I have heard Dr. Lowell state time and time again that your grade should not be the main focus in a class but that is very easy to say when you are the one giving the grades! As students, the fact of life is that grades are an important part of any class and when you are in college they become a major determination of whether you graduate with a degree where you will be making money or if you will be taking the class over and paying money. According to his last blog: How to Grow a Blog it states – “In education, however, the product – the grade, the final draft, the test mark – still often takes precedence over the process of learning – the sense of personal journey without which the final destination is meaningless.” I wonder why this statement is so true! I think that Dr. Lowell needs to rethink his class and how he grades. If Dr. Lowell “truly” feels that grades should not be an important part of the learning process then why is grading such a part of his weekly ritual? If we are “putting” up with the chaos of this class and have paid our money and following it through to the end, it is my personal opinion that we should all receive good grades and it should not be based on a total of “450 points to receive an A”. My comment in this blog: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH!
Missing In Action! Tuesday, Oct 30 2007
EDUC 685 2:41 pm
Not that anyone would have noticed, but I have been missing in action for a couple of days! I have had a very busy week in dealing with MAJOR family problems; problems at work; preparing kids for competition, etc. I have determined that there are just not enough hours in my day to deal with what all needs to be dealt with!
Now on to classwork – Clarence Fisher (http://classblogmeister.com)! After reviewing his blog, it is my observation that he teaches 7 and 8 grade; althought I am not sure of the particular subject because there is such a mix/match of postings regarding many different topics from him and his students, it was difficult to determine what exactly he taught. I was really amazed at how his students were actively engaged in his blog entries along with their own.
After conducting research into on-line information regarding Clarence Fisher, one of the most interesting items I found as an educator was a site called Global Voices (http://www.globalvoicesonline.org) which is a blogging site that is designed to allow students to learn about the different events occuring throughout the world from other student’s points of view expressed through their own individual blogs. This site was broken down into regions of the world not to mention several different subject areas. This is a site that is really worth exploring to help with the on-line world for your students.
Action Research – It’s Role in Education Friday, Oct 19 2007
EDUC 685 5:04 pm
As one tries to focus on how we know what we know and how we can learn more, it takes me to another grad class I am currently taking called An Introduction to Action Research and Grant Writing for Educators which deals with a comment I found in the following blog: phaedrus
One way is to gather evidence about a particular phenomenon, create an explanation for it, and then test the explanation. That’s called the scientific method
As educators, I am sure we all can agree that theory plays an important role in making decisions as educators and learners. And as I stated in my previous blog: “theory” is a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena; a belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgement. But we must base theories on facts and the best way to do this is though some form of research. This is where action research comes into play and in my opinion can be a really effective tool in helping to make decisions in classrooms and/or schools. According to the book, A Short Guide to Action Research by Andrew P. Johnson, Action Research is defined as a process of studying a real school or classroom situation to understand and improve the quality of actions of instruction. I know that you may argue that just because you conduct a study in your school and/or classroom and compile research based on a particular problem or set of problems you may be having doesn’t mean that that particular research would apply to others, but who’s classroom are we really trying to improve: ours or other educators? As I stated once before, teaching is a “fly by the seat of your pants” type situtation and what works for one may not work for others but as educators, we keep searching and researching through what others have observed for the main purpose of trying to find what helps us improve our classrooms and help our students learn or become better learners.
The Change Theory Friday, Oct 19 2007
EDUC 685 4:40 pm
I live my life by a statement my great grandmother used to always say (I know she didn’t come up with it and I am not sure who did) which goes something like this – The one thing you can depend on staying the same is the fact that things will always change! Life is an ever changing event; one must always keep in mind, that in order to receive something new or different, you will almost always have to give up something in return.
Connectivism Blog
On distinctions between “change” and “becoming”
As educators, our emphasis needs to be on increasing learners ability to function in unknowing environments. A lesson we first need to learn ourselves.
I felt that this was a very profound statement from the blog listed above because I see, too many times, educators that are not willing to change with the times. Which is really sad to me because when educators are not willing to change and learn then it is my personal opinion that students will have difficulty learning. Looking back when I was in school as opposed to the students today, I see how much has changed with technology and what is required of teachers in the area of technology. It is imperative that teachers learn as much as they can about this area and also learn from their students. It has been my observation (and I teach technology) I can learn a great deal from my students and build on the knowledge base that I already have regarding this subject. I am an individual willing to change but on many occasions, I still can’t change fast enough to keep up with the times. In reference to my statement above regarding when you recieve something, you will be giving something up; with technology, I feel I am gaining knowledge but losing my time in the process! Changing with technology requires putting a lot of hours into it; as I get older, I am wondering if I am losing more then I am gaining?
Theory or Religion: That is the Question! Friday, Oct 19 2007
EDUC 685 2:19 pm
When trying to think about theories and the many different ones out there on just about every subject known to man, I began to think what is the definition of “theory”? So I went to my trusty computer and typed in “theory”. According to the Yahoo definition, “theory” is a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena especially one that has been repeatedly tested or is widely accepted and can be used to make predictions about natural phenomena; a belief or principle that guides action or assists comprehension or judgement. As I think back on all the education classes I have had and all the “theories” I have had to read about regarding education, I realized that there were and are a lot of individuals out there with very little to do but come up with “belief’s and/or principles that guides actions or assists comprehension or judgement“! Not that I am saying this is a bad thing, but I am not one of those individuals! When looking to define “religion”, I found that Webster defines religion as an organized system of beliefs, rites, and celebrations centered on a supernatural being power; belief pursued with devotion.
