Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Week 4 Reading - Telling the WE Story
The WE story is something like a symphony. You can have one instrument play a song but when you get the whole group of instruments to play you truly have music. As a student of Full Sail I have come to appreciate the "symphony" of my classmates. It has been a long journey yet I have not done it alone. Along the rocky road to learning new things I discovered the vast array of friendships that supported my work. So of the best projects were done in a group...the WE factor.
The WE story says, "we are our central selves seeking to contribute, naturally engaged, forever in a dance with each other" (Zander & Zander Stone, p. 183). I have been dancing with many of the students in my classes at Full Sail and I will continue to dance with them for years to come as the bonds of friendship have developed. The ability to share ideas over time and work through issues and develop great programs is a group effort that enforces the WE story and completes the dance.
I have experienced the WE story on a personal level, having kept in touch with many high school friends over the years, some since grade school. Our committment to each other and the contributions we have made for each other have created a symphony to dance to. No matter how caught up we might get in to ourselves and our own lives, we always make time for each other and are there to encourage each other.
My relationship with my man is one of WE. Together we work through our troubles, guiding and supporting wach other, keeping each other positive during the hard times and celebrating life together knowing that we have each others support. We love engaging in long conversations about our dreams and hopes and how we see the world and how we can make a difference in it.
WE is all around us. A nation of individuals that bound to communities for strength and support. Families, neighbors, and friends coming together for the good of others. The more we think of WE instead of I, the more WE will succeed.
The WE story says, "we are our central selves seeking to contribute, naturally engaged, forever in a dance with each other" (Zander & Zander Stone, p. 183). I have been dancing with many of the students in my classes at Full Sail and I will continue to dance with them for years to come as the bonds of friendship have developed. The ability to share ideas over time and work through issues and develop great programs is a group effort that enforces the WE story and completes the dance.
I have experienced the WE story on a personal level, having kept in touch with many high school friends over the years, some since grade school. Our committment to each other and the contributions we have made for each other have created a symphony to dance to. No matter how caught up we might get in to ourselves and our own lives, we always make time for each other and are there to encourage each other.
My relationship with my man is one of WE. Together we work through our troubles, guiding and supporting wach other, keeping each other positive during the hard times and celebrating life together knowing that we have each others support. We love engaging in long conversations about our dreams and hopes and how we see the world and how we can make a difference in it.
WE is all around us. A nation of individuals that bound to communities for strength and support. Families, neighbors, and friends coming together for the good of others. The more we think of WE instead of I, the more WE will succeed.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Week 4 Comment on Fred Benetiz
Fred writes about stress:
One of the earliest problems I encountered in my life was the way I dealt with stress. When given a major project or a deadline, I usually work myself to exhaustion on the first day, first week, and often times until it's done. For example, I once created an original 50 page website on Apples in one night for a class project. Did I need to make it 50 pages? Yes. Did I need to do it in one day? My eyes still wish I hadn’t. It isn’t that I try and get it “out of the way”, but it’s more that I have trouble sleeping if I don’t know exactly what I have left to do. And even when I do know what I have, I check and recheck lists and outlines just to be sure its accurate. Even further, I have a very negative outlook on my own works (written, visual, etc) and it’s extremely difficult for me to be happy with what I produce. Maybe it’s a low self esteem or a keen ability to fish for compliments, but I have always been this way.
Knowing this when I entered the EMDTMS program had me terrified before the start of month 1. Aside from learning about educational gaming, digital literacy, and memorizing Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues, I also managed to deal with my stress in a much more normal process. The most important change comes in a thought process based on the words, “everything is going to be ok.” This simple statement (repeated throughout the day, over and over…) has left me with a sense of calmness and positivity. My girlfriend has learned to simply pretend to listen to me explain what I have to turn in, as she knows I’m only going through my list. Maybe my tendencies lean to an OCD diagnosis, but when I thought they would be at their worst, I actually made it out alive. Well, At least to month 11.
My response:
You are not alone in the stress factor and even more so in your behavior. I think there are many of us out there, myself included, that are not happy with what we produce even though other people love it. We are the type that are very hard on ourselves and demand perfection. It is not a lack of self-esteem and it can actually be a good quality to have. i often think my work is sub par and I am reassured that that is just not the case, but I know I expect a lot of out myself and at some point I have learned to just let go of that fear that I am not good enough.
This year has been a stressful one for us all, especially for those of us who are so hard on themselves and demanding so much. The speed at which the class went and the amount of work that goes into each month is enough to drive any ordinary person, insane. Fred, I have seen your work over the past year and have had the pleasure of working with you on group projects and you have done a fabulous job. I hope you take that to heart. I liked that you worked fast and furious to get the projects done early and did it with such ease and with perfection.
Let the stress fall on the floor, we are almost there.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Week 4 Choice - March of the Penguins
This week I had an assignment at work to watch the March of the Penguins and pull out aspects of the movie that represent teamwork and other working aspects and piece them together for a video clip. This proved to be challenging and fun. The entire movie was narrated by Morgan Freeman and there was a lot of things I learned about penguins. For instance, I did not know that they could hold their breath for 15 minutes or that they walked 70 miles to breed. The fact that they survive under such extreme conditions is beyond me.
I did find teamwork when it came to the male and female passing the egg with great care not to kill the unborn penguin. The male and female also use great teamwork techniques when passing the baby chick, keeping them from touching the freezing ground. There was a sense of community and group when huddling in the cold weather and keeping warm to survive.
