Learning Objects

I really like the idea of using learning objects in the classroom. I think using learning objects in the classroom would be a great way to touch on different types of instruction and benefit those students with different learning styles. It seems beneficial that you can customize content by putting three or four learning objects together. I think that learning objects provide the three essentials for any lesson which are the objective, instruction, and assessment. Some disadvantages for using learning objects in the classroom would be that they remove context, may be difficult to connect standards to them, and might be hard to find which ones mesh well together. Learning objects seem to be a great resource to use to collaborate with teachers all over the world.

I would definitely use learning objects in my future classroom. I think that they would help students learn the information being presented in many different ways. In my future classroom, I would definitely combine different instructional architectures. Students could even be given the chance to work with their peers when going through learning objects. Also, different students could be given different learning objects to go through depending on their various learning styles.

I think when learning objects are created, various web-based tools could be incorporated. Like the example presented where students had to create a comic strip, students could be given a program such as Bitstrip to create their own comic strip. Additionally, videos could be incorporated in the different instructional architectures, and simulations.

Cognitive Flexibility Theory

I think this model seems like a combination of the STAR model, Case-based learning, and some of the others because it involves presenting a problem/case and providing students with different perspectives like in the STAR legacy model to help them solve the case or problem. I like how it also incorporates students having to use the different concepts they learn in multiple contexts. I think that this model would be beneficial because it gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a new way while essentially constructing their own knowledge about the subject.

I could possibly see some students becoming frustrated if they can not figure out the problem/case on their own. So, I think in some cases it would be beneficial for students to complete this learning theory in groups. Additionally, I could see how this model would be time consuming to create since it involves combining cases, different perspectives, etc. It would be helpful for "teams" of teachers at school to collaborate to create these models to use in the classroom.

I would definitely be willing to try this model out in my future classroom. I could see how it would be beneficial for students to apply their knowledge in different contexts while collaborating with their peers to express their point of view and providing feedback on their peers' point of view. I like the constructivist approach because I think that students will retain the knowledge better if they are the ones building their own knowledge.

I think there are several tools that could be used to carry out this learning model online. I think Viddler could be used to present a perspective, and students could comment on the video and see what other students have commented on. Additionally, students could benefit from going through different contextual simulations where they have to apply what they have learned.

Case-Based Learning

I could see how this model could definitely be used effectively to prepare business students, lawyers, crime scene investigators, etc. because it presents students with a case in which they have to figure out a solution, or draw a conclusion. I think this model presents a great way for students to learn about realistic decision making. I think students could have some great collaborative discussion when using this model with small groups.

One barrier would probably be the time that it would take to design and develop this model. Teachers would have to create cases and provide students with resources to help them solve the cases, or provide hints. I think it would be helpful for teachers to work with other teachers in teams to create modules such as this one. Different teachers could be responsible for presenting different resources that go along with the case.

I would be willing to try out this model in the classroom. However, if I used it in the classroom, I would definitely put students in small groups so they would be able to collaborate with their peers and have discussions with their group members about the case. I think this model would be a great way to incorporate relevant contexts and real world situations and decisions.

If I used this model online, to present the case, I would probably use some type of video. I might create one on MovieMaker or iMovie. Also, I would incorporate a discussion thread or wiki where students could share their thoughts about the case with their classmates.

I also found the Case-Based Reasoning model effective for teaching students. I think it would be useful for students to retrieve past information that they have learned, and reuse it, revise it, and then retain it. It is useful for students to remember how they solved past cases, so they can apply their knowledge to future cases.

"MOST" Environment

The model seems to be a great way to support at risk students. It also seems to be a good way to have students review and retell what they have learned. Additionally, I like the idea of adding in the computer-based "tutees" that present what-if questions that promote reflection. However, I could see this model being difficult to design because it has so many features. Teachers would have to create the initial presentation and then provide students with tools to use to retell the story presented. I think by keeping it simple, these barriers could be overcome. I think it might be a good idea to begin by making a short presentation and see how it works, and then changing what you came up with based on the results of the first one carried out in the classroom.

I would attempt to use this model with my future students. I really like how it incorporates the visual aspect, and doesn't solely rely on the verbal aspect of learning. I think it would be fun to create a video for students to watch about a story and then have them use a web-based tool to retell it. Like I said, I would give them a shorter story to retell first, and see how they do with putting it back together. I think this model would be a good way for students to show that they have mastered understanding of the reading, and also a good way for students to show chronological events in the order that they happened in the story.

I think several web-based tools can be used when carrying out this model in the classroom. I think teachers could use a website creator to make the presentation. Teachers could also embed Youtube or Teachertube videos into the website. They could then have students present the information from the story to them using Prezi (presentation creator) or even Bitstrip (comic strip creator).

