This week has been a huge, steep (but fun!) learning curve for me in terms of ICT. I can now say I have blogged, glogged, created a voki, discovered how wikis work, created online bookmarking, created online quizzes, created online mind maps, and learnt alot about myself through online learning style tests. Wow! I can't believe how many new account username and passwords I have created this week. If I was smart about it, I would have made them all the same so that I would have a chance of remembering them!! I have reflected on my learning styles in previous blog posts, and how I might be able to utilise some of the tools in the classroom (or how to incorporate the different learning styles of students in a class). ICT does have links with all learning styles ... the trick will be to use them effectively.
I am also very excited about the concept of connectivism. I believe the students need a basic understanding of the fundamentals (literacy and numeracy) of the subject, but from there on, I love the idea that it's not what they know, but how they find it. The video on Moodle about the connectivist student got me thinking of creative ways for students to do Science and Home Ec assignments. Gone are the days of learning the facts, and regurgitating them out for the exam or assignment (nothing of which is every retained for future use!).
Looking forward to a just-as-exciting week 2.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Mind mapping
I have always loved mind maps, so was excited to try one of the online tools this week. According to the Cognitivism learning theory (explored in more detail in this posting), mind maps can be an effective way to organise and "chunk" information so that it can be transferred from the working memory (short term memory) to the long term memory.
I chose a simple topic of making a chocolate cake (to go with my Home Ec theme) just so I could easily try out the tool. It was easy to use, however, I didn't like it as much as freehand drawing a mind map on a whiteboard or butchers paper ... I love the curvy lines you can create with a pen, and the ability to let the mindmap go in whatever direction you like. If found the online tool was a bit restrictive in that I had to keep moving "trains of thought" as they were bunching up with others (a formatting issue).
But I could see how the online version would be beneficial for a classroom ... you can easily save the finished mindmap and could print off / email to all the students for their copy (or they could create and save their own).
I chose a simple topic of making a chocolate cake (to go with my Home Ec theme) just so I could easily try out the tool. It was easy to use, however, I didn't like it as much as freehand drawing a mind map on a whiteboard or butchers paper ... I love the curvy lines you can create with a pen, and the ability to let the mindmap go in whatever direction you like. If found the online tool was a bit restrictive in that I had to keep moving "trains of thought" as they were bunching up with others (a formatting issue).
But I could see how the online version would be beneficial for a classroom ... you can easily save the finished mindmap and could print off / email to all the students for their copy (or they could create and save their own).
I found another mind mapping program that I preferred ... NovaMind5. This is not a free program, but I was able to download a free 30 day trial. NovaMind5 was much more user-friendly and allowed me to customise the mind map to the way I preferred. It was easy to move paths around, and it allowed for either structured links or fluid links (like I would do when handwriting a concept map). I also liked how I was able to add text/notes to each picture or concept. This would be beneficial for students so that they can add extra information about the concept or picture. In this concept map, I used the notes function to add the source of the images. As the NovaMind5 website claims, their online concept mapping can cater to the learning preferences of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. I agree with them, because being a visual learner, I liked being able to insert pictures and modified the layout of the map to the way I like to think. Here's my experiment with the NovaMind5 concept map, using obesity as the topic (not an exhaustive concept map on obesity, but just a start to play with the tool):
Multiple Intelligences
Here are my "results" for the Multiple Intelligences learning style test ....
Like the Felder and Solomon test, I was also not familiar with Gardner's Multiple Intelligences terminology. Here's the link directly to the Multiple Intelligences site for further explanation of the categories.
I wasn't overly surprised by these results, however, I didn't realise I was so Logical. I thought I would be strongest in the Visual/Spatial area because I find I learn best through using pictures. Maybe I should be a maths teacher instead?? I'm a bit embarrassed by my very very very low musical and naturalistic scores, and the fact that I seem to know myself better than wanting to be with other people.
So now thinking how the multiple intelligences can link with e-learning .... I can see that nature smart, picture smart and music smart all lend themselves perfectly to ICT. Getting students to take the Multiple Intelligence test could be a good way for them to become Myself smart ... to learn about their strengths and weaknesses (if they don't know already). Word smart and number smart can be super fun these days through the use of the many educational apps available. People smart people (!) would love the social component of school and group work and probably immerse themselves in social networks (hopefully learning related!). Body smart students would thrive in the physical activity components of school ... and not just at HPE, I think they would love practical activities, like science excursions, and hands on pracs (like the cooking and sewing lessons in Home Ec). I'm not sure if there are any educational Xbox Kinect or Wii games out there, but I am sure the body smart students would love these (any opportunity to jump around).
