the fastest growing courses. At my college one classroom course may have four versions of the same course on-line. Sometimes it is a space issue, other times we just have so many students wanting to take the same course. I understand the issues, but I still hope the classroom does not disappear by 2020.
Instructional Design
The two instructional design models I will compare and contrast are the ASSURE model and the 4C/ID model. ASSURE incorporates Robert’s Gagne’s event of instruction. The six main components of ASSURE are Analyze learners (identifying general characteristics, entry competencies, and learning styles of your target audience), State objectives (learning outcomes), Select instructional methods, media, and materials, Utilize media and materials, Require learner participation (active learning), and Evaluate and revise. 4C/ID means four components of instructional design. They are Learning Tasks, Supportive Information, Procedural Information and Part-Task Practice.
The two models are similar because they are instructional design models. Both are used for teachers teaching skills, but actually are very different in their approach. ASSURE focuses on bettering your lesson plans, improving teaching using media and student participation and evaluating your lesson and outcomes. 4C/ID focuses on teaching complex skills to solve real problems. Instead of using context or presentations involving media, 4C/!D is based upon performance of task specific skills to acquire learning. Also ASSURE uses prior knowledge assessments as information the student already possess and 4C/ID incorporates just-in-time information to assist in the performance required.
In designing the Basic Nutrition course for Nurses I will teach in the fall, I will use the ASSURE model. It makes sense with the type of course I teach. My learners are students who have applied to the nursing program in at associated degree college and are either taking in or right before their first semester in nursing. They are a motivated group of learners ranging in age from 19 to 60. They are 90% women and have all completed prerequisites in anatomy and physiology. My objective is to facilitate learning about how nutrition and the foods we eat do affect our bodies and health. Poor nutrition leads to health disease and illness. Students will review their own diets in order to understand their future patient’s diets better. I will incorporate power points, lecture, games, video, images, discussion, and a diet project in my instructional design.
The two models are similar because they are instructional design models. Both are used for teachers teaching skills, but actually are very different in their approach. ASSURE focuses on bettering your lesson plans, improving teaching using media and student participation and evaluating your lesson and outcomes. 4C/ID focuses on teaching complex skills to solve real problems. Instead of using context or presentations involving media, 4C/!D is based upon performance of task specific skills to acquire learning. Also ASSURE uses prior knowledge assessments as information the student already possess and 4C/ID incorporates just-in-time information to assist in the performance required.
In designing the Basic Nutrition course for Nurses I will teach in the fall, I will use the ASSURE model. It makes sense with the type of course I teach. My learners are students who have applied to the nursing program in at associated degree college and are either taking in or right before their first semester in nursing. They are a motivated group of learners ranging in age from 19 to 60. They are 90% women and have all completed prerequisites in anatomy and physiology. My objective is to facilitate learning about how nutrition and the foods we eat do affect our bodies and health. Poor nutrition leads to health disease and illness. Students will review their own diets in order to understand their future patient’s diets better. I will incorporate power points, lecture, games, video, images, discussion, and a diet project in my instructional design.
Monday, February 8, 2010
My Teaching Philosophy
Why do I teach? Growing up, my teachers in school provided me with much more positive feedback than my parents. I came to enjoy participating in school and school activities. It felt like home, and I was safe there. When I reflect on my childhood experiences, it does not surprise me that I became a teacher. I love learning, but also standing up in front of people gives me a high. When students are engaged and respond with enthusiasm, I become their cheerleader. I teach to encourage students to explore in a safe environment. I teach adults because their rich histories provide a jumping off point to further their education. My father always said “Knowledge is the one think no one can take away from you”. He was right.
My love of holistic health makes it my favorite subject to teach. Teaching people to care about the body, realize it is wise and especially to listen to what the body says, is extremely important. There are many alternative therapies to conventional medicine. People feel empowered when they realize they have a choice about their own healthcare. As a facilitator, I present new opportunities and paths to consider. As a role model, I inspire students to open their minds.
I teach the way I learn. Actively. I am a hands-on learner. I can memorize information for a test, but I have not assimilated that into real learning. I need my body and hands involved to access my brain. I believe the more a person utilizes all the senses, the more she will incorporate into her being. I found the book Promoting Active Learning: Strategies for the College Classroom by Meyers and Jones during my Masters in Adult Education. I really related to this book. A great quote from it is “… students learn not by just absorbing content (taking copious notes and studying for exams), but by critically analyzing, discussing, and using content in meaningful ways.” I agree. Adults want to share their experiences. My goal is to engage students using group discussions, projects, research papers, games, and roll play. My new goal is to add You Tube, videos and blogs to my teaching.
When students return, days to years later, stating that they became a professional in alternative healthcare, or are thanking me for something I said in class that changed a major situation in their lives, then I know my methods for teaching and learning are effective. The power of information changes peoples’ lives for the better. I am proud to be part of making that difference.
My love of holistic health makes it my favorite subject to teach. Teaching people to care about the body, realize it is wise and especially to listen to what the body says, is extremely important. There are many alternative therapies to conventional medicine. People feel empowered when they realize they have a choice about their own healthcare. As a facilitator, I present new opportunities and paths to consider. As a role model, I inspire students to open their minds.
I teach the way I learn. Actively. I am a hands-on learner. I can memorize information for a test, but I have not assimilated that into real learning. I need my body and hands involved to access my brain. I believe the more a person utilizes all the senses, the more she will incorporate into her being. I found the book Promoting Active Learning: Strategies for the College Classroom by Meyers and Jones during my Masters in Adult Education. I really related to this book. A great quote from it is “… students learn not by just absorbing content (taking copious notes and studying for exams), but by critically analyzing, discussing, and using content in meaningful ways.” I agree. Adults want to share their experiences. My goal is to engage students using group discussions, projects, research papers, games, and roll play. My new goal is to add You Tube, videos and blogs to my teaching.
When students return, days to years later, stating that they became a professional in alternative healthcare, or are thanking me for something I said in class that changed a major situation in their lives, then I know my methods for teaching and learning are effective. The power of information changes peoples’ lives for the better. I am proud to be part of making that difference.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Online Learning
This is my first online class. I am a hands on learner and never felt that this format would assist me in learning. I am teaching my first online class next fall. I wanted to take this course to see what the students feel and also to pick up some tips and techniques of teaching online. I was glad to read that results show "no significant difference" in distance education and face-to-face learning (from our reading). So far, I am having fun designing my own blog and plan to use one in my first class. I look forward to my online experience. Thanks for the thoughts.
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