What does all of this teach me? It makes me think about community and working together for the betterment of the group. It makes me think about survival and just how far I have come with all the trials and tribulations and it makes me want to strive harder to be successful.
I did find teamwork when it came to the male and female passing the egg with great care not to kill the unborn penguin. The male and female also use great teamwork techniques when passing the baby chick, keeping them from touching the freezing ground. There was a sense of community and group when huddling in the cold weather and keeping warm to survive.
What does all of this teach me? It makes me think about community and working together for the betterment of the group. It makes me think about survival and just how far I have come with all the trials and tribulations and it makes me want to strive harder to be successful.
Week 4 Media Project
This week is just a continuation of the thesis project due this week. Many nights of fine tuning the information and finding pictures and video clips that can offer some insight has been difficult. I am very hard on myself and feel the pressure of wanting to do a good job and feeling like it is not adequate. I am excited about seeing other peoples projects and ideas that my classmates are coming up with. I have had the privilege of working with some outstanding people in my class. Not only is there a plethora of talent but everyone has been very helpful and supportive throughout the entire process.
I have learned so much and this project is no exception to the rule. The project has made me think deeper about my thesis and forced me to research in more detail the many aspects of what I am trying to get across. I am looking forward to the last month with confidence and dreaming of the day I graduate May 7th. Woo Hoo!!!!
Here is my Udutu project link:
http://publish.myudutu.com/published/launcheval/16728/Course30719/Launch.html
I have learned so much and this project is no exception to the rule. The project has made me think deeper about my thesis and forced me to research in more detail the many aspects of what I am trying to get across. I am looking forward to the last month with confidence and dreaming of the day I graduate May 7th. Woo Hoo!!!!
Here is my Udutu project link:
http://publish.myudutu.com/published/launcheval/16728/Course30719/Launch.html
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Week 3 Reading - The Way Things Are
I have watched the movie Babe many times. I love the story behind each of the animal characters and the information that the story is trying to reveal. There is a real sense of "the way things are" and many of the animals have resigned themselves to what they are. All of them except for Ferdinand the duck. He wants to be something else like a rooster so he wont have to look at the ugly truth of the way things are in his life. He lives thinking of what should be and wants to be anywhere but in the present.
Accepting the way things are is a great start to being present without resistance and allows one to feel the entire moment for what it is. Clearing judgments and closing exits to stop the blaming of why things are the way they are is a step in the right direction. However, I do believe that anyone can change the way things are in many aspects of life if they just set their mind to accomplish them. Accepting that I am female is essential. Accepting that I am a trainer and that is just the way it is, is not. Ferdinand the duck needed to learn to accept that he was a duck, but he could not accept that humans ate duck and that he could be the next meal, so he flew away. Change will get you out of the way things are to some degree by showing a different side to the same things. Things are what you make it and the way things are is what it is...your reality.
See Babe Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyb4FUUMwI
Accepting the way things are is a great start to being present without resistance and allows one to feel the entire moment for what it is. Clearing judgments and closing exits to stop the blaming of why things are the way they are is a step in the right direction. However, I do believe that anyone can change the way things are in many aspects of life if they just set their mind to accomplish them. Accepting that I am female is essential. Accepting that I am a trainer and that is just the way it is, is not. Ferdinand the duck needed to learn to accept that he was a duck, but he could not accept that humans ate duck and that he could be the next meal, so he flew away. Change will get you out of the way things are to some degree by showing a different side to the same things. Things are what you make it and the way things are is what it is...your reality.
See Babe Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myyb4FUUMwI
Week 3 Choice - Learning Styles
Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning. They involve educating methods that are presumed to allow that individual to learn best. Most people favor some particular method of interacting with information. Learning styles originated in the 1970's and has gained must popularity in recent years. Teachers that assess learning styles of the students can then adapt their classroom methods to best fit each students learning style. There are several models of learning styles:
David Kolb's Model: is based on experiential learning theory and outlines two grasping experiences: concrete Experience and Abstract Conceptualization, and Reflective Observation and Active Experimentation.
Honey and Mumford model: adopting David Kolb's model with a few adaptations
Anthony Gregorc's Model and Sudbury model
The most common model follows the VARK model using visual, auditory and tactile learner methods.
In my studies of gender differences I have notice that many males are visual learners where more females tended to be tactile or auditory learners. With that being said this might explain some of the differences that males and females show when learning where females are more verbal and males are more spatial. Regardless of the gender differences I do believe that by focusing in on the main learning style and approaching learning with that style in mind can improve overall performance in education and learning.
David Kolb's Model: is based on experiential learning theory and outlines two grasping experiences: concrete Experience and Abstract Conceptualization, and Reflective Observation and Active Experimentation.
Honey and Mumford model: adopting David Kolb's model with a few adaptations
Anthony Gregorc's Model and Sudbury model
The most common model follows the VARK model using visual, auditory and tactile learner methods.
In my studies of gender differences I have notice that many males are visual learners where more females tended to be tactile or auditory learners. With that being said this might explain some of the differences that males and females show when learning where females are more verbal and males are more spatial. Regardless of the gender differences I do believe that by focusing in on the main learning style and approaching learning with that style in mind can improve overall performance in education and learning.
Week 3 Project of the Week - Udutu
This week has been spent working on my Udutu training module for my thesis supported project. this has proven to be very challenging. Bringing my thesis to life with audio and videos of supported material is very time consuming and difficult to piece together the studies with the videos.
