Today in class we watched a video: Digital Nation. It discussed technology and education. My learning has been shaped by technology, for example one of my classes I am taking has online classes. It is different having class online and I am unsure if I like it or not yet. I like how I can be at home and have a load of laundry going at the same time as I am watching the powerpoint slideshow, but I do also find it more distracting and lacks that social aspect. In school, we did not have personal laptops but had computer class and typing class where we learned about programs on the computer.

I have noticed more in recent years that technology is more evident in society. Everyone I know has a smart phone and use their phones a lot. Also I find the way I interact and keep in touch with others is different because of social networking. It is easier to keep in touch but less personal.

I think technology is beneficial to have in schools because culture of today's society is not the same as even it was ten years ago. I think it should be done in moderation though by making sure there are writing and typing components, powerpoints and drawn posters. I believe I find classes more interesting that have forms of technology being used. I had one class where the teacher just wrote his notes (very messy) on the board and there were no powerpoints, etc. Therefore, I believe technology is beneficial for today's students.

What is my main priority?

Yesterday in class we were prompted with the question "What is your current, main priority in life?". I am very goal oriented, so the answer popped right into my head: finish my schooling. This is my fourth year of college and I still have two more after this one. At times it feels like I will never be done school but I also have the moments where I think "where did the past three years go??". I want to be successful in school. Also this might be my last year playing competitive basketball so I want to excel in basketball as well since I have been playing since grade five.

Here is an inspirational video I found on youtube about success that I found motivating: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jal4OkZtz8g

In class, we learned about Erik Erikson's Stages of Human Development which are:

1. Trust vs. Mistrust
2. Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
3. Initiative vs. guilt
4. Industry vs. inferiority
5. identity vs. identity confusion
6. intimacy vs isolation
7. generativity vs. stagnation
8. integrity vs. despair

The stage I see myself in is 4 and 6. I see myself in stage 4 because I want to be successful in my schooling and I was unsure if that would be placed into stage 7 because it was more self centered goal than giving back. Also, I see myself in stage 6 because I am in a relationship of four years and my significant other is an important part of my life and supports me.

Piaget or Vygotsky?

In class we studied Jean Piaget. He is considered an "ages and stages theorist". I had previously studied Piaget in my nursing class as well.

I included examples of Piaget's stages:

1. Sensorimotor: birth until 2, feelings, movement, uncomfortable Ex: An infant is cold so they cry.

2. Preoperational: ages 2 to 7, beginnings of symbolic thinking, egocentrism, animism, explains world through intuition Ex: "The sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds"

3. Concrete operational: ages 7-11, conservation, mental operations that are reversible Ex: A child recognizing that 4 marbles close together and 4 marbles spread apart are the same.

4. Formal operational: hypothetical deductive reasoning, adolescent ego centrism Ex: Thinking of different positions when writing a paper.




Also in class we learned about Lev Vygotsky

He is concerned with social and cultural interactions. His assumptions are:
1. Learning occurs along a developmental trajectory
2. Cognitive skills are structured by language
3. The importance of social relationships and culture

ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development)
Level of knowledge, achievement, skill, performance which we can only achieve with support


Piaget or Vygotsky?
Of the two theorists of cognitive development that we discussed in class, Piaget and Vygotsky, I find that I resonate more with Piaget. I chose Piaget because I like the structure but also flexibility in the stages. It gives you an idea of what children are like at certain stages but also gives an age gap (ex ages 2 to 7) so it shows that children can be individual in their psychological development as well. I believe it would help a teacher better understand where students are at. Therefore, teachers could structure lesson plans around the stage where the students are at in psychological maturity to ensure students are able to understand the material and be successful in class.

The point I found difficult to grasp by Vygotsky is "cognitive skills are structured by language", no language, no thinking. However, I appreciated the importance he placed on relationships such as mentor-protege, coach-athlete, teacher-student. I appreciated this point because I have learned a lot from teachers and coaches, not only about subject matter, but also some were role models. However, even though I find this relationships important, I believe students can learn on their own and problem solve. Support from someone else is not always necessary as I believe it may decrease problem solving or critical thinking.


