"Massive and Open"
Fasimpaur, K. (n.d.). Massive and open. (2013). Learning and Leading
with Technology, 40(6), 12-17. Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/digitaledition/digital-edition-march-april-2013
Massive Open Online Courses are online classes that are open to anyone and are usually free, but some charge for certain courses, and are online, yet some have face to face components. Massive Open Online Courses have some variations to how the course is conducted since some Massive Open Online Courses are very in depth and require a great deal of participation, projects, and assessment. Others focus on mastery and are more disposed for independent study. Some people claim that this type of learning is very distant with no sense of community. With some sessions having a massive amount of people on them and the testing being done mechanistically, some say that these atmosphere lack support, encouragement, and collaboration. Some Massive Open Online Courses are specifically geared towards K-12 educators for professional learning and are very useful in teaching things like digital citizenship and professional development. Massive Open Online Courses often use a participatory peer driven style of learning which is uncomfortable to those who are used to the traditional top down style of learning. Building community with Massive Open Online Courses seems to be a challenge and is a major complaint by many critics of this style of learning. Another criticism of these Massive Open Online Courses is that there is a high drop out rate for the courses. In the end, like it or not, these Massive Open Online Courses are the new wave education and to some are a great relief from the traditional classroom setup and face to face meetings.
Question #1 What are the ways in which Massive Open Online Courses can be used by traditional educators?
For those kids who fail to make it to school on time consistently, for those who can not manage their time properly, for those who have anxiety disorders and are scared of public places, for those with sleeping issues, for athletes when school becomes a burden to their practicing a sport, and for those in remote locations for who traveling is a nuisance, this could be a great answer. I know many lazy people who have trouble getting out of bed in the morning and this could be the answer to their sense of entitlement and lethargy. They could do this type of schoolwork in their underwear and in bed and never need to shower or practice any other type of annoying hygienic practice. Since it is always impossible to cheat the system, this could be a great way to teach and assess students without having to worry about teaching children all of the other things that are learned in a public setting. I wish I would have had this type of thing when I was in high school, I wonder if they will soon have online proms, that would have saved me a lot of embarrassment.
Question #2 What are the benefits of Massive Open Online Courses?
They can be tailored for certain professional training and are generally free to the public. They are a great way for interested people to learn about certain subjects. They can be peer driven so that the learning is applicable to the students life and they can choose where the course goes. They allow for thousands of people to come together and share a learning experience.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Journal #8
Communication:
"Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including congenital impairments such as cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmentative_and_alternative_communication
Talk Blocks are little palm sized blocks that can record up to 30 seconds of recording and can replay the recording with a simple push on the talk block. You can insert little pictures into the block to match with the recording. These blocks are great for conveying activity instructions, assessing, and reinforcing skills. They are a great augmentative communication tool.
The Go Talk 20+ is a communication tool that is lightweight, durable and easy to use. It has one inch buttons that can produce 5 messages each and 100 messages in total. It is a great augmentative communication device that allows assistance and curriculum reinforcement. It is a great tool for augmentative communication with fifteen minutes of recordable time.
Accessibility:
An input device is any device that feeds data into a computer. Keyboards are input devices.
Intellikeys are an input device designed for special needs students and students with disabilities. It is a touch sensitive device with changeable overlays for different configurations. This device can aid students with physical, visual, or cognitive disabilities who has difficulty using a standard keyboard. The universal design of the overlays provides large, well-spaced keys in
high contrast colors to help students locate letters, numbers, words,
and directional arrows.
Smart Click is software that is made for special needs users who can operate a pointing device, but cannot click. The soft ware uses the hover method to select items for the special needs user. With smart click the user can click, double click, right click, and drag items on the screen. This type of software is perfect for allowing everyone accessibility to electronic devices.
..............
I commented on Raihana and Amanda's blogs about their Journal #8
http://disneywoc03.blogspot.com/......http://rsyonus.blogspot.com/..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
"Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including congenital impairments such as cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmentative_and_alternative_communication
Talk Blocks are little palm sized blocks that can record up to 30 seconds of recording and can replay the recording with a simple push on the talk block. You can insert little pictures into the block to match with the recording. These blocks are great for conveying activity instructions, assessing, and reinforcing skills. They are a great augmentative communication tool.The Go Talk 20+ is a communication tool that is lightweight, durable and easy to use. It has one inch buttons that can produce 5 messages each and 100 messages in total. It is a great augmentative communication device that allows assistance and curriculum reinforcement. It is a great tool for augmentative communication with fifteen minutes of recordable time.Accessibility:
An input device is any device that feeds data into a computer. Keyboards are input devices.