My training module consists of an introduction to the module followed by a pre-test which can be surpassed if already taken before. the pre-test is just to gauge learning the material by understanding current knowledge of the subject. After the test is a section on the human brain, key structures of the brain including hormones and chromosome. After demonstrating the human brain, the learner goes into learning differences between males and females that are in direct contribution to the various brain functions that are unique to each gender. Finally, there is a scenario that takes the learner though two videos watchin a male and female communicate and how various learning styles are incorporated into the process. There are several questions about the video to get the learner thinking about the possiblitlities between the genders, their differences and similarities.
The hope of the project is to creat an awareness of the biological factors within the human brain that contribute to gender differences in learning. There is another section that focuses on possible solutions to bridging the gender gap and gets the learner thinking about the possiblilities of closing the gap by using a webquest to facilitate further learning.
My training module consists of an introduction to the module followed by a pre-test which can be surpassed if already taken before. the pre-test is just to gauge learning the material by understanding current knowledge of the subject. After the test is a section on the human brain, key structures of the brain including hormones and chromosome. After demonstrating the human brain, the learner goes into learning differences between males and females that are in direct contribution to the various brain functions that are unique to each gender. Finally, there is a scenario that takes the learner though two videos watchin a male and female communicate and how various learning styles are incorporated into the process. There are several questions about the video to get the learner thinking about the possiblitlities between the genders, their differences and similarities.
The hope of the project is to creat an awareness of the biological factors within the human brain that contribute to gender differences in learning. There is another section that focuses on possible solutions to bridging the gender gap and gets the learner thinking about the possiblilities of closing the gap by using a webquest to facilitate further learning.
Week 3 Comment on Jose Benitez Blog
Jose says:
Tanya replies:
You and I were very similar creatures in high school. I, too, did not want to be there. I found school to be boring and I was restless with ideas and thoughts that took me far away from the classroom. Years later I found out I was suffering from attention deficit disorder which now explains a lot of my behaviors. I did however, also find that one classroom. More than the class itself was the teacher who taught it. She had a way about her that made learning fun. The class itself could have been very boring but she was unique, thinking outside the box and preferred to use other methods than just reading from the textbook. I was fascinated by her and she touched me in a way that made a difference in how I looked at learning. She made me want to come back for more. Her pay it forward attitude helped me stay in school and now I find myself wanting to find ways to make learning fun for my students.
It's not about us. It's about them. What are you doing to pay-forward from your universe of possibility?
I was a terrible high school student. We were allowed 5 absences each semester before we had to attend court for truancy, and I missed the first 5 Mondays each semester for 3 years. The thing was that I told my teachers I would be absent (sometimes), and my parents knew (sometimes). My goal was to attend as little school on Mondays as possible, while also passing every class I took. I failed two classes in high school, both due to the absences. I was a steady D student from grades 9-11, and my plan to miss often times backfired. (Like the one time I actually got sick after I had already missed 5 days. I was responsible enough to attend class anyway, getting through the day feeling my own inflicted misery.)
When I was a junior, I entered a Media Technology class that focused on a weekly video production presenting the weeks news and stories. I loved the class structure, creative freedom, and most importantly the teacher. I loved it so much that my senior year, when I could’ve had late arrival to school every morning, I chose to instead enroll in the advanced class and as the teacher’s aid in the morning. I had found an outlet for which not even my laziness could overpower. This one class changed the way I treated education for the rest of my life, as I strived to work hard from that point on.
My goal as an educator extends directly from this course: to provide learners an opportunity to explore the various elements of design in order to motivate and inspire creativity. I have tried hard the last 4 years to pay it forward, and when I have a student who seems uninspired, or unwilling to adjust his decision making because they think they have it all figured out… I think back to my high school days, and I welcome them graciously.Tanya replies:
You and I were very similar creatures in high school. I, too, did not want to be there. I found school to be boring and I was restless with ideas and thoughts that took me far away from the classroom. Years later I found out I was suffering from attention deficit disorder which now explains a lot of my behaviors. I did however, also find that one classroom. More than the class itself was the teacher who taught it. She had a way about her that made learning fun. The class itself could have been very boring but she was unique, thinking outside the box and preferred to use other methods than just reading from the textbook. I was fascinated by her and she touched me in a way that made a difference in how I looked at learning. She made me want to come back for more. Her pay it forward attitude helped me stay in school and now I find myself wanting to find ways to make learning fun for my students.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Week 2 Reading - chapter 4-6
Our life is the story we tell. What we contribute is our life. It is continual and always moving in one direction or another. Thinking about how I can contribute today lets me know that I am a gift to the game of life. This thought process of contribution can be used in all aspects of life and situations allowing for free thoughts and expressions to emulate the soul. Conducting my life from any chair further illustrates that by contributing my talents to help others learn and grow, I am a success. Conducting my life with the contribution game in mind will open doors for others to follow. Leading by example is a contribution I give my children...and what can I show them? Rule number 6! Don't take your self so seriously. Laughter is the best medicine. Live each day to the fullest and dream big.
My life is full of contributions. Some great and some small. I have tripped, fallen, gotten back up, dusted myself off many times along the way just to find some new adventure waiting for me. The roller coaster of life is a thrill a minute and what I have to contribute will hopefully thrill many others yet to come my way.
My life is full of contributions. Some great and some small. I have tripped, fallen, gotten back up, dusted myself off many times along the way just to find some new adventure waiting for me. The roller coaster of life is a thrill a minute and what I have to contribute will hopefully thrill many others yet to come my way.