STAR Legacy

My initial reactions to this model are that I think it would work well with many different subject areas. I really like how it is based on five main steps that students go through. I also like how in this model teachers present students with the initial questions to think about, and then revisit these questions again after the students have completed their learning and assessment. I think this is a good way for students to see how their answers or beliefs might have changed, and to see what they have learned.

One barrier that I see is that it would probably take a long time for teachers to put together step #3 (Perspectives and Resources). I think it might take a while for teachers to gather all of the pertinent resources, and also the different perspectives on the topic being presented. The good thing is though, once teachers created a model like this once, they would probably be able to reuse some of the resources and perspectives for classes that they have in the future. The only other barrier I could think of would be that some students may have a hard time going through this model on their own. Some individuals have a hard time evaluating different resources and perspectives. I think that teachers could put their students in groups to complete the five steps, provide more scaffolding, and model to student's their expectations and how they should be looking for hints and clues within their resources.

I definitely think I would use this model in my future classroom. I think it would be a great way to make sure that students are grasping certain curriculum objectives and learning the concepts in a meaningful way. I might try to have them do some individual STAR legacy models as well as group STAR legacy model learning. I think students could also benefit from working with a partner to learn through the STAR legacy model. I also feel that this model would be a great way to assess students.

I think that there are several web-based tools that could be utilized to benefit this model. Obviously, a web-site developer tool would be needed to create the model. Also, Windows MovieMaker or iMovie would be helpful to give students visual movies to look at about the topic/concept that they are learning. Just like the example presented in the lecture, still images can be incorporated, or even live videos. Also, I think that Voki could be used to tell of the different perspectives being presented (If students are learning about how animals are affected by pollution, for example, then different animal Voki's can be created that tell perspectives on the issue, etc.). Also, discussion threads could be incorporated for students to discuss initial thoughts or reactions to the challenge presented. Students could also blog about the different resources that they are researching and reading in the model.

Anchored Instruction

Initially, it seems as though this model is a lot like Goal-Based Scenarios and Problem-Based Learning. The teacher presents a problem, and students have to come up with a possible solution. This model seems to be slightly different from the other models because students do less research on their own since the information is already embedded in the model. Some barriers to this model may be the fact that some students would not be motivated to read information over and over to find answers to solve problems presented. Also, some of the more shy students may not be willing to debate with their group about ways they can solve the given problem. I think these barriers can be overcome. Students can be better motivated if teachers incorporate more multimedia items to present the problems. Also, students could be put in small groups where they would feel comfortable and more willing to share ideas with their group.

I would attempt to use this model in the future. I think that it would be useful for students to collaborate with a small group of individuals to try to solve a problem with embedded data and information. Students would just have to figure out from the information given, how to solve the problem. I think it would be great for student's to participate in something such as this because it would have a real-world application. Students would also be using 21st century skills by problem solving, collaborating, communicating effectively with others, and using higher order thinking skills to solve these problems. I would probably use this model a few times a week in my classroom, but I think when paired with multimedia items such as videos, it would be a great model to use.

I think many web-based tools could be incorporated in this model to make it effective. Videos could be used to present the stories/scenarios/problems. Videos would engage the students and motivate them. They would also be able to go back and review certain parts of the video that they may want to focus on in more detail. Videos could be put on programs such as Viddler or Voicethread where students could work with their group and comment on various slides/pictures/videos about ways to solve the problems or ideas they have about the scenarios presented.

Goal-Based Scenarios

My initial reactions to this model are that I think it would be a good way for students to research and learn a lot about something that they are interested in. Also, I think this model would take a lot of work from the teacher. I think it would be hard for the teacher to design several different scenarios to interest every student in the classroom. I think teachers would just have to create modules that would interest the majority of students and work to get every student motivated and engaged in the new learning experience. I find another barrier to be that some students may become frustrated if there is a lot of reading involved in the modules. For example, in the Space Mission and Moving scenarios provided on the lecture, there seemed to be a lot of reading, so I think it would be hard for some elementary school aged children to complete those. I think to overcome this barrier, teachers could somehow incorporate audio where they could have the option of having the text read aloud to them.

I would personally maybe attempt this a few times during a month in the classroom, but not on an every week basis. I think that some students would not be motivated to take the time to watch videos and read information on their own. I would probably share the "cover story" video to the whole class and have a discussion, and then have them break up into small groups and talk about what they could do in the scenario presented. I think they could even do a think pair share type thing where they think about consequences, discuss them with a group, and then share them when presenting what they would do in the certain scenario.

