Complete+Unit+2


 * FOR FACILITATORS:**

Early in the unit, the teachers in our groups will be asked to contribute to a discussion like we did with the unit 1 sync point. It is called "Technology Reflection," and there is a separate discussion board created for it in our facilitator version of the course. From the facilitate menu, go to "view enrollment groups," click "moderate discussion groups" and post your question under the topic "Technology Reflection," which is right above the sync point disccusions for each unit. Since this discussion point in unit 2 comes immediately after all the material about our personal use of technology vs. our students' use of technology (the venn diagram in our red folders), I posted this question:
 * ||~ Author: || Swindells ||
 * ~ Topic: || Technology Reflection Question #1 ||
 * ~  || This question is intednded to follow the Reflection Activity you completed in unit 2 (the Venn Diagram you filled out about 15/28 of the way through the unit):

A) List one way you use technology that your students do not. B) List one way your students use technology that you do not. C) List one way your use of technology overlaps with that of your students.

Here are my answers: A) I rely on email as my primary means of communicating with colleagues and friends while my students do not. Many of them tell me they only open their email when they are expecting something from a teacher. B) Online gaming. My students participate in collaboritve online games. I'd love to do this, but I haven't had the time or enough inclination to set it up. When I actually have time to play a video game with friends, we are together in the same house, while our students are often playing together over the Internet. C) Wikispaces. This is a place where I can send my students in a given direction with an assignment, but they have the freedom to create where they go in terms of research, collaboration, and publishing their work. ||  ||   || Since there is a student survey we are asked to give to our students in class during unit 2, I also thought it would be a good idea to send a message to the members of my group reminding them of this. I suggested they could do this survey outside of class by emailing several willing students. The survey is short, and could be done in 3 minutes in class, but it is important because it is followed by several questions asking us to reflect on our students' responses.

Soon after, we have to do another discussion topic for "Student Thinking Patterns." Here's what I wrote:
 * ||~ Author: || Swindells ||
 * ~ Topic: || Student Thinking patterns Questions #1 ||
 * ~ Description: || Do you buy into the idea that students can learn from educational video games, or other similar stimuli that engage their interest for extended periods of time to teach them something?

Is this the modern version of "drill & practice" for the Digital native? ||

After reading a few more articles, there is another student survey. This time teachers must create 6 questions, so watch out for this step!!!

Then there is the third discussion topic, "Student Engagement." Here's what I posted:


 * ||~ Author: || Swindells ||
 * ~ Topic: || Student Engagement Question #1 ||
 * ~ Description: || Is your current classroom organization preparing students for the 20th Century workplace or the 21st Century workplace?

Please describe. ||

As I completed unit 2, I copied all the articles and assignmnets we were given and pasted them into a word document so I could add my notes and answers electonically.

Here it is:



(still in progress) Scott