Guiding+Questions


 * Guiding Questions **
 * 
 * Part 1:** **

1. To which century does our teaching/learning belong?  Our current teaching/learning styles belong to the 21st century. This is obvious because the invention of the computer is recent, and this technology drives changes in learning styles.

2. What does it meant to be fluent in the 21st Century? To be fluent in 21st century skills a user must have knowledge from the following 9 categories: speaking and listening, reading and writing, information, technological, media, personal, group, team, partner, professional, and teacher. An example of this fluency, that correlates with my Connect To Business online course, is the way employer’s screen resumes. Modern day resumes screening software uses specific words and phrases to screen applicant’s resumes. If a student did not have knowledge of how the screening software worked, they would not put the correct words and phrases into their resumes and they would never be selected for an interview.

3. What are characteristics of 21st century learning environments? Learners: Are from a generation that is computer, internet, and technologically savvy. They are adept at using these tools to learn. This technology allows for more independent learning. Additionally, learners have access to information that use to be only available at libraries or at school. Now, students have more remote access to information. Teachers: Teachers are adapting to the changes in online learning environments by changing the way they teach (which learning models they employ) and they also becoming more computer savvy themselves. Teachers are becoming more facilitators of learning. Furthermore, the internet is changing the way teachers/educators research information. Long gone is the old way of doing a doctorate dissertation, spending hours, days, and even years in libraries, searching through the stacks for resources. Now, many peer-reviewed studies are offered online. I have to give it up to the old professors, the old way of doing things was hard!

4. What are the elements of constructivist learning environment, and how are they (or not) related to 21st century learning environments? Elements of constructivist learning environments include: Situated cognition, anchored instruction, apprenticeship learning, problem-based learning, generative learning, constructionist concepts, exploratory learning. Many educators and cognitive psychologists have applied constructivism to the development of online learning environments (Jonassen,1991). 21st century learning environments present real world problems to which students are required to find a solution. This concept make teachers apply constructivist learning models to their online teaching environments.  5. Identify an instructional model that describes learning as processed whereby learners engage 21st century fluencies. Problem-based Learning (PBL) is a constructivist approach to learning that challenges students to learn through engagement in a real problem. This is an ideal learning model to teach students how to get a job because it is a real life problem that they will encounter. Problem-based learning is student-centered, and the teacher becomes a facilitator in the learning process. PBL makes an essential shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning. The PBL process uses the power of bona fide problem solving to engage students and enhance their learning and incentive to succeed. For example: students will be motivated to learn how to write a resume, cover letter, and to learn job interview skills because it is a real situation they want to succeed at. There are some unique aspects that define the PBL approach: Problem-based Learning is a six step process. However, steps two through five my happen simultaneously as new information becomes available and redefines the problem. Additionally, step six may occur more than once References: Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? //Educational Psychology Review, 16//(3), 235-266. Hmelo-Silver, C. E. & Barrows, H. S. (2006). Goals and strategies of a problem-based learning facilitator. //Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning,// 1. 21-39.  6. Are there any frameworks for analyzing and evaluating media which work particularly well with your model? Yes, Lasswell’s Model: Harold Lasswell developed a model that is useful to analyze most media such as magazines, websites, news, advertising, radio, and television: <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Who says: identify sender of message <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">What: content, message itself, the meaning <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">To whom: intended targeted audience, age, gender, class etc. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">·  <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In what way: style, language, image, sound, color, pacing etc. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">·  <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">With what effect? outcome, impact, influence <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Learning takes place within the contexts of authentic tasks, issues, and problems--that are aligned with real-world concerns.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">In a PBL course, students and the instructor become colearners, coplanners, coproducers, and coevaluators as they design, implement, and continually refine their curricula.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The PBL approach is grounded in solid academic research on learning and on the best practices that promote it. This approach stimulates students to take responsibility for their own learning, since there are few lectures, no structured sequence of assigned readings, and so on.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">PBL is unique in that it fosters collaboration among students, stresses the development of problem solving skills within the context of professional practice, promotes effective reasoning and self-directed learning, and is aimed at increasing motivation for life-long learning.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">1. **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Present the problem statement. Introduce an " ill-structured " problem or scenario to students. They should not have enough prior knowledge to solve the problem. This simply means they will have to gather necessary information or learn new concepts, principles, or skills as they engage in the problem-solving process.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">2 **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. List what is known. Student groups list what they know about the scenario. This information is kept under the heading: "What do we know?" This may include data from the situation as well as information based on prior knowledge.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">3 **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. Develop a problem statement. A problem statement should come from the students' analysis of what they know. The problem statement will probably have to be refined as new information is discovered and brought to bear on the situation. Typical problem statements may be based on discrepant events, incongruities, anomalies, or stated needs of a client.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">4 **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. List what is needed. Presented with a problem, students will need to find information to fill in missing gaps. A second list is prepared under the heading: "What do we need to know?" These questions will guide searches that may take place on-line, in the library, and in other out-of-class searches.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">5 **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. List possible actions, recommendations, solutions, or hypotheses. Under the heading: "What should we do?" students list actions to be taken (e.g., questioning an expert), and formulate and test tentative hypotheses.
 * <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">6 **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. Present and support the solution. As part of closure, teachers may require students to communicate, orally and/or in writing, their findings and recommendations. The product should include the problem statement, questions, data gathered, analysis of data, and support for solutions or recommendations based on the data analysis.
 * Part 2: **<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">

7. What do we mean by Web 2.0? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Wikipedia defines Web 2.0 as: “is a term describing the trend in the use of world wide web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.” These tools are like any other tool (hammer, saw, incline plane, etc.), they are only as good as the user, teacher, and application.

8. What makes for an effective learning tool? How does technology relate to learning tools? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> In order for a learning tool to be effective for my application, they must meet the following criterion: <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">User Friendly: refers to the interaction I had with the Web 2.0 tool. For this criterion, I asked myself these questions: (1) How easy is the tool to accomplish basic tasks the first time I encountered the design? (2) How many errors did I make trying to navigate the tool? and (3) How pleasant is the tool design? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Instructional Value: I evaluated instructional value the Web 2.0 tool would offer a teacher. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Cost: I evaluated if the product is worth the cost in regards to worth, excellence, utility and importance. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Conclusion Validity: Is there a relationship between the program and the observed outcome? Or in layman’s terms; does the tool do what it is suppose to do? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Technology relates to learning tools by their construct. For example, Pbwiki allows students to keep documents current and allows them to import existing files or create new files. Multiple users can edit the same file at the same time. Another example is Zoho because the Zoho accepts PDF and HTML formats, it makes it a versatile. I could see math or business students making great use out Zoho sheets. Whatever the Web 2.0 tool, it is only as good as the user, teacher, and application.