This week was a busy one. I began to make connections between the readings from this week and past week. I did struggle a bit making the connections between the Davidson reading and the Johnson video. Interestingly, I think it might have been due in large part to the difference between a very complex two-chapter reading assignment and a 16 minute dynamic video presentation.
After I thought about it, I realized that it says something about myself as a learner. Shorter is better and the dynamism of an individual presenter and voice made the content easier to process. I think in the coming weeks, I am going to see if I can do things a little bit differently for upcoming readings. Making the content more interactive for myself and asking myself to make connections along the way will, I hope, help me to process the information and make the information immediately relevant, instead of waiting until the end to try and make the connections.
Or I could borrow one of my friend's babies to recreate the observations that Davidson makes about baby Andrew? I would probably get distracted, talking in baby talk and changing diapers, so maybe not.
As I was looking at the wikis we have been creating, I began to think that already, my brain is processing information differently. When I was reading the text, I was getting bogged down in the visual expanse of the print. Where were the links? Where was the handy embedded video showing the Cymbalta commerical? Is it true that even my 45-year old brain, programmed in my early childhood by books and 1970s television (such as it was), has been changed by my exposure to digital information and the Internet?
Many studies seem to focus exclusively on the infant, child and adolescent brain. I am going to start looking for some information about how our adult brains have changed since the wide-spread use of the Internet. This seems like it would be an important thing to know as I continue my work with adult learners.
Perhaps I will start with this article:
The Internet: is it changing the way we think?
Friday, September 26, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Learn. Know. Teach.
To know, to learn, to teach. These three activities or guides frame our learning experiences throughout our lives. Beginning with our first moments in the world, these experiences move too swiftly through our childhood and years of formal schooling. If we are fortunate, the experiences continue throughout our lives.
To know is the result of taking in information and processing it. Knowledge is information placed in context, when we understand not simply the facts but also the implications of the facts. To truly know something means that we have integrated the information into our world, and why it is important.
To learn is to be exposed to information, then to take that information and create an understanding and structure for putting the information into our own context. When we learn, we draw upon our own experiences (what many teachers call “background information”) to give knowledge meaning.
To teach is a multi-step process that combines both knowing and learning. It begins with the presentation of information, which could (and should) come in a variety of formats. In an ideal world, teaching will activate a learner’s background information, helping the student place the information in a relevant context. The teacher can then use a variety of techniques and/or assignments to check for understanding, and assessing what the learner has absorbed based on previously established learning objectives. And in many cases (in my opinion, the best cases) the teacher’s own understanding is developed and altered, and they too become a learner.
As I have laid it out here, this process is complex, but once embedded in practice, becomes a natural process, whether in a classroom, a studio, a living room or an online forum.
To know is the result of taking in information and processing it. Knowledge is information placed in context, when we understand not simply the facts but also the implications of the facts. To truly know something means that we have integrated the information into our world, and why it is important.
To learn is to be exposed to information, then to take that information and create an understanding and structure for putting the information into our own context. When we learn, we draw upon our own experiences (what many teachers call “background information”) to give knowledge meaning.
To teach is a multi-step process that combines both knowing and learning. It begins with the presentation of information, which could (and should) come in a variety of formats. In an ideal world, teaching will activate a learner’s background information, helping the student place the information in a relevant context. The teacher can then use a variety of techniques and/or assignments to check for understanding, and assessing what the learner has absorbed based on previously established learning objectives. And in many cases (in my opinion, the best cases) the teacher’s own understanding is developed and altered, and they too become a learner.
As I have laid it out here, this process is complex, but once embedded in practice, becomes a natural process, whether in a classroom, a studio, a living room or an online forum.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Educational Technology
This fall semester brings me to a new course - Educational Technology. I am looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, as well as meeting some new people. I am a bit nervous about the new format - only one face-to-face session each month! But I am excited to have a very busy semester! Stay tuned for my first reflection from my EdTech class.
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