Week 1 - Engagement Activity 3: Prensky

Reflection on Prensky's ideas

Why wouldn't kids love to learn this way? It has it all, picture, color, audio, action, and lovely music.

2.     What is your belief and understanding of the nature of today's learners? Do they really "demand" technology in the classroom?

Technology is everywhere in our life, learners learn to be able to live or have a better live. If what students learn from school has no relation with what is happening around them, they will not be easily engaged. It is a nature of them to demand technology in the classroom, and teachers should be equipped with the updated ICT skills to teach them.

I still remember the first time I had a computer class in 1990s that was when I started learn how to type, and getting familiar with computer keyboard. That's about 20 years ago, yet I still can feel how excited and how was everyone in the class was hooked and counting the days down to the next computer class.J.

3.     Is there substance to the "engage or enrage" argument?

Engaging student is probably the key to a successful learning experience in the classroom, if teachers not engaging any learners, then there is not much point having that class. Student not engaged is a warning sign for today’s education system. There have been a lot of changes around today’s schools, more and more technologies have been introduced to school, that shows one side of the argument is winning.

Thanks
Tina

Week 1 - Engagement Activity 2: multi intelligence

Multiple Intelligence test.

Obviously I am not Body, word or nature smart, now that is a bit depressing :(.
But looking on the bride side of the result I can see that I did understand myself since very young, I knew I would have no trouble with Math, and I pushed my parents to buy me a piano so  I can learn how to play piano. Not that I am a musician or mathematician but these are the things I do enjoy and don't find much frustration from it.

I always find myself learn better when there is step by step logic, if I am missing a link somewhere I won't be able to carry on or move on very well. So this might be explain why I work like that. I will carry on with making summaries or outline of what I have learned, and try to link them together into a big picture later, and using highlighters and graphs to help me understand them.

I will try to spend more effort on increase my literature skills, which is a major weakness for me at the moment.

Good test, it really reflected how I think of myself.

Week 1- Engagement Activity 1: learning styles

Engagement Activity 1: Learning Styles 

l  If your score on a scale is 1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of that scale.

l  If your score on a scale is 5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching environment which favors that dimension.

l  If your score on a scale is 9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference.

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

1.     What is your learning style? What sorts of learning experiences would suit you best with your learning style?

• I am both active and reflective learner, since my score is fairly well balanced on those two dimensions.I would do some reading and thinking on my own, and try to understand the materials on my own words, follows by a group discussion and sharing is the kind of learning style for me.
• I am a sensing learner, I would do well if the knowledge is linked to fact and easy for me to memorized new materials but I find it really nervous and frustration if there are some part of the material that's new and hard for me find a relationship or see how that can be applied in real world. I would learn by memorise material and look for how to apply it.
• I prefer visual learning slightly more than verbal learning. I would like to gather materials and write it down and draw links between them. Discussion in groups and explain helps me to understand.
• I am both sequential and global learner, I prefer to look at the big picture first and understand why and what I am doing, then I will seek for understanding for detail knowledge.

2.     In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?

In a classroom, students will be in such a diverse that will need all different learning style to care for them. The best style for me to cover everyone is to choose the one that balance in between for each learning style. Making sure there are graphs and written summaries, there are discussion and thinking time, logical steps and innovation topics, logic step learning and big picture outline. This will be quite challenge to include in one class, but should be considered when doing lesson plan.

3.     With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?

I would struggle to prepare lesson plan with just whiteboard or papers, ICT will provide the platform for teachers to be able to squeeze more learning materials for one class. Video tapes, graphs or outline summaries will be able to demonstrate by using ICT. This will attract more students in the classroom, and cover more learners. This is sort of teaching in 3D rather 2D in some sense.

4.     What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyone's preferences?

Questions can help me to find out individual student’s learning style, such as the following may help:

•  Can someone tell me what I have missed between step 1 and 2?
• Can someone tell me that what we trying to find after today’s class?
•  Who understand what this picture means?
•  Who want to try some other way of solving this equation?

5.     How does ICT support differences in learning styles?

For example if a student sees the big picture of the learning material quickly but struggle to understand the detail, but student also a reflective learn that does not prefer to apply the knowledge with group of other students. ICT would encourage student to get in contact with instructor in another form, that student may stil believe he/she learning on his/her own, and doing extra time for study. Instructor will be able to interact with more learners and able to help them understand the materials.

Hello

Welcome to Tina'a Blog.

I will be sharing my ICT learning experience here. Watching youtube during lecture is really a lot of fun:)

Just one sharing today, humor really goes a long way, why is that people enjoy something that's funny?
Kids love funny jokes too, I certainly liked my teachers who were funny and always have a sense of humor. But these family down here certainly taking mathematics seriously :)