Week 2 Comment on Bianca Blog
Bianca writes:
Before I really start into the reading, you first need to know something about me: despite being reasonably good at anything I've put my mind to, I am made physically ill by grades and by performance reviews. Seriously... just checking grades on the FSO makes my stomach flip around wildly and my brain come up with all sorts of worst-case scenarios even though chances are the grades will be fine. I even felt anxiety when I had to get my car emission-tested last week, and I wasn't even the one who had to pass the test.
I very rarely fail... and by fail I mean all-out fall on my rear end fail, but the few times I have, the repercussions were severe. We live in a world that so often is unconcerned with how often you do things right and more interested in judging you by your failures. In that kind of world it's frightening to take risks and try something new because what would happen if you tried and it didn't work out? You'd be a failure.
So throughout this reading I found myself thinking about what life would be like if we were more apt to think along the lines of giving an A. Then I wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that A all the time.
Take our experience here at Full Sail. Granted, it's a pretty supportive environment here, but say for the sake of the argument Full Sail could make all their courses pass/fail as opposed to letter graded (without losing their accreditation, that is). What would that mean for us students?
On a whole, we're not a group of people who play it safe with assignments, but I have noticed anxiety spikes when classmates go out on a limb with a project. We want to experiment, but we also don't want to be way off-base with our assignments. In the "giving an A" world it would be okay for us to occasionally misinterpret an assignment. Instead of a bad grade, we'd just get constructive criticism from our instructors and advice on how to tackle assignments like it in the future. There would be no stain on our GPA and no single mark pulling us away from the grade we feel actually reflects how much effort we put into the learning process.
As much as we're learning a lot now, I think we'd learn even more under the "giving an A" system. We'd try even more things and not stress out so much about whether we did what the instructor wanted or not. We could have discussions about where things didn't go right without dredging up the feelings of deep disappointment from receiving a bad grade. We could truly look at a mistake as a learning experience rather than a failure that defines us (sure, people recommend that you look at all failures as learning experiences, but it's pretty hard to do that when that failure is dragging down your GPA).
I think I'd be a less-anxious and more courageous learner in this system.
Tanya responds:
I couldn't agree with you more. Having to worry about grades not only places undue pressure to get "the grade" but undermines the creative side that allows us to take that leap and risk trying a new adventure instead of playing it safe. There has been many times throughout this year with Full Sail that I have had to play it safe in order to get the assignment done based on the requirements to get the grade necessary to pass the class. This has left me feeling like I missed an opportunity to really express myself in terms of what I could do or attempt to work through. I especially think at this level of learning that grades should be more of a pass/fail philosophy to inspire more creative thinking and constructive criticism from which to build on. A place where failing would simply be that you just didn't do the assignment. Let's face it, the only one you really hurt when you fail to do an assignment is yourself yet, when you really worked through a project and still got a bad grade on it leaves you feeling rejected and says your lacking when in fact you are none of those.
Setting high expectations and demanding that I be the best I can be is how I operate. When I give my best I would like to be praised for a job well done, told what was good about it, what needs improvement and other comments to help me with learning not given a grade which says you completed all the requirements. Who knows, Bianca? maybe there will one day be a university of pass/no pass or great job/needs work.
Before I really start into the reading, you first need to know something about me: despite being reasonably good at anything I've put my mind to, I am made physically ill by grades and by performance reviews. Seriously... just checking grades on the FSO makes my stomach flip around wildly and my brain come up with all sorts of worst-case scenarios even though chances are the grades will be fine. I even felt anxiety when I had to get my car emission-tested last week, and I wasn't even the one who had to pass the test.
I very rarely fail... and by fail I mean all-out fall on my rear end fail, but the few times I have, the repercussions were severe. We live in a world that so often is unconcerned with how often you do things right and more interested in judging you by your failures. In that kind of world it's frightening to take risks and try something new because what would happen if you tried and it didn't work out? You'd be a failure.
So throughout this reading I found myself thinking about what life would be like if we were more apt to think along the lines of giving an A. Then I wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that A all the time.
Take our experience here at Full Sail. Granted, it's a pretty supportive environment here, but say for the sake of the argument Full Sail could make all their courses pass/fail as opposed to letter graded (without losing their accreditation, that is). What would that mean for us students?
On a whole, we're not a group of people who play it safe with assignments, but I have noticed anxiety spikes when classmates go out on a limb with a project. We want to experiment, but we also don't want to be way off-base with our assignments. In the "giving an A" world it would be okay for us to occasionally misinterpret an assignment. Instead of a bad grade, we'd just get constructive criticism from our instructors and advice on how to tackle assignments like it in the future. There would be no stain on our GPA and no single mark pulling us away from the grade we feel actually reflects how much effort we put into the learning process.
As much as we're learning a lot now, I think we'd learn even more under the "giving an A" system. We'd try even more things and not stress out so much about whether we did what the instructor wanted or not. We could have discussions about where things didn't go right without dredging up the feelings of deep disappointment from receiving a bad grade. We could truly look at a mistake as a learning experience rather than a failure that defines us (sure, people recommend that you look at all failures as learning experiences, but it's pretty hard to do that when that failure is dragging down your GPA).
I think I'd be a less-anxious and more courageous learner in this system.