I think there are several simulations and webquests online that seem like they would fit under the "Goal-Based Scenario" theory. I think the more interactive the better. I think teachers could use Windows MovieMaker, or iMovie to make movies to add in their "simulations." Also, teachers can add in comic strips by using programs such as Bitstrip. I think anything to make the learning more interactive for the student would be beneficial.

Situated Learning & Cognitive Apprenticeship

My initial reactions to this model are that I could see it being a good method to use for students to understand the purpose of activities that they are completing. Also, it could be useful for students to help teach other students concepts and work together to understand various ideas. I could see there being barriers if no students wanted to speak up and help coach each other and support each other. I think this could be modeled and taught by the teacher at the beginning of the year to avoid this problem.

I would attempt to use this model with my future students. I really like the video presented in the lecture where the teacher first modeled how students should think about main idea, ask questions, and predict, and then having students do the same with just a little scaffolding from the teacher. I could see myself using this method to teach reading just like the example provided. Also, I think it would work for teachers to only meet with reading groups such as the one in the video once or twice a week.

As far as implementing this method as a web-based module, I think there are several multimedia tools that could be used. Teachers could coach students through Voicethreads, Screen casting software, Elluminate, Voki, etc. Students could even in turn coach their peers by creating their own Voicethreads, Voki, etc. to discuss a certain topic. Also, if students were asking the same questions about a certain topic, teachers could create videos that explained the answers to the questions.

Problem-Based Learning

My initial reactions to this model are that I think it would be best suited for the upper grades. I think if it were to be carried out with the younger grades, then the teacher would have to do a lot more modeling. I think if the teachers did model and give examples of ways to answer the questions, then younger students would be able to get the hang of Problem-Based Learning. I could definitely see this model being beneficial because students would be provided with authentic experiences and life long learning skills. They would also be exposed to 21^st century skills such as knowing how to research, communicate with others effectively, etc.

I would attempt to use this theory with my future students. I don’t think it would be a daily occurrence though. I would most likely give them 1 or 2 problems a week and have them solve them in small groups. I think that since I will be teaching younger individuals this would be a better strategy. I would not want the students to become frustrated with trying to solve the problems. Also, I would make sure to probe and prompt students while modeling how to find solutions to the problem presented.

I think if I created a web-based learning module using this model, I would include several different Web 2.0 tools that would allow students to collaborate online. I think Elluminate, Skype, and chat rooms would be good resources to use for this theory. Also, I think using websites such as Diigo would be good, because the groups would be able to share their websites and leave “post-it notes” on each others’ websites with comments. Also, a sight such as Gliffy would be a good way for groups to collaborate, share links, and create concept maps or diagrams of their solution ideas to problems presented in PBL.

Cooperative Learning

I really like this model at first glance. It seems as though students would learn a lot from teaching each other about different topics. Also, I think that through this model students would learn a lot from their peers. Some barriers to this model might be that some students work better independently, and don’t work very well with groups. Also, I could see it being a problem for some students that the groups are evaluated interdependently. This may be able to be prevented by having students each state what they contributed to the group work, and having students have different roles. Teachers could then evaluate each student based on what they contributed to the group and how the final project turned out. A lot of the models presented offer great strategies for having all group members participate equally such as the Jigsaw strategy. I also like the idea of assigning roles to different group members (leader, reporter, recorder, monitor).

I think I will definitely use this model in the future. This model seems to lead to increased critical thinking skills, and students seem to retain the information more since most strategies require them to teach their classmates about the topic being studied. Active learning is also a nice feature of this model. I think when I use cooperative learning in the classroom, I will use some of the strategies presented such as think-pair-share, jigsaw, affinity, find the fib, etc. I think these would be an effective way for students to learn the material.

I think several web-based tools would be beneficial when using this model online. I think that students could use digital cameras to record information to teach other groups. They could also create PowerPoint presentations, Vokis, Wordles, etc. to present different ideas to their classmates. Students could also learn cooperatively by talking about different topics in chat rooms or discussion threads with certain people in their group. Also, students could use programs such as Quizlet, or other flashcard applications to use the “Send a Problem” strategy online. Students could be sent a flashcard and try to figure out the answer to the math problem, for example, and then collaborate to solve the problems. Overall, I think students can take a lot from the cooperative learning model by listening to their peers’ various perspectives and by actively teaching others about different subjects.

Guided Design-Session 4

I really like how this model involves higher order thinking skills and real-world applications. I could see barriers when some students are not motivated to find the answers to the questions presented by critically thinking about them. Also, as for the teacher, I know this strategy would take more time to develop because the teacher would have to come up with the different scenarios as well as the feedback. If these barriers are overcome, I think that this strategy would be very successful and give ideas of problems students would experience in real-life.

