JIGSAW

Last week in class, we did an activity called jigsaw. We used this to discuss the various upcoming technologies discussed in the Horizon Report. Instead of reflecting about the technologies in this report, I want to talk about the activity that we did in class to discuss each technology. I REALLY liked this activity. Mostly because it turned learners into experts. Now, instead of listening to Sherry talk for 20 minutes and probably remember nothing about what she said, I was able to study up on a topic, and teach that topic to others. 

So some background, Jigsaw is where you split students into groups. Each group has a topic. My group's topic was MOOCs. Other groups had wearable technology, 3D printing or iPads. Each group answer some questions posed by Sherry and studied up on the topics. Then, we made new groups consisting of 1 person from each technology group. Now my new group had me (MOOCs), someone from 3D printing, someone from wearable technology, and someone from iPads. We then taught each other about our topics.

This method was extremely useful for helping me understand and remember things because I was responsible for the information to other students and I was able to solidify it into my memory by teaching it. I wanted to understand it in depth so I could answer other students questions and properly explain the technology to them. Now I felt connect to my topic and I wanted to listen to what my fellow students have to say because their viewpoints mattered to me. I think it was a great activity not only to learn, but teach, about whatever topic you desire. I actually learned a lot from this class period and it was fun!

Skype in the classroom

This past class period, one of the TechTeams discussed the use of Skype in the classroom. I found this interesting and useful in more than one way. I liked the ideas of other classmates who Skyped in professionals from their fields to talk about a particular topic. This would be an excellent idea, especially if you yourself do not fully understand the topic.

I have used Skype for classes and have found it very useful. In my global leadership class, we were assigned to understand what it means to be a global leader within our fields (mine was microbiology). Part of this assignment required us to Skype with people in our fields and 5 of them had to be living in a different country than our own. I was able to Skype with microbiologists from Italy, South Africa, Southeast Asia, England, and Russia. This was a great way to expand my ideas of microbiology, create relationships, and learn about other cultures. It was a good alternative to research, compared to reading online about something.

We also Skyped with leaders around the globe during class time, which was informative but had serious downfalls. As a class we had a harder time being present and giving the presenter our full attention. The person we Skyped with could not see all of us, some of the video would cut out or lag, and it was very difficult to develop a personal connection with a screen. The questions we asked were not as good and many people spaced out. The feeling was very different and I don't think I would like it for an in class activity. There is something to be said about the physical presence of a human being and I think it demands a lot more respect than a virtual person (unfortunately).

If I ever use this technology in class, I would consider Skyping in an individual for class time, but would keep it short and would only do it in a smaller class. I think this technology tool works best for one on one interactions, where attention is most definitely required of both parties and it feels more intimate.

In class flipping the classroom activity

I have heard the term flipping the classroom often here at UGA. During my undergraduate years in Minnesota, I did not know the term existed. Now its everywhere, I know it exists but I do not know what it means. Hopefully today, Team! will tell me what it is.

To be continued...

After the class presentation on flipping the classroom I have mixed feelings. It seems like a great idea for some fields but I haven't quite decided the opinion I have about it in my own field of microbiology. I can think of many times in science classes where a student asked a question and the lecture took a complete turn.  If someone is confused about a simple background concept, it may be necessary to explain it to continue the lecture. Sometimes these are the best learning moments for the students and professor. In my own experiences I have learned much from random tangents.

flippin'

On the other hand, I have never experienced a flipped classroom so I cannot be sure if I would find it just as beneficial. I think it would be great to listen to dry lectures in the comfort of my own home and then go to class for group work. I always learn so much from discussions and group work because my mind is thinking and participating in the topic being presented. I have more fun and get to know my classmates as well. I also think it is great to do homework in class because 1. you  know the students are doing the homework and 2. If they have questions they can get your help. I could see #2 being especially useful in a math or physics course where solving equations alone seems like an impossible task.

Having said all of this, I think a perfect combination of the two concepts would be best. Instead of having a lecture online, you can have a lecture in person and then a discussion/homework day the next. That way the lecture could take its natural course, and you could even record it for those who didn't show up or would rather learn on their own. Then the next class (ex. thursday of a Tu/Th class) you could do class activities. It is a good mix up and a way to keep students entertained without a feeling of monotony for every class.

All in all, I'd have to try it and currently I am uncertain and confused about how I feel about this technology of flipping the class room.

20x20

20x20, am I referring to a size of my window that I am sitting next to? No. I suppose this is a good lesson from my physics professor as un undergrad: always put units on numbers to avoid being in physics hell.

20x20 in this context refers to 20 slides x 20 seconds/slide. This is a presentation by Pecha Kucha that only lets you have 20 images and automatically forwards to the next image after 20 seconds.  A huge challenge indeed, one that includes a lot of practice, precision, and planning. To that, I will quote how I met your mother: challenge accepted.

I think that this form of presentation could be extremely useful in my future as a TA. The microbiology department requires you to teach and generally you are teaching a lab course. I can think of so many instances in my undergrad years where I wanted to hulk out at the TA who was giving a 30 minute lab intro presentation. I already read the material (or maybe I didn't but I would read it as I went along) and some of the info was presented in lecture. I think in this scenario, the 20x20 Pecha Kucha presentation would be highly effective. I could explain what we will be doing in lab that day without dragging on about useless details and confusing slides. My presentation would amount to 6.5 minutes, and I think many of my colleagues would agree, that this is a good amount of time to keep an undergrads attention. When I am assigned to a lab section to teach, I really want to try this form of technology to enhance the learning of my students. I think it could keep me and my students happy with the explanation of the material.

