EDLD 5364 Week 1 Reflection

This week’s assignment was interesting and frustrating. The most interesting part was the readings about how students learn. Through the readings, we learned about constructivism and connnectivism. These talk about how students learn either through the shared knowledge of others or through the experiences in life. I personally feel that this is a combination of both. Children learn at an early age about life or a subject through interactions with others and at the same time they learn on their own. They can be told not to do something but until they experience the lesson does not take hold. The other part of the readings and videos we learned about cyborgism. This was interesting and at the same time a bit scary or freaky. I realize that as technology grows our access to it will become part of us. I am not sure I am ready for it to become actually “part” of me. Having implants put in me is not something I am ready for. The frustrating part of this week’s assignment was the transition from EPIC to Blackboard. I had just gotten used to EPIC and understood how to make it work for me and then we changed. We are still not able to upload our discussion board due to a technical glitch in the system. The highlight of the week was that I get to work with an awesome group of educators on a group project. Our group works very well together and our strengths compliment each other. The web conference this week mostly focused on the introduction to the course and discussing the switch over to Black Board.

EDLD 5366 Self Reflection

“Critical reflection has been elevated to the major objective of adult education in the work of Mezirow (1990)”. (Atherton, 2011) By using critical reflection, a student can assess their work to see how it applies in their current work place. Using Peter Pappas’ “Taxonomy of Reflection” is a great way to explain how a critical reflection could be used and implemented in the classroom. (Pappas, 2010) Pappas’ first critical reflection is “Remembering: What did I do?” During this course I have learned numerous ways of incorporating Digital Graphics and Website Design into the K-12 classroom. While some of lessons I had knowledge of, it was a fresh way of looking at how these ideas could be utilized. The most notable lesson was the use of making digital graphics. This was a new experience for me; to develop a method of showing students how to make the movement of an object or pattern into something entertaining. This simple lesson can teach students the mechanics of movement and flow as a problem solving exercise. Using the acronym “C.R.A.P.”, contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity, it is easier now to distinguish quality works of graphic design in books, posters, and website. This was a new concept to me. Using this acronym with my students will help them in other areas of media production as well as spatial relationships in math and science. Next comes “Understanding: What was important about it?” The importance of this course was to gain an understanding of how all the critical elements of graphics design and a website can lead to better teaching experiences for students and educators. In today’s world of visual stimulus, what we do, think, and feel is interconnected through visual input. Mike Parkinson states, “What we see has a profound effect on on what we do, how we feel, and who we are. Through experience and experimentation, we continually increase our understanding of the visual world and how we are influenced by it”. (Parkinson, 2012) By understanding how to make a presentation more visually stimulating and engaging, students will learn easily and their attention will stay on the subject. Sharing this knowledge with fellow educators will increase learning across all grade levels. Pappas goes on to the next level of taxonomy with “Applying: Where could I use this again?” I have designed and implemented several websites over the past several years, however, with this new knowledge I could have made those websites and designs much better. I can now take the knowledge I already had and couple it with the new strategies from this course to make the next website design far better. This joining of old and new strategies could be used to assist my school with reaching out to students and parents to engage them in learning and further studies. Next in the higher order of taxonomy from Pappas is “Analyzing: Do I see any patterns in what I did?” I used my peers and group to help with this concept. I found that patterns help to reinforce visual statements or to concentrate on a specific item. Making the personal logo was a challenge for me but with the help of my wife and my teammates’ input my logo fit my personality perfectly. I used the patterns of spheres going from large to small to represent the things in education I like most. This repetition, or pattern, emphasized the overall concept of education and the pattern that each of the other areas making up the whole. My peers gave me great insight to this and made the experience more enriching. Pappas’ next to the last level is “Evaluating: How well did I do?” I did exceptionally well in this course. I am not an art driven person, but with the new concepts I learned in this course, I have developed a better understanding of what would make a presentation more visually appealing and would make the reader want to learn more. Regardless of the grade, I have made great strides in understanding what makes a presentation better. “Students can become better language learners when they engage in deliberate thought about what they are learning and how they are learning it.” (NCLRC, 2004) Pappas’ last and highest level of taxonomy is “Creating: What should I do next?” I will take this new knowledge and apply it to my teaching. Through the use of visual graphics and effective visual aides, I will be able to have a much better presentation in classroom instruction when using the computer or printed media. I can take the knowledge of this course and share it with other faculty members to enhance their classes. Using a website to communicate with students and parents is another way to extend my classroom. Websites offer a way to share events, ideas, and thoughts to the students/parents and by using polls and surveys, can have them communicate with me concerning the classroom activities. Bibliography Atherton, J. S. (2011). Learning and Teaching: Critical Reflection. Retrieved August 16, 2012, from Learningandteaching.info: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/critical1.htm NCLRC. (2004). Assessing Learning: Peer and Self Assessment. Retrieved August 16, 2012, from The National Capital Language Resource Center: http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/assessing/peereval.htm Pappas, P. (2010). A Taxonomy of Reflection: Critical Thinking for Students, Teachers, and Principals (Part1). Retrieved August 16, 2012, from Copy / Paste: http://www.peterpappas.com/2010/01/taxonomy-reflection-critical-thinking-students-teachers-principals-.html Parkinson, M. (2012). The Power of Visual Communication. Retrieved August 17, 2012, from Billion Dollar Graphics: http://www.billiondollargraphics.com/infographics.html