Skip to main content

A learner is like a...

When I first thought about this analogy, I was lost. Today's learner is not typical. Today's learner is evolving and thinking in ways never possible before. The more I thought about my students in my classroom and myself as a graduate student now, a learner is like a flower. I chose to a flower because flowers are always growing and also dying and evolving into something new. In George Siemens article "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age", Gonzalez says: "The 'half-life of knowledge' is the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete. Half of what is known today was not known 10 years ago." I felt that this quote perfectly described today's society and also today's learner. We are constantly evolving and changing what we know and the way we learn so that we can keep current. For example, I just attended a training on using my Promethean Board last year. I just received an email that the software has changed yet again, and more training is required. In order to keep current and serve my students to the best of my ability, I must go. Learning is similar. The things I am teaching my students are not the same things I learned in Kindergarten. If we do not evolve and change, just like a flower that starts as a seed, our society would never grow.

It seems crazy to think that the knowledge we have today will most likely be outdated or obsolete at this same time next year. George Siemens explained this concept very well in his video, "The Impact of Social Software on Learning." Siemens states "The knowledge in technology fields changes extremely quickly but it is extremely reliant on the connections you made with others." If our society does not keep connected and learn from each other, we will not learn. Siemens used the example of Blogging and how "content is the conduit to conversation". When thinking about this, in order to have a conversation with others, we must have something to talk about or teach others. Just like a flower, ideas die off and people present new and exciting ideas. This class is a great example of Siemens idea of how connection with others is important. I have learned so much from different software and also by connecting with the other students in this class. Each of us brings something new and different to the table and we could not be successful without each other.
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 7, 2017 at 11:40 AM

    The pen to my Promethean broke this week and they said that we are all getting new machines anyway. 5 years ago they told me if I lost or broke the pen I would have to pay for it myself because they were so scarce! How times change! The IT guy told me they are now swimming in pens.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Using Blogs to Meet Learning Standards

Blogs present a unique opportunity to engage students in technology based learning. Van Olphen, Hofer and Harris presented interesting points in their article "Grounded Tech Instruction: Languages". Their idea of matching technology integration to existing lesson methods is exactly what I currently do in my classroom. I teach Kindergarten with about half of my class being ENL students. These students often times are brushed over because "they do not understand", but these students yearn to learn and are often very bright. I try to engage my ENL students using unique methods that not only get them thinking about English but also allowing them to speak in their own language. Blogging in my classroom would open a whole new window of possibility. One way that blogging could engage my students would be in Step Up To Writing preparation. Step Up To Writing is the writing initiative and assessment in Buffalo Public Schools. The program is very comprehensive and througho...
6 comments
Read more

Can You Keep Up?

Technology is moving faster than most educators can keep up. I am included in that group of educators. My students come to school with a diverse knowledge of technology and how it works. The switch to this new kind of education was highlighted very well by the schools in New Brunswick, Canada.  The school district explains that "Education as we know it may be obsolete". My biggest concern still remains; what does this mean for educators like myself? I will be the first to admit that my students are much more tech savvy than I am. They know what to do when the computer freezes or the tablet is not working properly. They can diagnose just about every problem on an iPhone and can easily list a plethora of websites and game sites. When I was in Kindergarten, I learned how to color. I knew my letters and numbers and I began to read and write. My students can do much more than I can in some aspects, but they miss out on others. When thinking about my Kindergarten experience, my tea...
7 comments
Read more

ePals: A Global Perspective on Education

I had never heard of ePals until this module. When I first explored the site, I was amazed. I had no idea that a site that allows educators to connect and students to complete global projects like this, existed. My current classroom population is very diverse. ePals would give my students an opportunity to connect with students from their native country and learn more about their culture. My favorite project that I learned about is the Pen Pal Exchange. Last year my students were pen pals with a soldier in Kuwait, but it became difficult to send and receive mail. The ePals program connects students with other students their age around the globe. I would use this project in collaboration with my Step Up To Writing Assignments. My students work on writing all year long but never have the opportunity to apply it something unique and different. It is always the same few district approved assignments. I like the idea that the Pen Pal Exchange program would not only meet the Step Up To W...
1 comment
Read more