Online Classes, Good or Bad?

Recently, a student in the class posted an article about people in the world being able to take online classes from prestigious universities in the United States. The article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/friedman-revolution-hits-the-universities.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&smid=tw-share

I thought the article brought up many pros of teaching with technology. People from different social backgrounds are able to take classes that they never thought they could. Individuals from other countries can learn about intriguing topics in classes that may not be available to them. It sounds amazing, fun, and innovative. But, I cannot help thinking critically if this really is a great thing for society.

Yes its great because education is available to those who might not have access to it (ex. people in other countries), but as the article stated, class sizes are greatly increased. In the article, it states that 155,000 students from around the world have taken edX's first course at MIT. They then go on to explain this is greater than MIT alumni in the 150-year history of the university. I wonder what this is doing to the quality of the assignments and tests that are being distributed. The only logical form of tests would be multiple choice, because how on earth could a professor grade all those short answer questions (or perhaps there are no tests, which may be beneficial, in that case I retract my statement). Also, how could there be useful assignments? Someone has to be evaluating these students, but how?

Secondly, the article focuses greatly on other countries and what they are learning from our "prestigious schools" like MIT and Stanford. But I would challenge us as a country to see what we could learn culturally from them, so that this is not just a one way street. We are not the only country that has intellect.

I know that these classes will bring more good than bad, but I am just curious of how to manage that amount of students in an online course. I could only imagine it would be extremely difficult.

When I think about teaching with technology...

...I think about enhancing the learning of others instead of hindering it with useless "show off" types of technology. I think that technology can be very useful in my field of microbiology, since most everything I study and teach cannot be seen with the naked eye. Bacteria are small, and the use of a microscope as a piece of technology can be a useful teaching tool for understanding different shapes and types of bacteria. Enyzmes, DNA, and proteins are EVEN smaller than bacteria, and the use of videos or computer/whiteboard drawn images can be particularly useful for many people. There is a big difference between telling a student what a protein looks like versus showing it to them and letting them explore the structure on their own.

Although it can be useful, I think about how it can be bad in a class as well. Some professors I have use powerpoint where powerpoint is unnecessary and hindering. Yes, a powerpoint speed up the time the lecturer can lecture, but perhaps the students cannot take in that information mentally or on paper in the time that the slide is talked about. It is hard when you are talking to grasp how long it takes to write down what you are saying. For this reason, some of the best science classes I have taken involve the professor writing on the whiteboard. That way I can move at the same pace the lecturer is moving and I can really gather my thoughts and think in depth about what I am learning.

I hope to take my past experiences about teaching with technology to form myself as an efficient teacher. I need to learn from what works for me, but also realize that what works for me may not work for everyone. For example, someone in the class may actually prefer the powerpoint method or the whiteboard. Before beginning a class with my students I will have to make sure that I understand the needs of everyone to have an equal balance of learning. I can achieve this by surveying the students on their preferred method of being taught, creating a better learning environment.

My first blog post

Blogging is a concept that I am familiar with, although the reflection part of the blogging is more up my alley. During my undergraduate years I minored in leadership, which involved a ridiculous amount of critical reflection and inner searching. Reflection is messy, doesn't make sense a lot of the time, and is a great way to really understand what you are feeling (not just thinking). Due to the chaotic nature of reflection, my blog will have grammatical errors and may not have a "flow" like an essay would, but I think we can all get over that.

The "What":

1. I am taking EDHI9040, which is a course about technology in the classroom. It is taught by Sherry Clouser and so far this is my first assignment.
2. I also took the teaching inventory and I found out my dominant  teaching perspective was nurturing. I read the article associated with this inventory and found out it may not be a good thing to have a "dominant" perspective but a little from each category.

The "So What":

1. I want to take this class to improve myself as a teacher. I can barely make a powerpoint in an efficient time span, so certainly this class will be beneficial to me. There are too many instances in my career as a student that I remember professors being total failures with their technology attempts. It was to the point where it was almost hindering instead of enhancing. I want to avoid these failures (but not fear them) by taking this class so I can use technology in a beneficial matter, especially since I will be teaching to a new generation of students who's lives are run by technological products. 
2. After reading about nurturing, I am not the least bit surprised this was my dominant perspective. As a student myself, I can think of many times where I did not answer a question in fear of answering the question wrong. As a teacher I try to create an environment where failure is not feared, but fostered. Failure is an everyday occurrence and fearing it will make your life a living hell. I want students to know that there is no way you can know everything and that's okay. I also want them to know that if their neighbor knows the answer and they dont, that's okay too! Who cares if your neighbor thinks you are stupid for not knowing the answer, your learning should come first, not your social acceptance. I also (as stated in class on my name card) enjoy building relationships and a nurturing perspective encompasses this as a strategy to build trust to understand emotional and intellectual needs. To me a student is a person, not just an ID number. 

The "Now What":

1. I will continue to grow and learn in this class and will try to understand the different technologies available to me. I will approach each form of technology with a critical eye to determine if it is the correct technology to teach the subject material.
2. I will continue my nurturing perspective, but perhaps I should also work on my other perspectives to be good well-rounded teacher. Hopefully this will be good for me and my students by creating a challenging but intriguing teaching strategy.