All images were found on www.google.ca/images.

September 17, 2011

In class this week we watched two videos. The first video we watched was from the TED talk: Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action. Points that I appreciated from the video was the comment he made about the difference between leaders vs. those who lead and how leaders hold a position of power but those we lead have people follow them out of will. He brought up the point of focusing on "why?". Why do you do what you do? Not just how or what you do. In class we discussed "why do you want to become a teacher?". Honestly, I do not want to become a teacher but I respect the profession. I am going for my Bachelor of Science in Nursing but have considered one day perhaps teaching nursing like the instructors at the college. I will relate this point of "why?" to why I want to become a nurse. I want to become a nurse because I feel I have the compassion, intelligence and I just know it is the career for me. I have a caring personality and I feel it is right. The image to the left was found on www.google.ca/images.

The second video we watched in class was the video: Allison Cameron which was from a news program. Previous to the video we discussed being a wise consumer of information about educational psychology. It is important to be cautious, avoid conclusions, recognize how easy it is to overgeneralize about a small or clinical sample, be aware of single studies, consider the source of information, and evaluate credibility. The video was focused on exercise and how it helps students learn and improve in school. Using the points discussed above, we know that this was a small sample size between the two schools they had talked about and it is easy to overgeneralize for a greater population base. Also, it may not be the case for everyone to "improve" after exercising- perhaps some students get more tired- avoid drawing conclusions about individuals needs based on group research. This could be an effective input for that specific class but maybe not every class or every student. I also consider the effects of the camera being there and interviewing the students- could this have influenced their behavior and attitudes towards the study? I also consider the point- is this a problem with our physical education programs and if it is necessary to add more cardio activity in the programs. As from personal experience, there were many hours spent "playing" dodgeball in my gym class (where most kids who did not want to play would either stand out of the way or try and get hit first so they could sit down). Either way, what I learned from this lecture is that is is important to be a wise consumer of information. I personally love exercise and particularly sports and I believe it makes me more disciplined and organized with my time. I believe sports have taught me many lessons and that I need to be focused on my school and organize my time since I have a busy schedule. The image on the left is was found on http://www.rdc.ab.ca/athletics/videos_photos/Pages/Photos.aspx and the image on the right was found on www.google.ca/images

Tuesday September 13, 2011

First official post and already a week into classes! Wow!
Yesterday in class we went over our first 'real' lecture. We went over effective teaching and during class there was a discussion about diversity and experiences individuals have had in the school system. It was an interesting conversation and I thought it tied in with the first two points of effective teaching quite well from the lecture of "1. teaching involves social and ethical matters 2. teaching involves multicultural students". The conversation displayed how these two points are tied. The other point I particularly was interested in was commitment and the importance of being present in the moment. I feel there are times when I am wishing for the weekend for a trip or worried about something in the past. I found this quote on http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/liveinthemomentquotes.html:


"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." Chinese Proverb


I liked this quote because it deals with getting started-just like getting started assignments at this time of the year can be hard with just coming off summer break. It ties to living in the present even though mistakes may have been made in the past and not waiting for tomorrow to start.

A situation where I have personally witnessed effective teaching is through a basketball coach of mine. I have played basketball since grade five and this is my fourth year of playing basketball at the college level so I have had many coaches. This one coach I have had stood out for me significantly. This coach demonstrated many aspects from the list of professional skills. The coach was very good at motivating the team in a positive manner. The coach also was very skilled at communicating with athletes by ensuring she was paying attention to the athletes and listening to them. Not only did this coach have goals for the team but the coach strived to have the athletes set goals as well. This coach was always well prepared for practice and had great management and this helped the flow of practice and ensured we covered everything we needed to.

By reflecting upon this example of teaching in action I recognize many points of effective teaching that this coach demonstrated on a continual basis. The image below I believe demonstrates different approaches to instructional strategies. Not all children may be able to understand something that is just spoken to them but having it in a visual form may be more beneficial.

This image was found on http://www.google.ca/images

My interest is to learn more about the classroom management point of effective teaching. In high school I did work experience with grade seven boys/girls gym class as a assistant and a grade nine boys gym class and I found this aspect more challenging.