I think I would attempt to use this model for future students. I would probably only give them scenarios to figure out occasionally, but I do think that the scenarios would be beneficial and students would learn more from them. I would probably provide at least one scenario a week to students if I used this strategy in the classroom. I think using this strategy in the classroom would be a good way for students to collaborate in small groups, working together to solve real-world problems.

I think a good way to incorporate this teaching strategy online would be to have students do simulations. Normally simulations provide different types of situations and students have to use what they know to solve the problems and figure out the effects of their actions. Also, just providing students with the scenario online, and then giving them the chance to meet in chat rooms, discussion threads, etc. would be a good tool for small groups to use to collaborate and discuss the scenario provided.

Session 3- Audio Tutorial

I feel like this model would work well for students who learn better from listening, and students who are motivated to learn on their own. However, for my personal learning I think I would learn more through the PSI model since it involves more doing than listening.

I think some barriers might be that students must be self-directed to get through the ISS phase, because they have to independently learn the information. Also, some students may not benefit from simply listening to something on tape. They may need to actually go through a process while they are listening. Also, students may learn better through simple inquiry and not require as much listening as this system involves. I do think that students could learn better through interactivity and listening combined. It may also be difficult in the SAS phase to find times when they could all meet (they would have to make sure they had already listened to tapes, etc.).

I would personally be willing to try out this teaching method to see how it works with my future students. I think it would be beneficial for some students to listen to the tapes, especially the auditory learners. If I carried this out in the classroom I feel like I would provide the option of students not listening to the entire tapes and completing the activity on their own. Also, I would probably shorten the GAS phase because it seems from reading the article by Kulik that most students didn’t benefit from the GAS part of the theory (only 4% found the GAS phase to be of value in the study). I would provide video tutorials though. I like this idea because I think it would benefit students because they would be able to replay the videos as many times as needed to understand the concept being portrayed.

I feel as though it would be beneficial for students to be able to choose what type of method they learn best through (independently, with groups, more interactivity, audio, etc.). By being able to choose the method they learn best by they would be able to retain more of the material. I think to carry out this model for an online module, tools such as twitter chat, eluminate, etc. (other synchronous chatting systems) would be beneficial for the SAS phase. For the tutorial aspect, various options could include: Flickr, youtube, etc.

I think if I had to choose between the PSI model and the A-T model, I would choose the PSI because I like the way that it allows students to move from unit to unit on their own while incorporating videos, games, chats, etc. to go along with the lessons. Providing a model that allows for students to learn in multiple ways would be useful. I think it would be the best way to accommodate, motivate, and engage all students.

Session 2- Keller Plan/PSI

I feel as though after reading and hearing about this model it seems to be an efficient one to use for instruction. Through this model, students are able to work at their own pace and they must master each unit before moving on to the next. It is important that teachers make students aware of the learning objectives at the beginning. I think this is a good system because it holds students accountable for what they are learning and then assesses their learning at the end of each unit.

I think some barriers to this model might be that it may take some students longer than others to complete the units. Time would be an issue if they have only a certain amount of time to spend on the module. Some students may finish really early and it might be best to provide them with extension activities, but should extra support be given to the ones who take longer to complete the units if they have to finish the units in a certain amount of time? I don't know, since this model emphasizes the fact that students are pretty much in control of their learning. Maybe certain time allotments should be given for each unit and students must complete that unit somewhere in the time period given. However, I do think extra support has to be given to students who are learning disabled, ESL, etc. because these students are not going to be able to finish the units in the same time as the other students.

I think I would attempt to use this model with future students. I would like to try it out and see how it works. It seems like this model would be a good way to assess students and see if they are mastering the material that they are learning in class. Also, it seems as though this model would be more convenient for students, and doing it on their own time would create a sense of motivation for learning in them. I definitely think if I tried to implement this model with elementary school students, then I would have to do a lot more scaffolding and provide a lot more support as they are going through the units of instruction.

I think that various Web-based tools could be used to carryout this learning model online. Some of the tools may include: online quizzing (Quizlet, etc.), Moodle, Google Sites, ScreenCast/Screen Toaster, Weebly, etc. Also, videos could be incorporated in the model and other interactive activities such as chat rooms, etc.

Overall, I do like the fact that the Keller Plan stresses achievement and positive reinforcement. I think students will most likely put forth more effort with these two goals in place. Additionally, I like the fact that this model seems to encourage more interactivity and more "doing than listening." I think students would be more engaged and also learn more doing it on their own.