Periodically, I like to step back and take a meta-cognitive look at how the class is going. These are some of the key ideas that have shown up in my ‘gator:
Production Models and Learning
I think that this is proof that in order to be successful in teaching we must met our targeted audience’s interests.
Whether we’re looking at the issues of technology, education, and culture, or multimedia production, this is a key element. Think about how what and how we teach.
And speaking of what and how we teach, several of you had comments like this one.
GIMP
I really think figured out what Dr. Lowell was trying to do, because what seemed to be a simple assignment took a lot of digging to figure out, and in the process I learned alot of other things you can do with the program. So for me, it was worth it. I don’t mind spending time on things I enjoy, and this was like a puzzle for me I could not put down.
I suspect more than a few of you hit this level of engagement — just judging from the number of people who were writing about the frustration and still going at it. This is a key element that we need to pay attention to when dealing with “gaming in the classroom.” It’s important to create real, authentic puzzles in our instructional games in order to get the deepest engagement.
It’s also telling the number of people who said, “I thought I knew how to use this tool…” That’s a direct commentary on the reality of levels of knowledge. If you don’t know something very well, then you don’t know what you don’t know and the probability is high that you think you know a lot. This is true in every domain. I’m a Ph.D. and it’s amazing how little I actually know. I used to think I had a handle on stuff, but as I moved up thru the ranks of academe, I kept getting stupider and stupider. Now, I’m pretty sure I don’t know very much, but I’ve got an interesting clutch of questions.
Finally, from the “Catch a Cluetrain Department,” several of you were on track with this. This is only one of several comments …
Cluetrain Manifesto
I suppose you could replace business with schools/universities/teachers and replace consumers with students. If you do that, then you come out with the Internet creating an open classroom style.
And for a very cool remix of Cluetrain, see what my friend Scott Adams cooked up years ago.
These ideas aren’t going away.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:24 am
I agree with the production models. There are some shows or learning that is not meant for all people. I know here at the college they bring in certain people that want to teach us about how to engage student learning and so forth. We are their targeted audience. This type of speaker wouldn’t benefit someone who didn’t deal with students. I agree that certain audiences are needed in order to make the show or speaker a success in communicating their message.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I think the Cluetrain has a lot to do with education. I have a video conferencing taking place next week from a local school that will be communicating with a school in Indiana. They will be discussing coal mines and if they are good for the region. I think it is great that schools and children can communicate with other students in the world. There are so many businesses that have expanded into other countires and this will allow students to get an earlier learning of communicating and associating with other people or students in other countries. I am all for this type of learning.