Lorraine’s Blog

Module 7A

When I think abut the future and where online learning is going, I feel that this new way of learning which as we all know is the technology world, allows children and adults that have difficulty in speaking English fluently, in large or small group discussions in the traditional classroom feel more at ease.   I feel that we will see improvements in low achievers that we see today in the traditional classroom.  As I stated in the past children that I work with are always telling me how bored they are and that they want to go on the computer.  Giving children the ability to work on the computer and allowing them to explore the world around them will allow these children to make their own meaning and sense of it.  Children will be presented with an idea or topic and it will be their responsibility to find the answers which are needed to complete the assignment given by their teacher.   Also, I believe that children will be able to share their creativity without any instruction or guidance from their teacher.  I myself have seen children in the past who are not creative in the traditional classroom become a different child when asked to produce a piece of work on the computer.  I feel that it is very important to allow children to explore their environment ask questions; solve their own problems which we as students have been doing in this course.  It has allowed us to think outside the box and find the answers. 

As teachers we must scaffold the children but not give them the answers as Jason has allowed us to do.  The only way children can learn how to problem solve is make errors and then find solutions through exploration and in the environment to fix the problem.  I myself think that children learn so much more from the constructivist approach to learning.  I have experienced it in the classroom when children are asked to do activity sheets they usually complain or do not finish the assignment.  However, when they are given a topic and asked to explore it and problem solve either on their own or in small groups.  I see the excitement and eagerness to and find the answers and then present it their findings to the entire class.  Just my thoughts anyone care to add!          

Module 6B

After reading this chapter I have realized the importance of the rubric and why children should be involved in the process.  When I was a child I was never introduced to the rubric until I began high school.  I found that not being exposed to the rubric at a young age made it difficult to use, understand and at times frustrating, to say the least. I was not properly introduced to the rubric and from reading chapter nine I have learned how important it is for children to be properly exposed to the rubric at a young age.

Recently, I have been working in a grade five class and I observed the teacher introduce her class to the rubric system.  When I first heard the teacher tell the children that they needed to follow the criteria for their projects I thought,  “Wow!”  the curriculum has really changed. Now that I have been exposed to the rubric I understand how important it is for teachers and children to use to assess their own performance for an activity that has occurred either by constructing their own web page or assessing the work that has gone on during a virtual reality lab assignment. 

As I reflect back on my own learning experiences I wish I was exposed as a young child to the rubric.  Today I can appreciate the importance of children being exposed to the rubric in their early years because, in my own opinion, it is truly meaningful learning and one that will help them throughout their education. 

As stated in Chapter 9 of Learning To Solve Problems With Technology, “educators are finally beginning to understand that in order to evaluate authentic learning, we must use authentic assessments.”(Jonassen 229)   I believe that authentic learning occurs when students can learn to evaluate their own performances which have taken place with the use computers and technology.  The rubric assessment allows children to construct meaningful learning on their own or collaboratively as stated in Chapter 9 of Learning To Solve Problems With Technology. This tool allows the child to assess their own performances and those of their peers that occur in their environment.  I must say I have truly enjoyed reading this chapter and one that I look forward to teaching the children in my own classroom one day.

References

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Moore, J., Marra, R.(2003). Learning to Solve Problems with Technology, 2^nd Edition. New Jersy: Pearson Education