Reflection 6711:Personal Theory of Learning

I’m a firm believer that a learner is active in the learning process and in today’s classroom I believe implementing technology where ever we can enhances this process. Now the trick is to modify my learning theory to best suit all of my students.

Reflecting on this course, I’ve learned the importance of creating an artifact, the difference between short terms a long-term memory. How the brain actually functions. We’ve analyzed the difference in learning strategies. There have been many useful suggestions by Dr. Orey, but the one that sticks out the most for me, is when he was explaining how he observed a course where the teacher said, do not touch the starboard and proceed to put up a PowerPoint presentation and read word for word. He said…don’t do it. If you are doing this please stop. Interestingly enough, I had observation last week. I imagined Dr. Orey sitting right next to the principal and I wanted to “dazzle” both of them with my new knowledge. I have not gotten feedback yet, but will check back when I do.

Sitting in a quite classroom with great ideas for voice threads, you’d never imagine that I was the teacher and not the student. Well technically speaking I was a student learning something new. Voice threading in a technology that I have already inserted into a lesson plan.

The other technology of conceptual mapping is a great way to organize ideas, not only for the students but also for me. I used this strategy while creating a new lesson plan. The nodes allowed me to brainstorm and to try and foresee any obstacles in a lesson plan.

My goal as a middle school technology teacher is to create a comfort level in my students to learn a new technology and to use it in the future.