Mr Low made use of this lecture to go through doubts on our webquests, as well as to give us more information and examples of webquest designs. It was brought to my attention during this lecture that a simple looking webquest can be so full of information.
As much as how the overall outlook of the webquest is rather important to keep a person captivated, the most important aspect of the webquest has still got to be how well the information is structured and organised into tasks, process, etc.
A WebQuest is a learning activity used by educators. The first part of a WebQuest is the introduction. This describes the WebQuest and gives the purpose of the activity. Next describes what students will do. Then is a list of what to do and how to do it. There are usually a list of links to follow to complete the activity.
----------
On to describe my feelings about webquests (that i also highlighted during tutorial classes)..
Webquests, as wonderful as it may sound, and as widely used in US as it possibly is, still has several shortcomings in my opinion.
From the most fundamental point of view, what i would like to say and what i have observed is that webquests are not widely used in Singapore. The planning and designing of lessons is common in the teaching profession, but insufficient educators in Singapore are trained to actually properly design an e-learning design/webquest.
As such, i just have to bring in some marketing knowledge into the prospects of the webquest.
Using a BCG portfolio analysis,
i actually believ that if this continues, webquests will end up becoming from a 'question mark' to a 'dog'. Unless more money and effort is made into educating educators about the wonders of e-learning and the webquest projects, the fall of webquests, in my opinoin, is very possible.
----------------------------
Back to serious business,
OUR WEBQUEST PROJECT!
i'm proud to say that my group's almost done. Eric has put in a lot of effort collating all the information together and putting it into the webquests, while i've contributed by providing whatever knowledge i have on singing for them.
I'm actually quite excited about it.
Cause if this 'how to sing' webquest works out, i may be able to test them on my current choir students and see if they manage to derive anything from our webquest.
An end note.
Yes, anyone can create a webquest because its simple. But to create a good and informative webquest that meets its objectives, require careful, and strategic planning...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Week 9 - Problem solving & Affective learning
Onto the technical stuffs first....
Problem-solving skill is the ability to use previously acquired skills and knowledge in a unique way to solve unfamiliar problems.
To put it in smpler terms, learners have to be able to apply their previous knowledge in a new situation or circumstance in order to rectify a problem
the cognitive requirements for problem-solving learning are
(1) Problem representation,
(2) Solution planning,
(3) Solution implementation and
(4) Solution evaluation.
It was mentioned in the lecture that the steps of attitudinal outcomes are as follows:
Firstly, the learner must be willing to accept and respond to the message being sent out. If the learner accepts the message that is sent out, then the learner should go beyond of what can be accomplished and to develop philosophies which may lead to a change in his attitudes/character.
This can be very much applied to the development of our webquest, and e-learning in general.
Problem-solving skill is the ability to use previously acquired skills and knowledge in a unique way to solve unfamiliar problems.
To put it in smpler terms, learners have to be able to apply their previous knowledge in a new situation or circumstance in order to rectify a problem
the cognitive requirements for problem-solving learning are
(1) Problem representation,
(2) Solution planning,
(3) Solution implementation and
(4) Solution evaluation.
It was mentioned in the lecture that the steps of attitudinal outcomes are as follows:
Firstly, the learner must be willing to accept and respond to the message being sent out. If the learner accepts the message that is sent out, then the learner should go beyond of what can be accomplished and to develop philosophies which may lead to a change in his attitudes/character.
This can be very much applied to the development of our webquest, and e-learning in general.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Week 8 - Procedure and Principal learning
We learnt during lectures today - the idea of procedure and principal learning.
According to Leshin, Pollock and Reigeluth,
Using a procedure refers to applying an ordered set of actions to achieve a goal.
There is often more than one procedure for achieving a given goal. A procedure is sometimes referred to as a technique, skill, or method.
A procedure can be either a mental process or a physical skill.
Most procedures are a combination of mental and physical activities.
The whole idea of coming up with a design to teach somebody over the internet, or over a programme without physically being there was introduced during lectures today.
Let me try to illustrated my thought process with this little chain:
E-learning --> Many obstacles to overcome include the lack of feedback -->
Alternative solutions --> Webquest -->
Yet webquests have to be really properly designed in order for a learner to really absorb anything out of the webquest -->
So are there other alternatives in this online world? --> Blogs, Twitter (where feedback can be obtained) (Or Twitter, where INSTANT feedback can be obtained) -->
Or is webquest enough?
So how is a student going to be able to communicate effectively with his or her teacher, while at the same time, obtaining valuable feedback that will aid in his learning process?
Methods i've thought of in this virtual world includes:
Webcam; Conferencing;
Blogs; although feedback is not instantaneous
Uploading files on portals such as googledocs; although its goin to be troublesome on the instructor's part to actually log in to edit and give comments on the student's work
Uploading videos; clips (although the issue of privacy is brought up here)
Although there are limitations to the various methods i've thought of, i believe that e-learning is still here to stay. And the pace at which technology is advancing would only mean more alternatives for e-learning to adopt and become more effective in the near future.
According to Leshin, Pollock and Reigeluth,
Using a procedure refers to applying an ordered set of actions to achieve a goal.
There is often more than one procedure for achieving a given goal. A procedure is sometimes referred to as a technique, skill, or method.