Tanya responds:
I couldn't agree with you more. Having to worry about grades not only places undue pressure to get "the grade" but undermines the creative side that allows us to take that leap and risk trying a new adventure instead of playing it safe. There has been many times throughout this year with Full Sail that I have had to play it safe in order to get the assignment done based on the requirements to get the grade necessary to pass the class. This has left me feeling like I missed an opportunity to really express myself in terms of what I could do or attempt to work through. I especially think at this level of learning that grades should be more of a pass/fail philosophy to inspire more creative thinking and constructive criticism from which to build on. A place where failing would simply be that you just didn't do the assignment. Let's face it, the only one you really hurt when you fail to do an assignment is yourself yet, when you really worked through a project and still got a bad grade on it leaves you feeling rejected and says your lacking when in fact you are none of those.
Setting high expectations and demanding that I be the best I can be is how I operate. When I give my best I would like to be praised for a job well done, told what was good about it, what needs improvement and other comments to help me with learning not given a grade which says you completed all the requirements. Who knows, Bianca? maybe there will one day be a university of pass/no pass or great job/needs work.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Week 2 Choice - Gaming in Corporations
When I first started the gaming and education class I thought to myself that this class was not going to benefit me at all. I work for a company that would never allow gaming to be incorporated into the learning environment. Not to mention that I did not play many games. It wasn't until the very end of class that I decided to take a risk and talk to them about getting gaming into the company. I thought of Wii Wednesday's where I would set up a Wii game during the lunch hour and allow people to come in during their lunch break and relieve stress or just have some fun together. My company bought the idea and after implementing it I realized just how much people had forgotten how to let go and have fun. It has taken a little coaxing to get some people involved but now it is becoming the norm and more people are looking forward to playing.
I also have implemented a fun jeopardy game using PowerPoint to initialize the one year anniversary of the company. The categories are about each department giving everyone a chance to learn more about the other departments. This game is also used in the new hire orientation at the end to get people remembering what they had learned in a fun way.
You can go to:
http://www.murray.k12.ga.us/teacher/kara%20leonard/Mini%20T%27s/Games/Games.htm
There you will find all kinds of templates for games that can be used in school or any organization.
I also have implemented a fun jeopardy game using PowerPoint to initialize the one year anniversary of the company. The categories are about each department giving everyone a chance to learn more about the other departments. This game is also used in the new hire orientation at the end to get people remembering what they had learned in a fun way.
You can go to:
http://www.murray.k12.ga.us/teacher/kara%20leonard/Mini%20T%27s/Games/Games.htm
There you will find all kinds of templates for games that can be used in school or any organization.
Week 2 Project of the Week Content Proposal
Week 2 is turning in the content proposal. Now that I had all week to prepare for the proposal I have a better understanding of what my project is going to look like. This helps to eliminate some of the fears I am having. I want to do a great job but feel my skills are not as strong in the designing department. My proposal is based on a Udutu training module. There will be a pre-test for educators to take to see what they currently know and a post test to assure that learning has occured. The meat of the project will contain education information about the brain and behavior of males and females. More specifically, the differences that occur within the brain. There will be tables and graphs demonstrating these differences and video showing the differences. Another aspect of the training module will be placed on solutions to gender differences and how to overcome them. Then there will be a webquest to get the eductors taking the training module to think critically and challenge them for further studies. I really hope to enspire eductors to want to learn more about gender differences and how these differences affect learning.
I. THESIS ABSTRACT
This paper considers gender differences in learning and how online learning is also affected due to biological differences within the brain that significantly increase the possibility of these differences while learning an online course. Do men and women learn differently because of biological factors and is online learning any different than traditional learning that might cause any difference? Many regard the Internet as male-dominated with females at a disadvantage. The studies reviewed first take a look at various biologically based studies of men and women to determine gender differences in brain functionality. Secondly, some studies reviewed examined learning differences among genders. Lastly, there is discussion as to whether these biological and learning differences influence online learning differences.
II. Introduction
Problem Addressed
The need addressed in the thesis is for more gender neutral lessons to occur so that learning can occur with either gender. Solutions to gender-neutral lessons include raising expectations to increase overall grades and performance, incorporating various learning styles that will encompass a larger audience and increase motivation between both genders and to include more collaborative technologies that increase social interaction.
The media projects intention is to create awareness to educators about gender differences and how the proposed solution can decrease the gender gap and make learning occur for both genders.
Target Audience
The project is designed for educators at any level. The aim is at online educators and traditional educators thinking about teaching to online males and females. The role of these educators is to become more aware of the specific biological differences between males and females that contribute to the different learning styles and behaviors. The educator will become more focused of factual based evidence occurring about gender differences within the brain and take with them this knowledge to the classroom or online training modules by incorporating some of the solutions.
Sharing the project
Sharing the Udutu training module to educators through facebook, blogging on educational blog sites and personal web site.
III. Goals and Objectives
Instructional Goal
The subject of the media project is biological gender differences. The educator will learn various skills and acquire several new attitudes about gender differences within the brain that contribute to learning differently. For instance, the project will begin with an introduction to gender differences in the brain and erase some of the stereotypes that exist between genders. Next, there will be information about brain differences such as the hypothalamus and certain neurotransmitters effecting males and females differently. The educator will then get information regarding solutions based on supported evidence through video and podcasting. Finally, a conclusion for further studies will be displayed as a webquest.
Learning Domain
Cognitive – mental skills (knowledge)
The domain here is set in cognitive or mental skills. The educator is becoming knowledgeable in the aspects of brain and behavior among males and females that can lead to learning differently. The mental skills used within the project’s experiment help to demonstrate the differences that occur between the genders and produces buy-in for the educator.
