Am I Coming in Clear

The three forms of communication were drastically different.

The email started off friendly but quickly went downhill.  She had great etiquette by acknowledging he may have been busy with another task.  Right after the acknowledgement she quickly became hostile or what could have been perceived as being hostile.  "The problem with email and social media is that it can be difficult to determine the tone.  You may mean something as a joke, but if it comes off pushy or angry, you could cause an unintended reaction from the recipient" (Olson 2012).

The voicemail was in a soft tone and gave reasoning on the urgency of the information being received.  "Provide a positive reinforcement when a job well-done, and find ways to add in tips for improvement without being "that boss" (Olson 2012).

The face to face meeting provided body language that was a key element to effective communication.  She expressed needing the documents and how it would effect her deadlines.  She never showed any emotion except for calmness which would make a worker willingly complete a task.

The way the messages are perceived depends on psychological or cultural backgrounds.  We are living in a society of text based communication which is easily misread daily. While we need to be mindful of which form of communication works better for the other party.  We also need to make sure it sends the intended message by proofreading the message first. 

Felicia

Olson, L.  10 Ways to Communicate Better at Work.  U.S. News.  Retrieved on 24 September 2017 from https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/08/14/10-ways-to-communicate-better-at-work-

POST MORTEM

Four years ago, I switched from industry to education.  I have been a surgical technologist for the last fourteen years. Initially students were assigned a pre-operative report, set-up schematic, and post-operative report and all reports were due for each assigned procedure.  In 2015 we switched from hand written reports to google drive because we could grade the assignments anywhere and did not have to carry around the papers.  This allowed to students to get feedback quicker which increased their chance for success.  

The first class to use drive only had seven students, but they were all millennials and caught on quickly.  Our 2016-2017 cohort did not do as well, which caused a lot of missed assignments and lower scores for the students.  We added an extra information session on submitting the assignments but again this designed failed that group of students.    For the second semester, we decided to redesign the drive accounts.  The students were placed in groups of three and each group had at least one computer savvy student.  All students are still required to upload a schematic and pre-operative report.  The post operative report is a shared report and each student has to update it after they have completed that procedure.  The only initial issue was students were not citing their sources properly but the design has been successful up to this point.  In the future it may have to be designed again but that goes with knowing your audience. 

Fe

It Goes Down In the PM's

Hello 6145,

I am Fe, and this my 11th class at Walden.  I switched from Early Childhood Education to IDT.  If life stops happening I should finish this degree next spring.  Looking for to building relationships with you all throughout our careers. 

Fe

Defining Distance Education

Your personal definition and observations of distance learning before starting this course.  Consider what you learned about distance learning this week and how this learning influenced your personal definition.

Distance education are classes that are not completed at a traditional brick and mortar pace or establishment.  Students communicate with their instructor but it does not have to be face to face.  Typically more than half of the class is on a flexible schedule.  Distance education is not new buy with technological advancements its allowed the concept to grow.

Before this week, I thought I was educated on what distance learning included.  In high school a few of us took correspondence courses to lighten our load senior year or to graduate a year early.  After research this week I found out that was considered as the first generation of distance learning.

Your revised definition, which combines your previous thoughts about distance learning with new information you learned this week.

After this week, I have learned that distance learning has transformed over the years "Eminent historian Frederick Jackson Turner ran correspondence program of the University of Wisconsin in the late 1800's"(Simonson).  Distance education includes education, industry, and medicine.  Without the use of the worldwide web its advancements to the current level of success would have stalled out.  "In Florida there is a mandate that every public school district must establish a virtual K-8 and K-12 school"(Simonson).  If this is implemented it may improve the educational ratings in those districts.  The flipped classroom model forces the student to read the required literature and not depend on the instructors lecture to understand the material. 

 Mind Map

A summary of your vision for the future of distance learning as it continues on a path of evolution and change.

The future of distance education will continue to roll at a steady pace.  "About 85% of public universities consider online education critical to their long-term academic strategies as compared within 50% of private institutions"(Simonson).  The time of the traditional student has passed.  In order for individuals to complete their education distance learning is the future.  Industry also use it to keep employees current with new technological skills or to prove competency for known skills or literature.  The age of sitting face to face with and instructor is phasing out but will always need to be an option for some learners.

Fe

References:

Simsonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (6th ed.) Charlotte, NC: IAP

Reflection

Week 8:  Reflection

The last eight weeks a lot of useful information has been covered.  Have I mastered every theory, no, but I at least gained an understanding of where to start my search.  This class has reminded me of the semester I decided it was a good idea to teach Surgical Anatomy and Physiology I & II in sixteen weeks. Knowing what I have learned would have allowed me to design a much smoother process.  Learning is a never ending process that is constantly evolving.  We started this journey seeing how the brain ticks and worked through the differences and similarities of theories.  Even after holding a piece of a person’s brain in my gloved hand this was far more amazing.

What I found striking was there are more than three different learning styles.  As researched in the Learning Theory Matrix, I gained understanding of the following theories; Behaviorist, Constructivist, Adult Learning, Social Learning, Cognitive, and Connectivism (Ormond).  Lesson plans of adults would be written differently than that of children because of the way they process information.   Adults learn better when information is based off of their previous experiences.  Knowing how theories work and how to implement them into a curriculum is important for an instructional designer.  I have been told I would have to set my online class in the exact format at a face to face class.  Because the classes require differences in the way students are motivated this would not be effective in my current professional.

