I am so proud of myself at the moment - yes I know...it is only a Blog. But it wasn't very long ago (only a few short weeks actually), that I was asking anyone and everyone who would listen, what a blog was and why did we need it? Well, I have suprised myself and I hope to now work towards becoming a successful blogger! I have certainly been very inspired by all in my current course of study.
This feeling of achievement and sense of accomplishment certainly allowed me to reflect on just how important ICTs could be to engage learners in the learning process. Reflecting on my own learning, something that this current course of study has prompted me to do, I have been able to once again be conscious of the joy and sense of achievment I feel when I am engaged in the learning process. Aurther Costa described this as "responding with wonder and awe" in his work: Describing the 16 Habits of Mind. Once again my curiosity has been ignited!
I felt excited and nervous as I set out to complete this task, but feel such a sense of achievement in being able to do it. I know setting up a blog is not rocket science, but the satisfaction for me was in the process, the learning experience. It has been an achievement for me as it is something that is relevant to the real world and something that has certainly taken me outside of my "comfort zone". This, I now realise with awe and certainty, is how I want my learners to feel and feeling it myself, I know that I can deliver!
Scot Aldred (my CQ University Lecturer) clearly outlined that the Rules of Engagement for ICTs use in pedagogy must be that the ICTs are used to enhance the learning experience, making it more effecitive and meaningful. In addition, their use and incorporation into any learning experience must make the learning manager's job easier - not more time intensive.
With this in mind, the simplicity of setting up a blog, the little time it takes to do it, the immediacy of information and help available and the freedom (both creatively and financially) make it a wonderful tool for any learner of any level or learning style or learning intelligence to master. Learning styles include Dale's Cone of Experience which is based on Active Learning where the effectiveness of learning varies in accordance with the type of media involved in the learning experience. Learning Styles have also been described by Richard Felder in his Index of Learning Styles. The following movie is delivered by Howard Gardner and is based on his theory of Multiple Intelligence:
Personality has also been researched extensively and linked to learning through such examples as Jung and Meyer's-Briggs personality sorter and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
I have been engaged in this course - ICT's in Learning Design (in which I am currently enroled at CQ Unversity) for only four short weeks now and I have come to understand the central concept of the course. In Scot Aldred's words, this course is about "engaging students, not enraging them". That is, it is about Engagement and how this can counteract, or better still, avoid Behaviour Management issues. Essentially as outlined in Marzano's Dimensions of Learning (Marzano & Pickering. 2006) and Lynch's (8LMQs)Eight Learning Management Questions (Lynch. 2003), knowing what your learners know and how they learn will ultimately lead to the ability to become an effective Learning Manager and deliver ICT pedagogy that will cater for all types of learners and learning personalities, thus engaging students, enhancing learning and achieving positive outcomes.
Keeping all of this in mind, I forsee the use of blogs in my learning management as a way of allowing my learners to be reflective (an important part of higher learning) as well as being in charge of, and creative in the pursuit of their own learning journeys. I will be encouraging their use for students as a way of documently their own learning journeys, just as learning journeys in the classroom today are part of some areas, but done with paper and pen. I would also use blogs for professional interaction and discourse between my learners, myself and my peers. I beleive blogs to be an effective tool in assisting in the different and varied learning styles of my learners, whilst being accessible and easy to use.
I now look forward to updating my blog and keeping it regular with hopefully interesting reflections, insights, feedbacks and information.
Good luck everyone. See you on blogger!
Kylie B
References:
Costa. A. Describing the 16 Habits of Mind retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/15802003/16-Habits-of-Mind
Felder. R. Index of Learning Styles (ILS) retrieved from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html
Gardner. H. Theory of Multiple Intelligence retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QtSbP4FRg&feature=player_embedded
Jung and Brigg's-Meyer. Identify Your Type with Jung Typology Test retrieved from http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
Marzano. R., Pickering. D. (2006). The Dimensions of Learning. Teacher's Manual. Victoria. Hawker Brownlow Education.
Mazlow. A. 1970 Motiviation and Personality (2nd ed). Harper and Row.
No comments:
Post a Comment