Reflection Entry 18

Collaborative research is a constructivist problem solving model that says that students work together towards a common learning goal. There are five principles: focusing on learning outcomes, developing communication, posing the problem, generating multiple perspectives, and making informed decisions. These principles guide teachers and students as they focus on working together. It is important for the teacher to define the learning outcomes for the student, and also for the students to develop critical communication skills. These skills will help them problem solve, empathize and work better with one another. The students have to agree on the problem, and then use their research to come up with definitions, and evaluate the results of their research. It is a process that takes time, but the benefits for students is amazing. It helps them become critical thinkers as well as great communicators. The example came from an undergraduate study program, but it can be applied to any grade level.

http://www.uoregon.edu/%7Etep/resources/crmodel/model/index.html

Reflection Entry 17

I have a friend that is a web page designer, and I admire what he does. This website lists the top tools used for web authoring. The only programs that I had previously heard of were Dreamweaver and Flash. I didn't know that all of these other software programs exist. The job of a web designer amazes me. Even though there are templates and you don't necessarily need to know the HTML code, I still don't think that I could have the patience required for all of that. As I talk to my friend about his work, he talks about the difficulties he has along with making sure the site looks good in all web browsers as well. There are so many factors to consider that I never thought about.

http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/web.html

Resource Log

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~webteach/articles/tools.html
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/Directory/Tools/web.html
http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/resources/crmodel/index.html
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/W/Web_authoring.html
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/www.html#essential
http://webhelp.ucs.ed.ac.uk/docs/goodpractice.html
http://web.ebscohost.com.library3.webster.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=6&sid=15ae27e8-1ffb-4b08-983d-e710982e3902%40sessionmgr9&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLGNvb2tpZSx1cmwsdWlkJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=ED466449#db=eric&AN=ED466449#db=eric&AN=ED466449
http://www.emeraldinsight.com.library3.webster.edu/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/1650220101.html

These are websites are about web authoring tools and collaborative research that I am using for my section of the chapter.

Reflection Entry 16

I have found this experience thus far to be very interesting. For me, being a type a person, I always want to get things done and on time. It is hard for me to work on group projects and rely on other people. I would much rather do some things by myself. I actually am looking forward to playing all three roles for this last chapter. I don't need to wait on other people's research, and worry about making sure I have the chapter finished in time for the editor to write the quiz questions and answers. It is nice that we can research a related topic of our choice, and apply everything that we used earlier in the semester. I appreciate that I am able to work at my own pace as well, and am excited to research web authoring tools and collaborative research this upcoming week.

Resource Log

http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Socio-constructivism

https://www.msu.edu/~purcelll/constructivismlearningtheory.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/constructivism-learning-theory#The_learner_as_a_unique_individual

http://www.rr1.net/users/dsmbrown/Constructivism.htm

Reflection Entry 15

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/assment/as7const.htm

This website describes assessment in a constructivist classroom using Brooks and Brooks. It explains the principles of a constructivist teacher. The principle that stood out to me the most was that "Constructivist teachers encourage students to engage in dialogue both with the teacher and with one another." This situation reminds me of how I run my class meetings. I notice the students talking to me instead of each other. This has improved significantly over the course of the year, and that has been a goal of mine for the students to engage in more conversation with each other.

Reflection Entry 14

http://www.ifets.info/journals/3_2/tam.html

Tam's article discusses the technological piece with the role of the learner. She mentions how computers were effective in developing higher order thinking skills. In addition, she notes that technology tools can aid in learning, and that they can help learners get relevant information and provide opportunities for the learner to look at a variety of viewpoints so they can construct their own knowledge. I found her article helpful because it discussed how the learner can use the technology instead of the instructor, which I appreciate because as a teacher, I want my students to use technology and whatever they can to help them understand.