Friday 21 December 2012

If those walls could talk...


I found this video really moving. This was created by students and relays important messages as to how they feel about their learning environment. Click here to watch.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Learning through web-conferencing

Tonight my learning partner Kevin and I taught each other about what we had learned from the articles we researched on the trend of using tablets and mobile phones in the classroom. An interesting thing that Kevin said is that the tablets can be a really convenient tool for the instructor in the classroom as they are so mobile. This web-conference was a very good experience for me and I continue to be amazed at how easy it is to work with people at a distance through the use of the new technology available on our computers, tablets and mobile phones.

Trends towards using mobile phones in the classroom

At times I have been frustrated in the classroom by students distracted by their cell phones and I have wondered if there was a positive way that they could be using them in class. 

Through my first assignment in the PID program, we are exploring new trends in adult education. The topic my partner and I chose was to look at how tablets and mobile phones are being used in the educational field. I was happy to take on the mobile phones and to find out what kind of positive uses there could be for these occasionally annoying devices.

In the article Mobile phones in the classroom: teachers share their tips  (Drury, 2010) Nasim Jahangir, business and economics teacher shares her thoughts on using cell phones for research. She finds that it saves her photocopying and arranging computer time. If computers are down for some reason, it's good to be able to access the web through a phone.

I personally use my phone for listening to books I download from library that I used to listen to on CD. Now by using the OverDrive Media Console App, I can listen to audio books on my mobile phone. At this point, I can only get fiction from the library, but I can imagine the day when I can download audio books from colleges and universities. It is certainly possible to download articles to your mobile phone now. Some parts of this article refer to younger students, but still show the possibilities of making the mobile phone a useful tool in the classroom.

Mobile phones for are useful for keeping organized, downloading articles while in a transit situation (like on the bus) where computer access is limited. Taking snapshots with a phone can be a great way of capturing an image that you would like to use later as a reminder for a project in progress.

I will be studying mobile phone apps as they come out to see if there is anything that can be useful to my students. Although mobile phones can be a distraction in the classroom, they also can also be a productive part of current educational strategies.

Drury, Emma. Mobile Phones in the Classroom: Teachers Share Their Tips. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

Insights into the roles educators play

The article Adult Education for Social Change (HelpMe.com, 2012) discusses a type of education called "popular education", which is defined as: "a form of adult education that encourages learners to examine their lives critically and take action to change social conditions." It is "popular" in the sense of being "of the people."

This style appeals to me in that teaching and learning are shared experiences. Although I believe that the knowledge and years of experience I bring to the classroom are important, I think that working through problems and encouraging the students to think and develop problem-solving skills will give them tools that go far beyond memorizing information. With that in mind, and following this philosophy, I would put myself more in the role of a facilitator than the role of an instructor.

Although it would be difficult to completely embrace this style of teaching, there are many aspects of it that would be useful in improving the experiences of my students in the classroom.

Through looking at the article Adult learning in civil society - exploring roles for adult educators? (Johnston, 1998) they discuss the different roles that educators play: network agent, resources agent, educational guide and a teacher. I can see how all of these roles could apply to me, helping my students network into the job market, helping them find resources and guiding them in applying their skills in real world situations. I feel the best strategy for me is try to balance the roles instead of being too focused on just standing in the front of the room giving a lecture.

Adult Education for Social Change. 123HelpMe.com. Web. 10 Dec 2012.
    <http://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=35798>.

Johnston, Rennie. Adult Learning in Civil Society - Exploring Roles for Adult Educators? University of Leeds, 3 July 1998. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.
   <http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/000000728.htm>.

The end of the course isn't the end of teaching or learning

Taking courses in the Provincial Instructor's Diploma program feels like a new beginning for me and I already feel that I'm learning so much through exploring websites and different articles.

As the semester closes, I can relate to many of the feelings that Ms. Weimer shares in this article. The connection with the students and the impact we can have on their lives can't always be judged by the grade they walk out of the building with. I hope you enjoy reading this article as much as I did.
When the Semester Ends, It Isn’t Really Over

Weimer, Maryellen, PhD. "When the Semester Ends, It Isn't Really Over | Faculty Focus." Faculty Focus When the Semester Ends It Isnt Really Over Comments. N.p., 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.