Intellikeys are an input device designed for special needs students and students with disabilities. It is a touch sensitive device with changeable overlays for different configurations. This device can aid students with physical, visual, or cognitive disabilities who has difficulty using a standard keyboard. The universal design of the overlays provides large, well-spaced keys in
high contrast colors to help students locate letters, numbers, words,
and directional arrows.Smart Click is software that is made for special needs users who can operate a pointing device, but cannot click. The soft ware uses the hover method to select items for the special needs user. With smart click the user can click, double click, right click, and drag items on the screen. This type of software is perfect for allowing everyone accessibility to electronic devices. ..............
I commented on Raihana and Amanda's blogs about their Journal #8
http://disneywoc03.blogspot.com/......http://rsyonus.blogspot.com/..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Journal #6
Spencer, J. (2011, September 19). Ten Reasons to get rid of homework (and five alternatives). In Education Rethink. Retrieved March 11, 2013, from http://www.educationrethink.com/2011/09/ten-reasons-to-get-rid-of-homework-and.html
Summary/Analysis/Reflection: In John Spencer's article "Ten Reasons to Get Rid of Homework (and Five Alternatives)" looks at homework as not a tool to further student learning, but as a hindrance to knowledge and motivation. The author states that homework should be abolished because children are busy, and homework interferes with productive nightly activities like play, reflection, and extracurricular activities. The author also points out that homework can be a hinderance to students who have to go home and babysit, work, or deal with someother unequitable situation. Homework also interferes with playtime after school. The author also points out that homework demotivates, it doesn't raise achievement, it teaches bad habits, and for the most part the quality of the homework is poor. The author suggests that instead of homework, kids should be kids, teachers should give homework workshops with parents, homeworks should be viewed as extracurricular activity, and teachers should encourage students to participate in other learning activities outside of assigned homework. Personally, I went two years at a highschool that didn't require any homework. The reasoning is that work does not belong at home, school work was for school, and home was for home. It was both good and bad. The school day was more intense and strenuous because all of the work had to be done at school, most of the time I wished I had homework so I could study up more on the subjects that were problematic. It did work though, and it was a good system because as a high schooler, my nights were busy with extracurricular activities, and it was nice not having to worry about doing busywork before going to sleep. Instead of assigning homework packets as homework, assign short video's or short assignments that can be completed in less than 15mins. Assign work and give time to complete the work in class. Instead of assigning homework, cover the needed material in class. Make homework voluntary for everyone, and require it for those who are behind because they squander class time. Have students create there own homework assignments, if a student can't think of one the teacher can assign something.
Summary/Analysis/Reflection: In John Spencer's article "Ten Reasons to Get Rid of Homework (and Five Alternatives)" looks at homework as not a tool to further student learning, but as a hindrance to knowledge and motivation. The author states that homework should be abolished because children are busy, and homework interferes with productive nightly activities like play, reflection, and extracurricular activities. The author also points out that homework can be a hinderance to students who have to go home and babysit, work, or deal with someother unequitable situation. Homework also interferes with playtime after school. The author also points out that homework demotivates, it doesn't raise achievement, it teaches bad habits, and for the most part the quality of the homework is poor. The author suggests that instead of homework, kids should be kids, teachers should give homework workshops with parents, homeworks should be viewed as extracurricular activity, and teachers should encourage students to participate in other learning activities outside of assigned homework. Personally, I went two years at a highschool that didn't require any homework. The reasoning is that work does not belong at home, school work was for school, and home was for home. It was both good and bad. The school day was more intense and strenuous because all of the work had to be done at school, most of the time I wished I had homework so I could study up more on the subjects that were problematic. It did work though, and it was a good system because as a high schooler, my nights were busy with extracurricular activities, and it was nice not having to worry about doing busywork before going to sleep. Instead of assigning homework packets as homework, assign short video's or short assignments that can be completed in less than 15mins. Assign work and give time to complete the work in class. Instead of assigning homework, cover the needed material in class. Make homework voluntary for everyone, and require it for those who are behind because they squander class time. Have students create there own homework assignments, if a student can't think of one the teacher can assign something.
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