Learning Objectives
Determine current knowledge of males and female’s brains using a pre-test
Introduction to the brain, hormones, chromosomes and their differences
Demonstrate male and female verbal and spatial behaviors via experiment
Connect brain differences to learning differences
Introduce solutions to bridging the gap between the differences
Create a webquest challenge to incorporate additional thoughts on subject
Post-test to determine if learning occurred
IV. Presentation
Instructional Approach
The projects main instructional approach is to guide the educator through the differences between the genders and to focus on the various strategies used to overcome any differences that may contribute to learning online. The theory overseen throughout the project is that of the multiple intelligence theory by Howard Gardner. In his book, Intelligence Reframed, Howard Gardner walks through seven intelligences and explains that, “people have a wide range of capacities. A person’s strength in one area of performance simply does not predict any comparable strengths in other areas” (p. 31). These wide capacities of ranges in intelligence can suggest that both males and females will contribute to several types of intelligences and the need to tap into the various intelligences within a structured training environment is essential.
The seven intelligences are, linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal. The theory proposed in regards to gender differences is that males will share more spatial intelligence and females will have more interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. However, there will be contribution in several of the intelligences and a need to address multiple intelligences within a training session will improve the overall satisfaction and performance of the students.
Intelligences, according to Gardner is defined as a “bio-psychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture” (p. 33). Taking this into account, the intelligence theory that Gardner describes creates a solution to the gender differences that occur while learning. Even though there are biological differences between males and females there is marked similarities within multiple intelligences.
Aside from Howard Gardner’s book regarding multiple intelligences there are two other authors that influence the media project. Diane Halpern’s book, “Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities” is an excellent book on gender differences within a cognitive approach. There is much discussion surrounding sex chromosomes, hormones and in depth discussion into the brain and its behavior surround the differences.
Michael Gurian’s book, “Boys and Girls Learn Differently” has an excellent breakdown of the parts of the brain, its function and the impact it has on males and females. This is part of the lesson on how the brain learns and how brain-based differences affect boys and girls.
Lesson Structure
The content order for the project is to begin with a pre-test on the Udutu training module. The pre-test will consist of questions surrounding multiple intelligence, general brain knowledge and traditional stereotyping of boys and girls behaviors in regards to learning. The middle, or body, of the project will be informative, teaching about the brain and behavior of males and females using various movies that demonstrate these differences as well as research study examples of evidence regarding the differences. There will also be an area pertaining to proposed solutions such as retaining expectations and web 2.0 technologies that increase collaboration. A webquest challenge to get the educator to think critically about future ideas and theories regarding gender differences and finding solutions to learning differences will be the subject of the webquest. The end will have a post-test to see if theories proposed have been learned.
V. Evaluation
The project will contain both a pre and post-test to determine if learning occurred. The pre-test consists of questions that are proposed in the project such as what is multiple intelligence and what does the hypothalamus do? These questions are only to gauge where the educator is at that very moment before learning takes place. The post-test will ensure that learning has occurred.
There will be various types of questions that will engage the educator who is working within the project and enforce the concepts learned. The idea is to engage the educator to think about the lessons by taking the pre-test and this will support the general understanding of where the educator is at that moment. The post-test will encourage the educator to be mindful of the lessons being raised and to show that learning has taken place.
I. THESIS ABSTRACT
This paper considers gender differences in learning and how online learning is also affected due to biological differences within the brain that significantly increase the possibility of these differences while learning an online course. Do men and women learn differently because of biological factors and is online learning any different than traditional learning that might cause any difference? Many regard the Internet as male-dominated with females at a disadvantage. The studies reviewed first take a look at various biologically based studies of men and women to determine gender differences in brain functionality. Secondly, some studies reviewed examined learning differences among genders. Lastly, there is discussion as to whether these biological and learning differences influence online learning differences.
II. Introduction
Problem Addressed
The need addressed in the thesis is for more gender neutral lessons to occur so that learning can occur with either gender. Solutions to gender-neutral lessons include raising expectations to increase overall grades and performance, incorporating various learning styles that will encompass a larger audience and increase motivation between both genders and to include more collaborative technologies that increase social interaction.
The media projects intention is to create awareness to educators about gender differences and how the proposed solution can decrease the gender gap and make learning occur for both genders.
Target Audience
The project is designed for educators at any level. The aim is at online educators and traditional educators thinking about teaching to online males and females. The role of these educators is to become more aware of the specific biological differences between males and females that contribute to the different learning styles and behaviors. The educator will become more focused of factual based evidence occurring about gender differences within the brain and take with them this knowledge to the classroom or online training modules by incorporating some of the solutions.
Sharing the project
Sharing the Udutu training module to educators through facebook, blogging on educational blog sites and personal web site.
III. Goals and Objectives
Instructional Goal
The subject of the media project is biological gender differences. The educator will learn various skills and acquire several new attitudes about gender differences within the brain that contribute to learning differently. For instance, the project will begin with an introduction to gender differences in the brain and erase some of the stereotypes that exist between genders. Next, there will be information about brain differences such as the hypothalamus and certain neurotransmitters effecting males and females differently. The educator will then get information regarding solutions based on supported evidence through video and podcasting. Finally, a conclusion for further studies will be displayed as a webquest.
Learning Domain
Cognitive – mental skills (knowledge)
The domain here is set in cognitive or mental skills. The educator is becoming knowledgeable in the aspects of brain and behavior among males and females that can lead to learning differently. The mental skills used within the project’s experiment help to demonstrate the differences that occur between the genders and produces buy-in for the educator.