However, like I mentioned in a previous blog post about Felder and Solomon's learning style test, it is important, as a teacher, to use a mix of activities that will cater for all learning preferences in the class whenever possible.
Like the Felder and Solomon test, I was also not familiar with Gardner's Multiple Intelligences terminology. Here's the link directly to the Multiple Intelligences site for further explanation of the categories.
I wasn't overly surprised by these results, however, I didn't realise I was so Logical. I thought I would be strongest in the Visual/Spatial area because I find I learn best through using pictures. Maybe I should be a maths teacher instead?? I'm a bit embarrassed by my very very very low musical and naturalistic scores, and the fact that I seem to know myself better than wanting to be with other people.
So now thinking how the multiple intelligences can link with e-learning .... I can see that nature smart, picture smart and music smart all lend themselves perfectly to ICT. Getting students to take the Multiple Intelligence test could be a good way for them to become Myself smart ... to learn about their strengths and weaknesses (if they don't know already). Word smart and number smart can be super fun these days through the use of the many educational apps available. People smart people (!) would love the social component of school and group work and probably immerse themselves in social networks (hopefully learning related!). Body smart students would thrive in the physical activity components of school ... and not just at HPE, I think they would love practical activities, like science excursions, and hands on pracs (like the cooking and sewing lessons in Home Ec). I'm not sure if there are any educational Xbox Kinect or Wii games out there, but I am sure the body smart students would love these (any opportunity to jump around).
However, like I mentioned in a previous blog post about Felder and Solomon's learning style test, it is important, as a teacher, to use a mix of activities that will cater for all learning preferences in the class whenever possible.
Learning Styles - Felder and Soloman
I love a good online learning style or personality test!
Here are my results of the Felder and Soloman learning styles test. Having not done this specific learning style test before, I was unfamiliar with the category terms they use to describe learners. Therefore, I have provided a link for those who may also be unfamiliar with the terms.
I have to say, I definitely thought I was an active learner (but the results here show I'm on the fence between active and reflective). I'm a doer, and struggle if I just have to sit and listen, however, I do like to work through problems or new concepts on my own at times, so maybe that's what swayed me to be a bit of both active and reflective. I wasn't surprised by my strong sway towards being a sensing, visual and sequential learner. To me, pictures do tell a 1000 words ... so show me, don't tell me!
I suppose in teaching, the challenge will be to cater for all students and their many different learning style combinations. Obviously there is no way you can accomodate all the learning styles in every class, so the key will be to ensure a wide mix of activities throughout the unit to ensure students of all learning styles are catered for. However, I need to remember that some activities will appeal to some students, while others may become disengaged ... for example, the repetition of practicing to balance science equations may appeal to the sensing students, however, the intuitive students may struggle with boredom. Thankfully there are masses of ICT tools that can be used for all learning styles, so hopefully there will be tools out there that may help engage those students.
The other consideration is that I need to ensure I don't sway towards my own learning style. Effective teaching must be student-centred, so I must cater to the needs of my students (and not my learning preferences). Doing a test similar to this would be useful for a class - to determine how the students best learn, what what mix of styles you have in one class.
Here are my results of the Felder and Soloman learning styles test. Having not done this specific learning style test before, I was unfamiliar with the category terms they use to describe learners. Therefore, I have provided a link for those who may also be unfamiliar with the terms.
I have to say, I definitely thought I was an active learner (but the results here show I'm on the fence between active and reflective). I'm a doer, and struggle if I just have to sit and listen, however, I do like to work through problems or new concepts on my own at times, so maybe that's what swayed me to be a bit of both active and reflective. I wasn't surprised by my strong sway towards being a sensing, visual and sequential learner. To me, pictures do tell a 1000 words ... so show me, don't tell me!
I suppose in teaching, the challenge will be to cater for all students and their many different learning style combinations. Obviously there is no way you can accomodate all the learning styles in every class, so the key will be to ensure a wide mix of activities throughout the unit to ensure students of all learning styles are catered for. However, I need to remember that some activities will appeal to some students, while others may become disengaged ... for example, the repetition of practicing to balance science equations may appeal to the sensing students, however, the intuitive students may struggle with boredom. Thankfully there are masses of ICT tools that can be used for all learning styles, so hopefully there will be tools out there that may help engage those students.
The other consideration is that I need to ensure I don't sway towards my own learning style. Effective teaching must be student-centred, so I must cater to the needs of my students (and not my learning preferences). Doing a test similar to this would be useful for a class - to determine how the students best learn, what what mix of styles you have in one class.
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