Module 1 - Activity 2 reflections

The readings in this activity were quite familiar to me as I has studied the works of Jean Piajet at teachers' college. His theory on cognitive development involving assimilation and accommodation laid the groundwork educational institutions around the world.  How we learn depends on how well we are able to retain new information.  The information processing model depicts this perfectly.  It assumes that our brains have the function of a computer. The new information is entered and is worked upon in the working or short term memory. I see most of the times students reach this stage and forget some of the content that was taught in the lesson.  This is where the model has implications for the teaching-learning exchange.  This is where learners need to be taught meta cognitive skills so that they can think about their own thinking ( how they learn or how they want the information to be stored) so that new information learnt is readily available in long term memory. When storing information on a computer it must be saved in special labeled places (file documents, pictures, etc.) where they are readily retrievable.  The same must be done with our learners. When they come into contact with new information, it is important that we draw from their readily previous knowledge and make connections with the new information. 

Module 1 -Activity 2 Self Activity

A I did this activity I found it a bit challenging. The only information I could have remembered was the contents of what was on the coin as it is something that I come into contact with everyday thus it being in my long-term memory.  I saw the stimuli being the string of letters and list of words. My brain being the sensory register made an attempt to memorize them by rote only being able to recall the first four letters of the string o letters. I realized that learning the letters was more challenging than learning the words as I needed more time to strategize them into memory. I did remember the list of words eventually after much repetitions and arranging them in a way that easy for me to remember but all the information was soon lost after I had left the computer for ten minutes.  This showed that the information was not in my long-term memory as I had only learnt the information because I needed it for the activity.

Hello

Hello

Hello my colleagues, I must say that I have been a wee bit careless in starting this module because I did not keep up to date with checking my emails as often as I should but I am a hard worker and will ensure that I complete each requirement.
I am Gillian Bradshaw, a fifth Grade teacher assigned to the Dorsetshire Hill Government School. There are currently 9 students in my class, a more than manageable number, but still faced with the same challenges as other schools. I teach all subject areas. My school is adequately equipped with a number of technological devices which teachers attempt to use at their disposal. I hope to equip myself and my colleagues with expert knowledge of teaching with ICT while engaging students in meaningful learning after completing this course.

Module 1 - Acivity 1 reflections

This activity highlighted the traditional learning paradigm versus the new learning paradigm. In my opinion the traditional is based on all learners given the same conditions to learn regardless of their socio-economic or intellectual backgrounds. The new learning paradigm, on the other hand, focusses on reaching each learner where they are as each learner has needs. As I reflect on my days in primary school, the traditional learning paradigm was practiced by my teachers where it was seen through drill-and-practice and learning concepts by rote. But as time progressed new practices were incorporated in lessons to help the weak learners to succeed. In modern times technology has made the teaching-learning exchange more attainable as teachers have found it necessary to sharpen their skills by also involving themselves in the learning process. This activity has enlightened me to the fact that I as a teacher am also a learner.

Module 3 Activity 7

I honestly don't know how I managed to miss the first part of the activity however I did the second part dealing with handling big groups in regards to using the spreadsheet software.  Instead of the teacher solely keep records of students' grades, I think that it is a good move to teach them to be responsible in keeping track of their own grades using spreadsheet especially after completing exercises for the different subject disciplines.  This will help to control a big group where using spreadsheets is concerned.

Module 3 Activity 11 reflections

The only professional learning network that I have ever engaged myself in was this very CCTI course.  After doing this activity I have learned that any social network could be utilized as a PLN.  Most persons use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date on friends' and families' lives and to share their experiences. I, too, am guilty of this, especially on Facebook. PLN have the power and potential to assist us on a professional level. I see social networks a bit differently now they can be used to link and collaborate with colleagues who may share their expertise or ideas. I hope to build on the PLN that I created on Twitter and in the future build a PLN on Youtube.

Module 3 Activity 10 reflections

In this activity which dealt with us being smart workers using social media, I was drawn to the reality that the majority of us do not use social media such as facebook to collaborate with persons on a professional level. In Jane Hart's blog she posted 8 key features of a smart learner. All are quite important but the one that impacted on me the most is the learner learns best with and from others. In this ICT course, for example, we collaborate with other colleagues to see things from another person's point of view or have tasks being clarified. We even encourage and praise each other's efforts. So I, as a smart learner, would come to the realization that I don't know everything and find support from other colleagues.