Learning Objectives
Determine current knowledge of males and female’s brains using a pre-test
Introduction to the brain, hormones, chromosomes and their differences
Demonstrate male and female verbal and spatial behaviors via experiment
Connect brain differences to learning differences
Introduce solutions to bridging the gap between the differences
Create a webquest challenge to incorporate additional thoughts on subject
Post-test to determine if learning occurred
IV. Presentation
Instructional Approach
The projects main instructional approach is to guide the educator through the differences between the genders and to focus on the various strategies used to overcome any differences that may contribute to learning online. The theory overseen throughout the project is that of the multiple intelligence theory by Howard Gardner. In his book, Intelligence Reframed, Howard Gardner walks through seven intelligences and explains that, “people have a wide range of capacities. A person’s strength in one area of performance simply does not predict any comparable strengths in other areas” (p. 31). These wide capacities of ranges in intelligence can suggest that both males and females will contribute to several types of intelligences and the need to tap into the various intelligences within a structured training environment is essential.
The seven intelligences are, linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal and intrapersonal. The theory proposed in regards to gender differences is that males will share more spatial intelligence and females will have more interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. However, there will be contribution in several of the intelligences and a need to address multiple intelligences within a training session will improve the overall satisfaction and performance of the students.
Intelligences, according to Gardner is defined as a “bio-psychological potential to process information that can be activated in a cultural setting to solve problems or create products that are of value in a culture” (p. 33). Taking this into account, the intelligence theory that Gardner describes creates a solution to the gender differences that occur while learning. Even though there are biological differences between males and females there is marked similarities within multiple intelligences.
Aside from Howard Gardner’s book regarding multiple intelligences there are two other authors that influence the media project. Diane Halpern’s book, “Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities” is an excellent book on gender differences within a cognitive approach. There is much discussion surrounding sex chromosomes, hormones and in depth discussion into the brain and its behavior surround the differences.
Michael Gurian’s book, “Boys and Girls Learn Differently” has an excellent breakdown of the parts of the brain, its function and the impact it has on males and females. This is part of the lesson on how the brain learns and how brain-based differences affect boys and girls.
Lesson Structure
The content order for the project is to begin with a pre-test on the Udutu training module. The pre-test will consist of questions surrounding multiple intelligence, general brain knowledge and traditional stereotyping of boys and girls behaviors in regards to learning. The middle, or body, of the project will be informative, teaching about the brain and behavior of males and females using various movies that demonstrate these differences as well as research study examples of evidence regarding the differences. There will also be an area pertaining to proposed solutions such as retaining expectations and web 2.0 technologies that increase collaboration. A webquest challenge to get the educator to think critically about future ideas and theories regarding gender differences and finding solutions to learning differences will be the subject of the webquest. The end will have a post-test to see if theories proposed have been learned.
V. Evaluation
The project will contain both a pre and post-test to determine if learning occurred. The pre-test consists of questions that are proposed in the project such as what is multiple intelligence and what does the hypothalamus do? These questions are only to gauge where the educator is at that very moment before learning takes place. The post-test will ensure that learning has occurred.
There will be various types of questions that will engage the educator who is working within the project and enforce the concepts learned. The idea is to engage the educator to think about the lessons by taking the pre-test and this will support the general understanding of where the educator is at that moment. The post-test will encourage the educator to be mindful of the lessons being raised and to show that learning has taken place.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Week 1 Choice...Gender Differences
There are a number of gender differences to consider. Different parts of the brain function differently between the sexes and therefore impact men and women differently. For example, the cerebellum contains neurons that connect to other parts of the brain and spinal cord and facilitate movement, balance and speech. There is a much stronger connecting pathway in the female brain between the brain parts therefore females have superior language and fine-motor skills while males tend to be less intuitive. another example of gender differences is in the cerebrum. The cerebrum is the upper or main part of the brain controlling conscious and voluntary processes. Females use more volume than males therefore resulting in females being greater at multitasking. Lastly, neurotransmitters which are biochemical substances that transmit nerve impulses at the synapses clearly affect differences in how males and females brains process data.
Given these biological brain differences one could assume that learning differences will occur between the genders. With Females being more verbal and males more spatial, a need to consider how to train the combined genders so effective learning can take place is imperative. Most studies have shown that there is little differences in how men and women learn yet there is still many other studies that can show marked differences in the brain and behavior that contribute to the differences in how the learning takes place within the brain.
If females tend to better at verbal abilities and rely heavily on verbal communication then the need for web 2.0 communication technologies is imperative to the communication necessary for learning to take place. Whereas males tend to be heavily right brained and show better spatial abilities such as measuring, mechanical design and geography. These spatial cues can be brought forward to the learning table to allow the male learner the opportunity to learn successfully.
Given these biological brain differences one could assume that learning differences will occur between the genders. With Females being more verbal and males more spatial, a need to consider how to train the combined genders so effective learning can take place is imperative. Most studies have shown that there is little differences in how men and women learn yet there is still many other studies that can show marked differences in the brain and behavior that contribute to the differences in how the learning takes place within the brain.
If females tend to better at verbal abilities and rely heavily on verbal communication then the need for web 2.0 communication technologies is imperative to the communication necessary for learning to take place. Whereas males tend to be heavily right brained and show better spatial abilities such as measuring, mechanical design and geography. These spatial cues can be brought forward to the learning table to allow the male learner the opportunity to learn successfully.
