Dr. Dancealot by Haley Smith, Brantley Spillman, and Hilary Thames
Hands-on learning is the
key to success. Dr. Dancealot’s strategy for teaching dance was lecture- and
textbook-based alone. In order for a student to learn the skills needed to
become a better dancer, he or she must dance. Without hands-on learning,
students will never achieve perfection in his or her subject. It occurs to us that dance uses muscle memory for repeated steps or moves. No instruction that
exclusively uses words can communicate balance or rhythm. A student needs to
attempt these steps to train their muscles for learning to be achieved. We must
make mistakes in order to gain knowledge in the classroom. Dr. Dancealot needs
to regroup and attack his dance sessions from a different angle. By using
modern day technology, these students could research different dance styles and
then put their findings to work on the actual dance floor.
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We believe hands-on
learning is the best way for two reasons: students gain both experience and
focus. First, students get experience doing a task that reinforces a
lesson taught. If you were trying to teach someone how to ride a bike, you
would not lecture, but place him or her on a bike to learn. Second, by
doing a task, a student’s full attention is required. Many students that only listen
and/or watch a task have wandering minds that hinder the learning process. When
someone’s full attention is focused on a task, they will get more from the
lesson.
After watching the
video, I realized how important technology has become in the school system.
Many schools incorporate connectivism concepts without realizing it.
Connectivism is going to resources other than a textbook to find information.
Learning occurs as a part of social networking using many diverse connections.
Understanding these resources is a vital part of being in a classroom, because
it gives more information than a textbook or teacher. An illustration of
connectivism is the recent commercial showing a child who has to give a speech
and asks Siri on his cell phone, “What is glossophobia?” Siri then demonstrates
the multiple resources on the Internet for speeches. The student is able to
deliver his speech without fear.
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The Networked Student goes through many different resources that can
be used for many purposes. The Personal Learning Network gives students
a place to put valid websites to use while doing research. Google Scholar
provides accurate journal entries. The school resource library is a great
source for entries such as those provided by Google Scholar. Whereas,
social media offers resources such as Skype, blogs, and various types of
wikis. Students can now connect to people worldwide! Two other types of
resources that were mentioned in this video were mP3 and iTunes downloads for
lectures from students and/or professors around the world. Additionally, these
sources offer documentaries on many topics. All of these resources for
connectivism are great tools. I really enjoyed the statement it “never hurts to
ask.” With all of these resources, help is at your fingertips. You just have to
look for it.
The final question posed
by this video was, “if a student has all of these resources, why is a teacher
needed?” The answer is a very important part of connectivism. In the different
examples below is an explanation of why a teacher is important in the idea of
connectivism. The Networked Student details the role of a teacher.
First, he or she teaches the student how to build a network to find different
opportunities. Second, teachers are used as a guide when a student requires
help. Third, teachers instruct students on how to communicate properly. Without
teachers, students would be lost. It would be difficult for a student to learn
if there was no guidance, dedication, or organization of ideas that a teacher
provides.
Imagine Stars Wars.
Imagine words and thoughts approaching you from the screen. This was my
impression of K. Roberts’ video. His opinion of information: “virtually
limitless information.” His opinion of teachers: “not the main source of
knowledge.” His new role for a teacher: “validate information, synthesize
information, leverage information, communicate information, collaborate
information with others.”
Roberts’ idea of
teaching in the 21st century puts a new emphasis on the teacher’s role in the
classroom. Teachers will no longer be the only source of knowledge for his or
her students. However, teachers will remain necessary in the classroom.
Teachers, in the past, have lectured and had reading assignments for students
to memorize in order to recite back on a test. Alternatively, teaching in the
21st century will evolve into a structure in which students have tools to
gather information on their own by doing research. (e.g. google, blogs, and
podcasting).The teacher will now serve as a guide to interpret and apply this
newly found information.
I responded very
strongly to the positions expressed in this video. Many educators have feared
technology and all the internet has to offer. Their fear is that a “teacher”
will become obsolete if information is freely available on the Internet for a
student to gather himself or herself. However, I feel it is time for our
educational programs to accept the new tools technology has to offer and
redefine our role as an educator. I look forward to embracing all new methods
of teaching. Nothing lasts forever, our old school techniques are outdated and
it is now time for change.
I think that it is wonderful
that Mrs. Davis is teaching her students ways to maneuver through the
technology of today! By allowing her students to learn how to use wikis,
blogs, podcasts, and virtual worlds, she is teaching them things that will help
in succeeding in the real world. In today’s times, also known as the
information age, everything revolves around technology. We, as a generation,
desire instant access to limitless information such as GPS, internet, apps, and
social networking . From something as simple as applying for a job, to the more
extreme mapping the entire world by satellites in outer space, we find
ourselves faced with it.
There is no way around
it. Everything that is happening today, has something to do with
technology. I mean, the cell phones we carry around with us daily provides us
with access to
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anything we want within a split second. If our students are not
being taught technology somehow in the classrooms, they are going to be so far
behind when they graduate and begin searching for careers. Mrs. Davis is
providing her students with numerous ways to expand their potential for
success. No one can begin to manage in the career world, in whatever
field they are in, without having basic knowledge of technology. I also
agree with the approach she takes with teaching the class. You won’t find her
in the front of the classroom lecturing to her students on how to post a blog
or how to access wikis. Instead, she allows her students to work and practice
on their own. This allows the students to become familiar with what they are
working on. Students are encountering problems and figuring out solutions
themselves.
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The kind of questions that teachers ask can be the problem as to why students aren't doing well. If teachers ask closed-ended questions, students will not go into detail as to what they think about an issue. If students are asked open-ended questions, then it forces students to go into detail as to why they believe what they said. Just like in the video, Joanne Chesley described this concept with the story of Rosa Parks and asked questions describing each type of question. Closed-ended questions only require a yes or no answer while open-ended requires students to go in depth. By making the mistake of asking closed-ended questions, students aren't challenged leaving students confused and teachers frustrated. So to answer what kind of questions teachers should ask, I would say open-ended questions. .jpg "www.inc.com")
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Asking questions can be a difficult thing to do effectively. Think about how many questions are asked in a single day from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. What is the best way to ask questions without getting lost in a field of questions? 1. Prepare, 2. Play, and 3. Preserve. As teachers, we put so much time into our lesson plan but we do not plan our questions to ask our students. When we don't plan our questions, they could come out unclear, empty, and just confusing which only adds to student's hard time understanding. The next step is to play with questions. This only means that you do not answer the question right away. If you have the question on the board at the beginning of class, do different things to help answer it. Ways you can do this are to put the answer in your lecture, tell students to get into groups to discuss what they feel the answer is, bring it up another day and have students think about it at home, or have everyone write down their answer to the question and turn it in. This will have a better response then just asking and answering for the students. The final step is to preserve good questions. The easiest way to use this is telling students good questions that other students had. By making it known that students will be acknowledge for good questions. Taking notes is always a good thing during lecture. You can recall what students are saying, how they are reacting, and the questions that you are asking. This taught me that I should plan, play and preserve questions to be effective in the classroom. .jpg "www.zazzle.com")
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