A procedure can be either a mental process or a physical skill.
Most procedures are a combination of mental and physical activities.
The whole idea of coming up with a design to teach somebody over the internet, or over a programme without physically being there was introduced during lectures today.
Let me try to illustrated my thought process with this little chain:
E-learning --> Many obstacles to overcome include the lack of feedback -->
Alternative solutions --> Webquest -->
Yet webquests have to be really properly designed in order for a learner to really absorb anything out of the webquest -->
So are there other alternatives in this online world? --> Blogs, Twitter (where feedback can be obtained) (Or Twitter, where INSTANT feedback can be obtained) -->
Or is webquest enough?
So how is a student going to be able to communicate effectively with his or her teacher, while at the same time, obtaining valuable feedback that will aid in his learning process?
Methods i've thought of in this virtual world includes:
Webcam; Conferencing;
Blogs; although feedback is not instantaneous
Uploading files on portals such as googledocs; although its goin to be troublesome on the instructor's part to actually log in to edit and give comments on the student's work
Uploading videos; clips (although the issue of privacy is brought up here)
Although there are limitations to the various methods i've thought of, i believe that e-learning is still here to stay. And the pace at which technology is advancing would only mean more alternatives for e-learning to adopt and become more effective in the near future.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Week 7 - Instructional Strategies
Today's lecture was a good break away from all the theories we have been learning for the past few weeks. Mr Low taught and brought in the use of strategies when devising lesson plans today.
Instructional Strategies determine the approach a teacher may take to achieve learning objectives...
As a current conductor, and an ex relief teacher, i've got to say that this process is definitely not an easy one.
After doing some other additional readings on instructional strategies, it has come to my attention that the options that are available for teachers like us are unlimited. The trick here is to implement the correct strategy in the student. I personally feel that the successfulness of the strategy would very much depend on the students, and the conditions in which the strategy is implemented..
When implementing strategies such as games, or debates, or case studies, how much a student absorbs depend on himself. (This can be linked to the previous week's lecture of affective learning).
After doing some research on instructional strategies, it has been brought to my attention that these strategies can be classified into 5 broad spectrums.
Direct Instruction:
where possibilities include simply having lectures, a structured overview, straightforward and direct teaching.
Interactive Instruction:
where we attempt to group people up to discuss topics in the form of activities such as debates, role playing, problem solvings, or have group discussions in tutorial classes (although in the case of Singapore, tutorial classes are usually hardly interactive as compared to the classes i had in international school)
Indirect Instruction:
using strategies such as concept mapping
Experiemental learning:
Using hands on activities such as games, or field trips to allow students to learn
Instructional skills:
explaining, demonstrating, and questioning students
BACK TO WHAT WE'VE LEARNT DURING LECTURES....
Mr Low introduced to us a few tactics that resulted in heated debates with my classmates taking this module.
In particular, the use of Mnemonics to learn..
I personally feel that Mneomics is a perfect way to learn. For example, i used Mnemonics in the past such as the "Four Letter F word" FACE to highlight the importance of intercultural communication during my NM2201 class.
I also used words like SING to let my students remember how to learn the basic techniques of singing.
These techniques, in my opionin, are very useful - although some of my classmates seem to think otherwise..
Nonetheless, i believe these instructional strategies have given me an insight, and a wider range of options for me when i plan my lessons in future for my choir and singing classes..
Instructional Strategies determine the approach a teacher may take to achieve learning objectives...
As a current conductor, and an ex relief teacher, i've got to say that this process is definitely not an easy one.
After doing some other additional readings on instructional strategies, it has come to my attention that the options that are available for teachers like us are unlimited. The trick here is to implement the correct strategy in the student. I personally feel that the successfulness of the strategy would very much depend on the students, and the conditions in which the strategy is implemented..
When implementing strategies such as games, or debates, or case studies, how much a student absorbs depend on himself. (This can be linked to the previous week's lecture of affective learning).
After doing some research on instructional strategies, it has been brought to my attention that these strategies can be classified into 5 broad spectrums.
Direct Instruction:
where possibilities include simply having lectures, a structured overview, straightforward and direct teaching.
Interactive Instruction:
where we attempt to group people up to discuss topics in the form of activities such as debates, role playing, problem solvings, or have group discussions in tutorial classes (although in the case of Singapore, tutorial classes are usually hardly interactive as compared to the classes i had in international school)
Indirect Instruction:
using strategies such as concept mapping
Experiemental learning:
Using hands on activities such as games, or field trips to allow students to learn
Instructional skills:
explaining, demonstrating, and questioning students
BACK TO WHAT WE'VE LEARNT DURING LECTURES....
Mr Low introduced to us a few tactics that resulted in heated debates with my classmates taking this module.
In particular, the use of Mnemonics to learn..
I personally feel that Mneomics is a perfect way to learn. For example, i used Mnemonics in the past such as the "Four Letter F word" FACE to highlight the importance of intercultural communication during my NM2201 class.
I also used words like SING to let my students remember how to learn the basic techniques of singing.
These techniques, in my opionin, are very useful - although some of my classmates seem to think otherwise..
Nonetheless, i believe these instructional strategies have given me an insight, and a wider range of options for me when i plan my lessons in future for my choir and singing classes..
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