So in thinking about the question presented by Dr. Lowell: Is constructivism a theory or a religion? Why? I tried to research what constructivism represents and discovered that constructivism basically states “the learner is a unique individual – Social constructivism views each learner as a unique individual with unique needs and backgrounds ” (Constructivism (learning theory) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Constructivism also “believes” that the learner builds upon previous knowledge and skill in order to learn and apply new knowledge and skill. Which would make perfect sense because one would have a difficult time learning algebra concepts if they have been unable to master the basic concepts such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. As a teacher, I have found that when a student has a knowledge base regarding a particular subject, it is much easier to move forward on new concepts because they can apply what they already know with the new concepts they are learning.
So in researching the information listed above and based on the definitions, I would have to say that constructivism would fall under both definitions. Constructivism would be considered a theory by most, because it is a set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena. In this case, many educational systems are based on the statements that have been devised regarding “the learner”. But one could also consider it a “religion”, because it is looked at as an organized system of beliefs that many educational systems are devoted to. In my personal opinion, I believe that it has taken a combination of all the different “theories” regarding learning and the learner to help develop the system we have today and even with all that said, there is much room for improvement in all areas of education! 
Power Thought Thursday, Oct 18 2007
EDUC 685 12:27 pm
I am the creative power in my world. I express myself creatively as much as possible.
Power Thoughts: 365 Daily Affirmations by Louise L. Hay
Teachers and Students Meet in the Middle Friday, Oct 12 2007
EDUC 685 1:32 pm
This article discussed how important it is that teachers become students and students become teachers (http://www.edutopia.org/teachers-and-students-meet-middle-learners). This is a concept that I implement on a regular basis in my classroom because in the seven years I have been teaching, I have learned so much from my students. Where I teach computer maintenance and repair along with networking concepts, I have set my classroom up as a “real-world working environment” meaning that when problems arise, I require my students to work through those problems as a team by bouncing ideas off each other until the problem is solved. I very rarely provide solutions; I usually help my students solve problems though questions that will help them find the solution. This can frustrate my students, but they are so excited and pleased with themselves when they solve problems that have been set before them!
Learning and How It Occurs Thursday, Oct 11 2007
EDUC 685 2:49 am
As I have been reading certain sites about the “Learning Pyramid” I was directed to: Will at Work Learning: People remember 10%, 20%…Oh Really? and one of the statements from that particular site stated: “learning results depend on too many variables”. As I stated before, I do believe that different individuals learn in many different ways but I think that one area that hasn’t been addressed is the variables. When I think of variables, I think about students that are mentally challenged, or how about those poor students that come from abusive homes. I have also had students that can’t learn because they were up all night because mom and dad are on durgs and got into a domestic dispute and was tossed in jail and it took till the early hours of the morning before they could find someone that was “willing” to take the child in. I know that many of you have these children in your classrooms and these are very important variables that effect many aspects of the learning environment! If you are not aware that these types of events are happening in some of your student’s lives, maybe you need to get to know your students better.
I know that we have looked a many aspects of the educational system and picked apart things we have been taught as teachers, to be teachers, but I still believe that there is a “Santa Clause” (this was part of a comment on the following blog: » Teachers and Students as Learners Joe McConda’s Distance Learning 685) and many of the concepts are good and do work. No system is perfect; education is just like any other product sometimes the product works and sometimes it doesn’t but the best thing is to keep trying ingredients until you happen upon a good mixture!
Role of the Teacher – Rehashed! Monday, Oct 8 2007
EDUC 685 12:56 pm
There were three questions ask for week seven of the course and I would like to take the opportunity to address “my opinion” of those questions:
1. What do you think the role of teacher is? Does it differ if you’re in a classroom or online? In my opinion, the role of a teacher is to impart knowledge and prepare students to be well-prepared functioning citizens in society. This role does not differ from the classroom environment to the online environment.
2. What is the relationship between teacher and learner? This is a very important relationship that must be developed based on need of the learner. I also believe that everyone is different and unique and as a teacher, it is my responsiblity to learn from my “learners” what those differences are and how to effectively address those difference to make learning interesting and fun for each of them. People like to be recognized as an individual not part of a group and on may occassions, I believe teachers are so wrapped up in teaching that they forget the students that are before them (classroom, online or otherwise).
3. Is the role of teacher imposed upon you? Or does it arise from within? This question depends on who you are speaking with! If someone had of told me 15 years ago, that I would be in a classroom room setting with students in front of me I would have laughed. If they had of told me that I would be really enjoying it, I would have “really” laughed. I believe that some individuals are meant to be teachers – and you don’t have to have a classroom to be a teacher. And I think some people go into teaching for other reasons (coaching, etc.) and in those instances, I do think that education is imposed upon those individuals because it doesn’t come “natural” to them.
Teaching and learning can be a wonderful experience for both student and teacher and in my opinion, those who are “truly” effective teachers inspire their students and also learn from their students! I have learned throughout my seven years of teaching, that my students have just as much to offer me, as I have to offer them!
Power Thought for October 4th! Thursday, Oct 4 2007
EDUC 685 7:17 pm
“I am always presented with new and wonderful opportunities. I flow with what is happening in the moment.”
Power Thoughts: 365 Daily Affirmations by Louise L. Hay
