Roboprince

Hello colleagues,



I have been working on a new curriculum web site for my class, and would really appreciate it if you could look it over and provide me some feedback. My web was designed for high school robotics students. It introduces students to robotics and has them build a simple robot for presentation. My goals include descriptions of the course and students, as well as objectives, prerequisites and rationale. I included a number of different activities, including weekly pictures, videos, and assignment.I included assessment rubrics and a self-assessment mechanism. There is also feedback included and finally other resources for further information on robotics. Let me know what you think; any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Victor

I read the Mcloughlin/Oliver piece twice as I was not sure I agreed with what they had to say the first time through. After re-thinking, I probably agree more than I disagree and can support their findings. While I agree that current ID models do not fully contextualize the learning experience and are themselves product of particular cultures (read biased); I'm not sure they make the case for inclusionary learning models at the cultural level. The America I live in probably contains more cultures under one roof than any other country in history and would be hard-pressed to write a model or come up with a system that fits all.

I think the way to go is pretty much the way we have been doing it. The success model is built on assimilation and that's the way it goes. My own philosophy fits with situated cognition and I have no quams with:

Learning is situated and contextualised in action and everyday situations;
Knowledge is acquired through active participation;
Learning is a process of social action and engagement involving ways of thinking, doing and communicating;
Learning can be assisted by experts or supportive others and through apprenticeship;
Learning is a form of participation in social environments.

Because my students can easily be characterized as visual, I am adding video, pictures, and quizzes to my web.

Victor

My experience with Dreamweaver has been good so far. I have been able to pick up new techniques for web design, and I find it relatively easy to use concepts learned from previous web packages like Frontpage and Sitebuilder. Like any new "language" the syntax is different and so there is the initial confusion; but a little bit of experimentation quickly dispels any nervousness I have had. In many ways I find Dreamweaver to be more versatle and powerful than Sitebuilder. I like having more options to get things done although more options does require more thought upfront. I'm presently ahead in my two other classes so I am able to put in more time on this assignment; this is not an assignment to attempt at the last minute. I'm sure I'll have more to say as I complete more of the required modules.

Victor

The site I chose to critique is from an Ohio PBS group called ThinkTV. I like it because it makes engineering understandable for school age children. There is a video component which captures my student's interest and always prompts further questions and discussion. There is a lesson plan component for teachers which I have used successfully with my introductory classes. It is well put together with good graphics and multimedia; and sets a good stage for students to accept the complexity of some of the math and science basics required for studying engineering.
I actually find no weakness in the site.

http://www.thinktv.org/education/engineeringyourfuture/engineeringyourfuture.html

Victor

On a personal level, I think video games are a great way to gain student's attention and interest. Problem for me is I barely have time to incorporate all of the administratively-approved activities for my classroom (including my lesson plans and semester objectives). I have no time to create anything that adds-value for my students, and I'm not sure I can find a game that already exists that would either. While I see the value, I don't see the time to realistically accomplish this with the semester underway. I'm interested how others will incorporate them into their classes.
For me, this will be another technique for my Teacher's Toolbox, something that I can hopefully integrate into future classes at work.

I have never used powerpoint games in the classroom. If this turns out being what I think it is; I will probably try to create some type of robotic simulation involving movement and directional motion (vectors, geometry, etc.). The purpose would be for my students to actually create the paths for robots before actually having it built and programmed. I think this would prove very useful.

Victor

I found all three articles interesting, humorous, and intriguing. I probably agree with the reeves_oh article more than the other two. I also believe that nowhere near enough research (or meaningful study) has been done in the area of generational differences. Yes it is fun to gripe about the younger generation, and to behave judgementally ("we were never as screwed up as these kids", etc.). It's also easy to wax longingly for the "good-old-days" (which in reality were not that good). It is entirely another thing to remember how the older generation complained about our music, clothing, study-habits, etc. A couple of years in a war zone converted me from a disenchanted, dope-smoking, love-making, anti-war, anti-government adolescent into a wounded vet who could not wait to finish college and join the money-making world of conformance. Those of my peers who are still alive and fairly successful financially all made the same 180 degree transition into adulthood. We considered this maturity (especially when we became parents). I concur wholeheartedly that education and educational theory and practises have not kept pace with the changing youth of recent years and I think this is reflected in the national test scores and the state of all of the areas that we once lead the world in. So are our youth not as studious or capable as older generations or have our means and techniques for reaching (i.e. teaching)them become obsolete? I don't know the answer to this and nothing I have read this week has convinced me one way or the other. I am dizzy trying to make sense of the various definitions and differences between the generations. I have no problems believing that GenY (Millenials) can actually study and comprehend while listening to their Mp3 players or video games; but I am still old enough not to allow this in my classroom during a lecture or demonstration. I read the Howe and Strauss (and Forrester) opinions regarding this generation and am not as optimistic as they appear to be. I could be wrong (would not be the first time), and I truly hope that I am wrong. I think these kids are going to need all of the breaks they can get to navigate this world successfully.I liked reading Prensky's philosophy of Digital Immigrants and his juxtaposing educating today's generation with foreign language (and accents) is brilliant. While I enjoyed reading his thoughts, the reality of the school I teach at (and the teachers I teach with) is quite different and not likely to change any time soon.Howe and Strauss do a better job in offering reasons (and answering questions) about the generational differences; but they also do not explain how the older more experienced teachers will successfully teach the Millenials. Does the reading remind me of any of my students. You bet it does. I can name a student for every description I have read in these three articles (and I'm only in my third year of teaching).What they don't explain is how every generation has produced successful adults via education and why these individuals managed to succeed in spite of educators not fully being in touch with them. I also think that time will prove them to be no more successful than previous generations in terms of moving mankind forward. Don't get me wrong; tech savvy kids are different from my generation, but different does not always prove to be better.
Victor