Over the past five years I have relied heavily on social constructivism.  “The social constructivism view the classroom as a community whose task is to develop knowledge”(Ormond 19).  I thought I know the type of learner I was but have learned differently over the last few weeks.  I came into this program thinking I was a kinesthetic learner.  I have always excelled in hands on but had to put more effort during the didactic portions of class.  I have relied on my memory a lot because my current profession relies on repetition of movements.  Now that I have been introduced to other learning styles I am now able to introduces new methods during lectures to engage students.  When I moved back to Louisiana six years ago I found myself in a predicament where I had to engage into social constructivism.  I was a single parent that needed to finish my degree but did not have time to go to a face to face class and work.  The dilemma with this process was finding motivators to complete the course.  The initial extrinsic motivator was getting my degree but because that was so far off I had to find intrinsic and other extrinsic motivators.

I think it is important as an instructional designer to be familiar with all learning styles, theories, and strategies.  This will allow students the greatest chance of success in a class with the least amount of effort being put forward by the instructor.  It should not be like pulling teeth in the dark to get students to learn information.  A properly designed session allows the student to learn and have fun doing it.  You want the process to come easily so the students stay motivated to finish the task.

I have learned how adults and children learn and process information.  I have also learned that not one learning theory applies to all people or one person could fall into several different theories.  I am waiting for the next three weeks to pass to see if I can properly implement some of the strategies in to my lesson plan.  I do plan on using more social learning activities.  I will be assigning one student per session to be the designated note taker.  This student will then post the notes in the discussion board, and the rest of the class will build the discussion based on this person interpretation of my lecture.  It will be a recap of the lesson without taking a lot of classroom time for the process.  We will also slightly discuss it before the next lecture. 

Felicia

Ormond, J. (2009).  Learning Theories and Instruction. (Laureate custom edition) New York: Pearson.

Brain and Learning Blogging WK2

Blogs on the Brain & Learning Week 2

The brain reminds me of the wheel.  When the wheel was first invented it was rarely used, or not used to the fullest potential.  With new technology being presented and studies being processed we have moved really fast a quick rate.  Twenty years ago technology was still in its infancy stage and now it has evolved.  This growth has allowed changes in medicine and education. 

On the Edutopia.com page there were several blogs related to the brain and learning.  “The teacher suggest that, instead of just reading the textbook the night before the test the student will spend time brainstorming strategies for more effective test preparation”(Wilson).  Simply reading the presented material may not help everyone retain information.  This will most likely help students with photographic memories, but you may have two of thirty in your class.  Students may need to be presented with other steps to obtain their learning goal.  Physically I cannot walk to California, but if I have a strategy I can complete the task in sections.  It is not about the ability but using metacognition to improve strategic steps.

The second article presented strategies for strengthening the brain’s executive functions.  “Students should be taught to develop their executive functions as a path to self-directed learning and self-determined living” (Wilson). Executive functions are the awareness of directive capacities of the mind.  Instructors are like a drum major.  They lead the band onto the field and everyone follows the rhythm and beat.  The drum major leads the band to become aware of who they are, direct them to carry out movements, set goals to remember formations and songs, and help them to maintain an image that is appealing to themselves and the crowd.

Blogs on Brain-Based Learning. (n.d.) Edutopia.  Retrieved August 20, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/inspiring-progess-toward-learning-goals-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers

Blogs on Brain-Based Learning. (n.d.) Edutopia.  Retrieved August 20, 2015, from

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-strengthening-brains-executive-functions-donna-wilson-marcus-conyers

#fittingitalltogether

Week 7:  #FITTINGTHEPIECESTOGETHER

A month ago my views on learning styles did not have all the ingredients to make a cake.  I viewed myself as a kinesthetic learner.  I was not aware of isms, self-directed learning, the difference in learning theories and learning strategies, motivation and affect, reflective teaching, and the list continues from this point.  Honestly, the last seven weeks has been hectic with a lot of information to retain.  I was to the point I thought I had the Kelly Bundy affect. (For every knew fact learn I lost and old one. What’s my name?)

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?

My views on how I learn is not the same as it was in week one.  I learned I am not just a kinesthetic learner and I fall into several categories. "Like with the rationalist of Plato's time, the mind is believed to be the source of all meaning, yet like empiricist, individual, direct experiences with the environment are considered critical”.  Because I have moved around a lot and experienced different cultures I think my learning process has changed over the years. Having availability to discussion boards have also helped to mold my growth.  Each week I gain to opinion of ten or more individuals.  This has given me knowledge of social learning.  I have also implemented this process in my class and students have taken to the process.  Most of the ones that are shy and do not like to talk in front of the class are really upfront in their post.

What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

I have found that you cannot teach or learn in one learning theory.   Trying to group individuals in their perspective theory would limit their ability to learn.  It would be like the movie divergent.  Once you pick a theory you are stuck there or be sent to exile.  Without knowing it most people are using strategies from several learning theories. 

What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?

Technology has played a major role in the way I learn.  If it was not for advancements in technology I would have not finished my Bachelors online or attempting to complete my IDT degree.  The blog was not a problem to set up but the RSS feeder gave me the blues.  I tried to problem solve on my own because my children will not always be available to help and it helped me remember because I learned what not to do.  I also like the advancements that have been made in the special education levels in my area.  When my ten year old first started school her assistive talking device had 16 possible words she could use.  Over the last few years she has begun to talk but the devices and apps available can speak an entire sentence.   

Felicia

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-71.