Week 1 Project of the Week
Week one's project is the content proposal which is due the first part of week two. Having listened in on the wimba session to get a better understanding of what is required I am now ready to begin the task of writing the proposal. My thesis is "Gender Differences in Online Learning: A Biological Factor". The problem proposed is that men and women learn differently due to biological factors from birth and therefore there needs to be more gender neutral training that greatly reduces the differences. One of the solutions is to incorporate web 2.0 technologies that encompass both verbal and visual learning while stimulating kinesthetics to induce the various forms of learning styles. Another solution is to raise overall expectations of individuals to increase their success to learning.
Bringing these solutions to a working project that endorses the solutions will be challenging for me. My thought is to conduct a Utudu training module that contains various movies, podcasts, interactive assesments and learning aids while guiding the learner to a better of understanding of the gender differences and how to overcome them. My objective is to give a cognitive leraning domain where knowledge is the key to learning.
I am going to find the proposal to be the easy part of the entire project. Putting it all together will be the real reward and hopefully I can put it all together succesfully.
Bringing these solutions to a working project that endorses the solutions will be challenging for me. My thought is to conduct a Utudu training module that contains various movies, podcasts, interactive assesments and learning aids while guiding the learner to a better of understanding of the gender differences and how to overcome them. My objective is to give a cognitive leraning domain where knowledge is the key to learning.
I am going to find the proposal to be the easy part of the entire project. Putting it all together will be the real reward and hopefully I can put it all together succesfully.
Week 1 Comment on Fred Benitez
Fred writes:
The next and might I say last few months will prove to be the most interesting and challenging part of the entire year. It all comes down to the media project and the presentation of our thesis. Hang in there and know that we are all in this together. Taking the projects that are assigned one by one and breaking them down to the simplest form to digest each piece will help to bring things together for you. I might sound like I am cheering you on and you would be right. Onward!
The accelerated 12 month journey through Full Sail is now at the start of month 11. Unbelievable! While the stress level has remained constant, and my delicate handling of my MBP has faded, the butterflies of the start of a new month still live on. With the final touches going into the thesis, the development of the media project and the building of nerves of the presentation, this seems like a month that will test my work ethic and time management. I welcome the challenge with an open mind and a smile on my face, as I have learned over the past 10 months that things will work out.
With the beginning of MAC in March, I also enter the Technology Student Association contest season, the Texas Youth Ultimate Frisbee State championships, and Flatstock Poster Conference at SXSW. The common theme through all of these activities is the importance on team support as the base structure. TSA is a group of 30 students who compete in various technology events such as desktop publishing, film, engineering, architecture, etc. Ultimate Frisbee is a sport played across the nation at the youth level and beyond. Flatstock is a screen printing poster convention held in conjunction with the South by South West music, film and interactive festival.
Overwhelmed? Absolutely. Scared? Absolutely. But am I going to stop because of these things? Absolutely not. As Mr. Bustillos said in the initial Wimba, we did not get here through inertia, onward my friends!
Tanya's Comment:
These past 10 months we have been together, through the thick and thin of it all. Stress has been a huge factor for us all. I have watched you grow and it has been a pleasure to be a part of your learning and to be able to experience things together as a team has been very rewarding.The next and might I say last few months will prove to be the most interesting and challenging part of the entire year. It all comes down to the media project and the presentation of our thesis. Hang in there and know that we are all in this together. Taking the projects that are assigned one by one and breaking them down to the simplest form to digest each piece will help to bring things together for you. I might sound like I am cheering you on and you would be right. Onward!
Week 1 Reading Blog
It's all invented, so think outside the box. "We perceive only sensations we are programmed to receive, and our awareness is further restricted by the fact that we recognize only those for which we have mental maps or categories" (Zander 2000, p.10). Simply put, our interpretation of the world is made up of perceptions ingrained in our categorized mind. Think about it. A baby will reach out and touch a hot stove, not knowing that it might be hot and that will hurt. Once the child learns that touching a hot stove hurts, they will "map" in their mind not to do it again. The mind associates the hot stove to pain.
Zander writes, "its through the evolved structure of the brain that we perceive the world" (p. 12). Evolution has created a thoughtful, mindful, creative brain that thinks and learns at a rapid rate. Perception is an evloution of one's life span and all that comes with that life that allow one to perceive hopes, fears, joy and love. These have many different meaning to differnet people and different cultures where some may not even know the menaing of the word or not in the same way or thought process.
If the world is a construct of the mind, then the world means different things to different people and cultures and therfore is constantly being reinvented to fit the "map or category". Invention is only what we perceive as new and useful. One culture may invent the wheel and find it useful, however another culture simply has no use for it.
References:
Zander, B., (2000). The art of possibility. Glassbook Edition. pp. 9-12
Zander writes, "its through the evolved structure of the brain that we perceive the world" (p. 12). Evolution has created a thoughtful, mindful, creative brain that thinks and learns at a rapid rate. Perception is an evloution of one's life span and all that comes with that life that allow one to perceive hopes, fears, joy and love. These have many different meaning to differnet people and different cultures where some may not even know the menaing of the word or not in the same way or thought process.
If the world is a construct of the mind, then the world means different things to different people and cultures and therfore is constantly being reinvented to fit the "map or category". Invention is only what we perceive as new and useful. One culture may invent the wheel and find it useful, however another culture simply has no use for it.
References:
Zander, B., (2000). The art of possibility. Glassbook Edition. pp. 9-12
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