Week 10-Learning Styles

There are a few different learning styles that can really affect how you absorb and retain information when learning a new topic. There are 3 basic types of learners: visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic. Visual learners learn by watching. They retain the information that they see and learn best through charts, graphs and diagrams. An auditory learner learns the best by hearing the information. Only about 30% of students are auditory learners and they benefit from being told the information they need to know or by saying it out loud. Tactile-kinesthetic learners are very hands-on. They need to do activities to help them retain information. They benefit from putting their whole body into a situation and remember what they experience the best. Most students fit into one of these 3 categories and it can be helpful to understand which one.

Teachers can benefit from understanding how a student learns the best. They can structure lessons around the student's learning style so that they can receive the most benefit. I think it is important to offer a test to students in the beginning of the year so that their learning style can be discovered. If that is not possible, it is helpful for a teacher to offer all different methods to all the students of the class to give them all an opportunity to learn in their best possible way.

The following video is an introduction to the concept of learning styles and how they can apply to students. It is just a short intro to what learning styles do and how they can be used. It has a funny twist at the end and keeps you interested.

Week 9-Social Networking

Social networking has been growing in popularity in the past few years and it has begun to be noticed by people everywhere. Some feel very positively toward it, but many others feel that it is a way that students are decreasing their social skills and avoiding peer-to-peer interaction. There are reasons to believe both points of view, and this has become a huge debate, especially among educators and how it applies to students. It is possible that it could have an impact on how people communicate in the future, but it could be a positive or a negative impact. I think that only time can tell how it will change the face of human interaction and communication.

This relates very much to education because social networking provides many opportunities for teachers to reach out to students in new ways. It also gives teachers a roadblock to overcome as they must find new ways to get into the heads of students. They may have to learn an entirely new form of communication that they were not previously used to. If it does affect students ability to have face-to-face interaction, then teachers must be aware of that as well.

The resource I chose for this blog entry is this video. It is a humorous attempt to explain social networking and how it is affecting the youth. It is a clip from the Daily Show and clearly demonstrates social networking in students, while still maintaining a funny point of view.

Week 8-Podcasting

This week in class we learned all about podcasting and how it can be used. Podcasts are audio files that are recorded and can be downloaded onto an MP3 player or played on a computer. Many podcasts are recorded as a series and can be automatically downloaded to your computer. There are podcasts about all different sorts of materials, from TV shows to music to news. You can find a podcasts about almost any special interest, even a podcast that gives you new workout music every week!

Podcasts are a great resource in my field. They can be used to relate to students by giving them new weekly updates with interesting facts, for example. I could also use podcasts to communicate with parents and keep them up to speed with what is going on with their children. There are so many uses for podcasting! School administrators could use podcasting to alert staff members of weekly changes instead of having many meetings.

The resource I found for this post is this video that shows how to create a podcast. It is extremely helpful and gives a basic overview of how to do it on your computer. Since many people are not accustomed to creating podcasts, this can help very much for any new beginners.

Week 7-Digital Storytelling

For this week, we learned about digital storytelling and how it can be used. Digital storytelling is the use of pictures or other media to tell a story without words. With the spread of the internet, this type of media has become more and more common. Digital photography is used to capture images and translate them onto the internet quickly and easily. The pixelation is much clearer and allows for better pictures to be taken. Digital photography can also be used in the classroom to create many learning opportunities. Digital video is also another resource that can be used in and out of the classroom.

This can be used in my field because digital images and video present many new outlets for students to express their creativity. In the assignment we did in class, I was able to tell a story through images and music. It is important that students learn these tools because our world is a globalized community. Students will not be prepared for this if they do not become accustomed to the tools that help navigate this new world we live in. In the classroom, I will use all these tools to engage and inspire my students.

The resource I chose for my entry is this website. It is the University of Houston's webpage about the educational uses of digital storytelling. It defines digital storytelling and also gives links to software and other resources that can help a teacher to utilize digital storytelling in the classroom. It also has a section of Web 2.0 tools, such as podcasts and blogs that can also be helpful.

Folksonomies

This is a concept map that shows how I will use folksonomies in my field. Enjoy!

Podcast

I created a sound file using Audacity. It is a short file just demonstrating how sound can be recorded and shared online. I can use sounds in presentations to demonstrate things in a whole new way. In my chosen field, I can use sounds to engage children in presentations. It can be a surprising, fun way to teach concepts that may be a little more difficult.

Listen to my sound sample here.