Module 7_Activity 6: Analysing Projects (Reflection)

      Project based learning is one of the hallmarks of 21st Century teaching strategies in which the Teacher engages students in learning experiences based on experimentation, involvement and action. It is basically learning-by-doing and is an effective way for students to learn once it is well planned and properly executed. With the emergence of the internet and new technological devices and commuication methods it is possible to offer students authentic learning experiences ranging from  experimentaion to real world problem solving experiences. The students can focus on real world  situations that they can relate to and are experiencing or have experienced and find their solutions using collaborative and cooperation skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills as they take their learning beyond the classroom.   

Module 7_Activity 5: Engaging 21st Century Learners (Reflection)

After engaging in this activity doing the reading, watching the videos, writing to the group and filling out the template and providing information about Engaging learners; as I reflect I am forced to review how I have been and should engage students in the classroom and what I can do to get them more engaged to make their learning fun and more meaningful.

I am strongly of the opinion that students must take ownership and be responsible for their learning but have never thought of how I could help them to do so. This activity has shed much light and have given me food for thought as to how this can be done.

However what caught my attention in this activity are the three components of the engagement theory which  creates an environment for collaborative teams of students who will  work on ambitious projects that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom. They are: RELATE, CREATE and DONATE.

RELATE: Students  relate to one another through communication and collaboration and social skills not only in the classroom but across cultures using social media.

CREATE: Students make learning a creative purposeful activity by engaging in project based learning where they have control over their learning and it therefore becomes a tangible demonstration of their understanding.

DONATE: Students engaged in learning that has an outside (authentic) focus. They are able to engage in projects or works which are taken or published beyond the classroom through real world experience and to be of service to others.

Learners should engage in creating, problem solving, analysing, and evaluating.

Engaging 21st century learners is:

Module 7_Activity 3: Critical Thinking (REFLECTION)

       CRITICAL THINKING is a powerful learning tool and inorder to get students to think critically, I realise that I too must engage in this practice. As I thought about it at first I became overwhelmed but as I took  time out to read and to watch the 5 videos shared in the activity, think about it for myself; I began to get a grasp of it and to realise that I have been engaging in critical thinking and therefore became calm about it all.
       Critical Thinking will help students to think for themselves, to observe, listen, analyse and come to rational conclusions and to think beyond what they see and hear. They should be encouraged to think out of the box in a logical way.
While reading and doing this activity on Critical Thinking, there are many things that caught my attention however I have chosedn to highlight two (2) which  stood out the most.

1. The INTELLECTUAL STANDARDS:
     Be CLEAR: dont confuse people, state exactly what you mean and give examples to make your
     argument easily understood.
      Be ACCURATE: be sure the information given and received is correct and authentic.
      Be RELEVANT: make sure the information is in relation to what you are thinking about.
      Be LOGICAL: make sure that all the information fit together and make sense.
      Be FAIR: consider how your actions and behaviour make others feel; consider  the thinking and
      feeling of others.

2. The INTELLECTUAL VIRTUES
     Intellectual virtues are good qualities in one's mind to think and learn well. They include:
     Intellectual INTEGRITY: being the kind of person you expect others to be e.g. resepecting others
     because you want to be respected and considering the feelings of others because you expect  
     others to consider your feeling.
     Intellectual INDEPENDENCE: Thinking for oneself and figuring out for oneself while listening to
     others to learn what they are thinking and to come to a conclusion based on your thinking to
     decide who and what to believe.
     Intellectual PERSEVERANCE: Telling your mind that YOU CAN!. Convincing yourself that you
     can by sticking to a problem and keep trying to figure it out. Sticking to it to be better - working
     hard in your mind.
     Intellectual EMPATHY: Understanding how others think and even if you disagree, try to see
     things from their persepctive and to make some sense of it.
     Intellectual HUMILITY: Recognising and admiting that you don't know everything; don't say
     things that are not true. Ask questions to help you find out about what you dont know.

I also found the activity of  creating a concept map using online technology (Mindmeister) to be very intriguing. At first it all seemed overwhelming but as I out my mind to work and using the teaching strategy provided by our tutor to watch the youtube demonstation video I realised that it was soo easy and I found myself creating new pages and playing around with the tool and getting all creative with it.

I  tend to be intimidated  when I have to do alot of reading and this is because I am a visual learner so  even though there was a bit of reading in this activity, I welcomed the use of the videos and Mindmeister as well. Thanks Gerald for the variety of teaching and learning tools that you are usingg. I intend to become equip enough to be able to model your teaching techniques used in this course in my teaching real soon.

Module 7_Activity 2: A vision for my subject in the 21st Century (REFLECTION)

    As I reflect on carrying out this activity a quote by Debbie Greh (2002) used in the conclusion of my MA dissertation about how Art Educators in Antigua-Barbuda conceptualise ICT  in relation to their teaching practice came to mind. It states " As a teacher of Art, your most important task is to teach Art - not computers, not software, not Photoshop or KidPix or CorelDraw. TEACH ART: teach theory; teach concepts; teach aesthetics and criticism; teach design; teach drawing... Computers and related technologies are just tools you can utilize while teaching Art to your students".

    In short as I reflect about the activity and the information about the elements of 21st century education I realise that the rradical change which is need in the 21st century has begun to take place in my teaching practice carried out in  my subject area of Visual Arts. The teaching of skills - creativity skills, communicative and collaborative skills, ICT skills, life and carrer skills, learning and innovative skills as well as  creating independent thinkers are all part of what I have been doing in my class using  the traditional methods and  a limited amount of the technology so that learners can be motivated to learn and to begin to take responsibility for their learning. The key elements of 21st century education is providing that platform to use the various technologies (hardware, software and internet resources) to enhance the learning expereince of learners through the enhancing of my teaching repertoire to teach Visual Arts.

MODULE 7: Activity 1 - REFLECTION

I am excited about this  module already. I am realising that I have been using some of the strategies that are required for 21st century Education. Collaborating, Networking....WOW!!!  However there is so much more to be learnt and I will be embacing it as it comes my way.
Actually I realise that the the key towards being an effective Educator (participant) in 21st Century Education is to be FLEXIBLE, CREATIVE and to NETWORK and COLLABORATE. Engaging in these key elements with fellow colleagues and students will sure make the teaching and learning process using the various technolgies exciting and rewarding.  As I reflect I see that there is a need for more  INTEGRATION. Integration within schools across the various subject areas and the use of the technolgy is the ultimate tool to do this. IDEAS ARE FLOWING...... My creative juices are flowing like a river in its youthful stage....

MODULE 7: Activity 0

Hello Everyone,
Elearning in the  Connected Classroom is here. I am excited about this new course and I am looking forward to learning more from the course and from all of you who are participating in the course so that I can continue to develop my  teaching skills in using the technology.  Happy studying to everyone!!!